I have had this for almost 1 month and LOVE it. Before this, my water had a 385 ppm reading from the tap using 2 filters on the system. I tried Zero water when Britta did nothing. I found myself having to change the Zero water filters every 2 weeks and it was too expensive. Finally, I get the quality of water I was looking for by using this distiller. Since getting this, I distill 1-3 gallons of water each day. After minor problems, I finally have a setup that works well for me. I set the temp at 102 degrees Celsius and run on a timer for 3 1/2 hours. This leaves a little water in the distiller and avoids the dried residue and cleanup. I just dump the brown water out, rinse, and refill. Make sure you do not get the top plug wet when refilling or you will trigger your GFI. After I unplug the top, I loop the plug under the handle when removing and set it aside to fill the basin. When in use, I raise the glass pitcher on a folded dishtowel so it is closer to the spout, and I don't use the metal piece that directs the drip flow. I do this because I had a few spills when the water flow/drip was off a little. I keep it in my guest bathroom because it does heat up the room and the noise is about as loud as a room air filter on medium speed (It measured 60 decibels on a decibel meter). It does come with a charcoal filter installed in the metal spout section on the top. The charcoal will cause a water meter to register about 12 ppm for the first few gallons, but this is common with charcoal filters. I did not experience any "machine" taste or smell other reviewers mentioned but I did rinse well with vinegar before use and distilled a few "throw away" gallons before use for consumption. Sorry for the length of this review but I wanted to answer all the questions I had when buying a distiller. I am very happy with this purchase and would not hesitate to buy again.