Chinese Teapot Galley selection list (need advice)

[bagua7]

I have selected the following teapots and would like to hear your opinion. I need to purchase two out of the whole lot which would be used to brew one type of pu-erh and Qimen red. I already have a good quality $100 Yixing that I purchased at a local Chinese tea dealer but unfortunately can't afford that price for the time being.

Here's the list:

1. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CHINESE-YIXING- ... ltDomain_0

2. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CHINESE-YIXING- ... ltDomain_0

3. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CHINESE-YIXING- ... ltDomain_0

4. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CHINESE-YIXING- ... ltDomain_0

I am a bit suspicious about the shiny thing as the polishing could have been done to covert the poor clay quality, but I am no expert. So who knows.

5. http://cgi.ebay.com/CHINESE-YIXING-ZISH ... ltDomain_0

6. http://cgi.ebay.com/CHINESE-YIXING-ZISH ... ltDomain_0

There is a lot of junk in there but hey I reckon the ones I listed above are of acceptable quality.

Thanks for helping out!

[brandon]

I like the simplest, most traditional shapes and I would go with #6 in a heart beat, but we have some concerns about heavy metals / chemicals used to get certain colors in Yixing. Muo Lu Ni - natural blue clay is exceedingly rare even in 1980s pots, and is considered extinct today. This pot is certainly not naturally colored. Perhaps someone wiser can comment on the exact techniques and potential concerns of using a pot like this for tea...

[TwoPynts]

Speaking strictly for aesthetics and functionality, #6 does look like a winner, though I find #5 striking too.

[bagua7]

I like the simplest, most traditional shapes and I would go with #6 in a heart beat, but we have some concerns about heavy metals / chemicals used to get certain colors in Yixing. Muo Lu Ni - natural blue clay is exceedingly rare even in 1980s pots, and is considered extinct today. This pot is certainly not naturally colored. Perhaps someone wiser can comment on the exact techniques and potential concerns of using a pot like this for tea...

Well, I missed that part. Thanks for the heads up. Unless someone chimes in and says otherwise I will certainly give it a miss.