Very easy to use. The fan is a bit loud but it works great. I was amazed at what is in city water. This machine takes all the crud out.The only problems I had were if you fill to the line indicated, it overflows the catch container so I learned not to fill all the way up. The other is the fan is fairly loud. I am running in my garage so it isn't really a problem but if you are using in the kitchen, you might want to keep that in mind. Overall though, it is very easy to use.This machine is great and super easy to use after you mess around with it the first time. I bought this to distill my water (obviously) for drinking purposes. It takes the machine 2-3 hours to distill about a gallon of water. There’s a activated charcoal filter already pre installed into the machine; the filter you see outside of the machine when you open the box is extra. If your planning to use this to drink water, make sure you get the model that includes the GLASS container the distilled water will drop into. Distilled water will “grab onto” the toxic chemicals that PLASTIC containers are made out of. After the distilling process is over, be quick to transfer the water over to another glass container with a LID. If you allow the distilled water to sit out with an open lid for 2 hours or more, the water will start pulling elements In the air, like carbon and oxygen. If this occurs the water will be slightly more acidic for drinking purposes. Find the cheapest white vinegar you can find and buy a few gallons of it. After the distilling process is complete, the inside will appear gross, and have an odor , especially if you are using tap or hard water. Pour a little bit of white vinegar (just enough to cover the bottom of the tank) after every time you use it. Let it sit there for at least 15 minutes. This will keep all the gunk from accumulating in the bottom of the tank. Once week, you should repeat the same process, but this time fill the rest of the tank with water; wait 15 minutes, pour out, rinse = cleanI haven’t tested the water but the first four gallons have turned out nicely . We are told to throw the first 3-5 gallons away, but we didn’t have a lot of sediment in the distiller so, we are using it in the c-pap. It isn’t too large of a piece and the gold is a soft color. Directions booklet is understandable,clear, and has good pictures.UPDATE: the screws for the handle were a bit lose. Never figured out how to tighten them. So, one band fell off and the glass hit the counter. It shattered everywhere. Got little cuts in my hand, nothing terrible. Been using a ceramic container I had in hand and placing a dish towel over top. It seems to be still going strong. We quit using in the c-pap because the smell was off. Unsure whether or not that would have anything to do with the machine. There is sediment in the machine, now, so I can only assume it’s working.At first I had a problem with dipping water. I still can't really tell where it was coming from. But I reversed the position of the distiller and the bowl now the water goes in the bowl without a drip on the table. I decided to bring that up because a lot of people said they had problems with it. I purchased a TDS reader to see if the water was really getting clean. Water going in the distiller was between 160 and 212. Water out was between 0 and 4. Excellent taste. (Don't drink it from the first time). The amount of time it takes to make about a gallon of water depends somewhat on the temperature of the water when it goes in the distiller. 4 hours tops. I'm totally happy with it. It comes with cleaning stuff. I've never used it. Just some dawn with a slightly abrasive spong because it will leave residue. I took the advise of other users. I've never waited for it to shut off on its own. There has always been a little water left in the distiller. DONT TAKE THE TOP OFF BEFORE IT HAS TIME TO COOL.I don't drink distilled water, so I can't comment on the taste. We have several humidifiers at use in the house so I make gallons and gallons of distilled water every week for those. It takes about 4 hours for it to run a full cycle and produces just short of a gallon. The fan is quite loud and it throws enough heat to noticeably change the room's temperature. It just keeps on going though. I use it almost non-stop on the weekends to replenish our supplies and it never poops out. It's easy to clean and distiller cleaner returns it to its original stainless steel glory. The only thing I would change is the pitcher that collects the water. The top does not come off in any way, shape or form. I'd like to be able to remove the top to clean the pitcher when I clean the distiller.The device works and it's easy to use but, the glass carafe is a problem. Of course you expect it to break if you drop it but mine broke when I picked it up by the handle with my thumb looped over the rim and it wasn't full. I can't recommend this device.Been using this for a month now and it works great! I have to clean mine everyday because the water is hard where I live. I'd reccommend buying extra distiller cleaner/descaler on the side as well as extra charcoal filters.