Well one thing is that this is a very complicated subject and there are quite a few different opinions.
Basically, its very simple: A good pot will have good clay and good craftsmanship, thats all. So, what is a good clay? Also easy. One that brews good tea. What is good tea? Well, now it gets complicated.
What is good craftsmanship? Answer 1: Manufacturing a pot so that it performs well: It doesn't leak, pours out in a straight stream without dripping and doesn't take too long to empty the pot.
Answer 2: Manufacturing a pot so that it satisfies aesthetic expectations. What, then is an aesthetic pot? You get the idea
Then, there are long discussions about which clay types are good, whether clay types are relevant at all, which forms are good, wheter form matters at all and so on and so forth. There aren't many simple, clear-cut answers if you go into this matter.. but if you start reading up on it, some things will emerge that will make more sense for you.
What I remember very well is that Chinese people tend to say that even they don't understand Yixing, or to say it in a less metaphorical way, that you need to handle and compare pots for a long time to develop your own preferences.
I agree that its not always easy to find the good topics, you'll need to use the search engine for a while, skim a number of topics. You'll discard lots of topics quickly, and then the gems will start to emerge.
I am just an amateur, not even Chinese
But what I'D say is: Yixing is a fun thing to play around, but people tend to take this way too seriously. It worked out very well for me to just use porcelain pots and gaiwans for a couple of years and get acquainted with the teas itself... try different methods of preparation and so on.
Doesn't mean that you can't enjoy them now, but it means that I personally would advice against taking all these rules and pieces of advice too seriously, you know? A lot of this is open to interpretation, its a hobby, its fun... you try things, play around, discover... some things work out marvellously, some are turn out to be a waste of time (and, inevitably, money).
Still, one piece of advice: I wouldn't buy a cheap yixing. These won't kill you, but at least I don't enjoy them at all. Spend at least 100$ on a pot from a reputable vendor, or stick with a porcelain pot or Gaiwan. And now, some people will say that you get only crap for 100$ and others will say that this is far too much money already... this is what I established and so, I'm forwarding it to you. Only you can tell whether this makes sense or not...
Sorry for the long text - maybe it illustrates how opaque the whole subject is, to me at least
Don't forget: Its a hobby, its about trying out and discovering, and having fun in the process. So, I wish you a lot of fun discovering the tea world and trying out many interesting teas, ways of preparation, and vessels of preparation
all my best regards!
