Cheaper glass — where the catch is

You can do it cheaper, and still in glass

Cheap and good never did go together. With distilling sets you can certainly buy cheaper, but compared with the sturdier ones it costs you something.

Stability, first of all. You can buy the individual pieces and join them with silicone tubing. Such tubing carries health certification, so it is not harmful — but a set held together this way will not stand steady without being properly fixed in place. Remember that physics still has to work: condensed vapour is supposed to run down into the receiver under its own weight.

You can also buy individual pieces that are cheaper and just as stable as the pricier ones. Where is the catch? In the glass itself. Cheaper Chinese or Indian pieces usually come with flaws, and that shows up later in how long the set survives.