I've been into vaping for 8 months and have tried dozens of mods, including the two Provaris in my current avatar. I just recently got those. If you visit my profile page, you will see many of the mods that I have now. As for the wicks and wires, I am very much a beginner. I like Vivi Nova type tanks, which are easy to just screw on and off the wick heads. I am terrible at making coils, though. And I still prefer cartomizers and big glass tanks.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/members/yourefired-albums.html