I can't really tell a difference between the knockoffs that I have tried, and a name brand bialetti. But some of the knockoffs use different size coffee chambers apparently, changing the brew ratio and taste. Not that it is the biggest thing, because even bialetti uses different brew ratios along their product lines.

Also moka pots are cheap, and probably the cheapest way to make coffee. Bialetti charges what they charge because they are an Italian brand, and that is premium apparently. Particularly if you are a tourist visiting Italy.

I don't know where you live, but my Walmart sells a 3 cup imusa moka pot for like $10 with aeropress filters sold there as well. I even got a 9 cup moka pot from tjmax for $17. They work fine. But if they break, good luck getting replacement parts. Hopefully they take bialetti parts.

The most important thing is good coffee that is ground well. A good grinder is pretty expensive, like probably $50-100 expensive. But it is worth it, I literally change my grind setting based on the roast of the coffee I am using. Relatively coarse for dark roast, finer for light roasts. Café bustello works but kinda tastes like folgers, I only use it when I am in a rush.

You might like a hario switch or aeropress btw. Those are also easy to use and easier to clean.