Been lurking here quite awhile and have almost made it through the required reading. Two years ago, I bought the cheapest ( like CAD150.00 cheap ) pot still I could find. Had a blast learning how to run it and didn't make monstrous mistakes, let's just say there were a few 'oops' along the way.
Used sugar washes mostly but did a couple of LME washes, one of which was one of the aforementioned 'oops. I have recently upgraded to a reflux still that can be run as a pot still.
The new beast is a two inch column ( Intended Use + Space Available +.Overall Cost = Equipment Purchased ) and after The Cheapie, all I can say is "wow".
Look forward to some interesting discussions