Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

(see updates at the bottom) Got this the other day. It works just as promised; I have no issues with it. It arrived packaged very well - so well in fact I am impressed with whoever designed all the specific/unique packages within the main package. It came with 6 little charcoal filters and a cleaning solution for the stainless steel inside of the distiller unit. The water looks so clean and tastes good; it holds one gallon and takes about 5 hours and 15 minutes from start to finish. I've heard that heating the water first will hasten the process, however I just use cold tap. Some have said the pitcher spills water when poured. Either they are pouring it wrong or the company has re-designed the pitcher because I have not spilled a drop and think the pitcher is great. Many have reported yucky stuff left behind that is slimy, stinky and so on. YES!! This happens every time (I just wipe it out with a damp cloth). For an experiment I ran a gallon of newly distilled water through the distiller again and I am so happy to report that nothing was left behind :) Next I plan on trying a gallon of distilled water from WM. I am thankful for this machine and hope it lasts me a while. I will update any changes. Edited on May 24, 2014 The machine is still running strong however there is one quirk that has surfaced ... for some reason once in a while the water will leak out where the spout is connected to the lid. I have not figured out why this happens and it seems to be random. I just keep a towel under the machine 'just in case'. It will go for several weeks without leaking and then all of the sudden it will leak for a few cycles and then stop again. When it does leak it's usually not that much (a few tablespoons to a fourth cup maybe?), however a few times it has leaked 1-2 cups!! But, like I said, it suddenly stops and there are no issues. I'm not sure if this is bad or not but the stainless-steel underside of the top section is no longer nice and shiny but dark orange/brown in color. This could be because of our really bad water here where I live? (SW MO) Has anyone else had this issue? I know that when I used to filter my water it first went through a 'micro sponge' of some sort that was white ... but would turn burnt orange if I did not clean it off regularly. It might be totally unrelated but then maybe not. As I stated in my original post, I have no problem with the container leaking when I pour out the water ... UNLESS I pour too fast. So, my advice to those who have issues with the pitcher leaking: try slowing down. When my cleaning solution that came with it ran out I tried to find the exact brand online to reorder however I could not so I just ordered another brand. The new brand does NOT do as good of a job as whatever brand came with the machine (the bottle had no brand name on it). If you know of a good brand to order, please let me know as I am not happy with the one I got. I am still very thankful for the purchase and will update again when I feel the need. UPDATE 03/14/15 It is still working HOWEVER about half the time it makes and obnoxious, high pitched, squealing sound for a few minutes when you first turn it on. This, I assume, is the fan motor struggling to go properly. I tried using a can of compressed air to force out the dust, and while a lot of dust did come out it had no effect on the squeal. I am way past the year warranty so if anyone has ideas on what to do, let me know! Other than that, it does work and we still run about 2 to 3 gallons through it each 24-hour period. UPDATE 11/08/15 The obnoxious, high pitched, squealing sound: I finally took the top apart and cleaned it off really good, however this did NOT work. My son took the motor apart, cleaned all the inner parts, lubricated them with sewing machine oil, and WOW!! it runs like new again. SO HAPPY. I'm including a photo of the discoloration on the underside of the lid - the side that is stainless steel. It just gets darker and darker, but I assume this does not matter?? TO CLEAN IT: No need to buy the yucky chemicals!!! An elderly friend of mine gave me some advice a few months ago ... just fill the tank up 3 or so inches with white vinegar and run it through like water. Once done, I scrape off the nasty and run it through one more time. This works SO MUCH BETTER than the chemical stuff!! After I am done cleaning it out I fill the tank with an inch or two of water and run that through so vinegar is rinsed out of the pipe. UPDATE January 2017 My son has cleaned it about 4 times since my last update, but it finally broke and I'm not sure why. We have had thoughts of taking it to a small engine repair man and seeing if he can fix it, but so far we haven't because we are just too busy right now. Once things settle down a little I might take it to see if the man can fix it.