I have a bunch of molds, probably too many (if there is such a thing). It's one of the few things I have an abundance of, (unless of course you ask my wife, and she'll tell you I have an abundance of guns, powder, primers, etc.), but that's not true
Anyway, I have Lyman, RCBS, Lee, and a few custom molds. The Lee molds serve me just as well as any of the others, and I like them better in some ways. They come to temp faster and cool faster when they get hot. The cast iron molds tend to take a lot longer to get too hot, but they also take longer to come to temp and cool down. The iron ones are more durable than the aluminum Lee molds, but either will last you a good long while as long as you don't abuse them. Another advantage of aluminum is it doesn't rust. If you don't properly take care of a cast iron mold and leave it sitting you will very likely come back to a rusty mold. You can't beat Lee 6 cavity molds for fast production.
As far as the pot, I use a Lee Pro 4 - 20lb bottom pour. The good thing about the bottom pour is that after you flux the melt with a wooden dowel or some sawdust and scrape off the trash, you can put a good layer of sawdust on the top and leave it. This keeps oxygen away from the melt so it doesn't oxidize. I usually do this and when I have cast about 3/4 of my pot I will add more lead, flux and repeat. You can't use this procedure if using a ladle to cast, as you will be scooping trash every time.
Gotta be real careful about adding more lead to your pot also. Anything that has moisture on it that you put in your pot will result in an explosion and a face full of molten lead. If I add to the melt, I lay my ingots on top of the pot for several minutes to burn off any moisture that may be there.
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen" - Samuel Adams