Metal against glass — the comparison
Metal against glass
The whole choice comes down to one trade-off. Metal moves heat far better, so it condenses more and faster. Glass moves heat badly but stays out of the chemistry entirely.
Metal gives you higher output, real durability, and a better price per litre of distillate. It costs you harder cleaning, and — with anything other than copper or acid-resistant steel — metal oxides in the first several runs.
Glass gives you the purest distillate you can get at home and complete chemical indifference. It costs you output, fragility, and a choice between cheap instability and a set 90–100 cm tall.
If you distil often and in quantity, metal — but then copper or acid-resistant steel, not ordinary sheet. If you distil rarely and want the cleanest possible result, glass.