The reason for purchase was to reduce the cost and trips to the store for dislilled water. As others have mentioned the distilling process goes quicker if you begin with hot water. It takes between 3-4 hours to fill the 3,000 ml pitcher with distilled water when starting with hot tap water. I purchased this to have a ready supply of water to add to my humidifiers. Eliminated the white dust on the furniture from regular tap water. The glass pitcher is a plus, no putting hot water into plastic. That said, the pitcher is difficult to pour from. I find pouring it from the side rather than the spout makes it a bit easier. Another reason I purchased this particular distiller was the fact that it is stainless steel. After several uses rust spot circles began to form in a half circle around the bottom where the heating element is. Customer service was prompt and suggested boiling citric acid water in it. That seems to work so far and removes the rust. When running, the fan is a little loud. I have it in the kitchen so noise there is not an issue for me. The fan puts out warm air. Time will tell, but am hoping this lasts awhile.