Help with ShuiPing and XiShi teapots

[pamattey]

Hello,
I like both of the mentioned shapes for teapots.
Currently i have a ShuiPing porcelain teapot from TaiwanTeaCrafts and i really like it, however the pour is sometimes really slow with very big leaf teas. It happens specially with aged whites and some sheng puerhs. It seems like the leaves get stuck on the filter.
Regardless of the material (porcelain or clay) i've seen most XiShi teapots have a "ball" filter which is very different from my ShuiPing.
Because of this, i am interested on getting a XiShi teapot but i would like you to please help me find an answer to these questions based on your experience:

1. Does the ball filter truly make a difference on keeping the leaves away and providing a faster and cleaner pour?

2. Is the heat retention better on XiShi teapots compared to ShuiPing, or is the thickness of the material (porcelain in my case) what determines the efficiency of heat retention?

3. If the material is thicker, how much of a difference does it make?

Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to help

[Teasenz]

The ball shape filter isn't only used in xishi, I see them nowadays in many different shapes of Yixing teapots.

1. Yes, the ball filter is a fairly recent innovation. It let's more water through relative to a small filter, hence improving pouring speed. The pour is also cleaner because the holes are smaller, but use a filter on top of the pitcher for a perfectly clear tea soup.

2. I don't think shuiping versus xishi will affect heat retention a lot. It will depend more on other factors such as clay type, clay density, preheating etc. Generally, heat retention is not a worry for most yixing teapots.

3. I won't worry about thickness. I generally see that cheaper Yixing teapots are often thicker. More expensive ones are thinner and lighter.

[pamattey]

The ball shape filter isn't only used in xishi, I see them nowadays in many different shapes of Yixing teapots.

1. Yes, the ball filter is a fairly recent innovation. It let's more water through relative to a small filter, hence improving pouring speed. The pour is also cleaner because the holes are smaller, but use a filter on top of the pitcher for a perfectly clear tea soup.

2. I don't think shuiping versus xishi will affect heat retention a lot. It will depend more on other factors such as clay type, clay density, preheating etc. Generally, heat retention is not a worry for most yixing teapots.

3. I won't worry about thickness. I generally see that cheaper Yixing teapots are often thicker. More expensive ones are thinner and lighter.

In my case, i prefer porcelain teapots over yixing because i prefer the raw taste of tea compared to the softening (or sometimes arguably enhancing) effect that yixing has on the flavor.

Would your points apply to porcelain teapots as well? (specially when it comes to point 3 about thickness)

Also, just as an example for other users, this is the filter that my teapots have:

This is what i have:

and this is what i'm interested in and asking about: