Sorry to hear about your Lee 4-20.
I have owned one for about 1 1/2 years now and have not had any problems. I put clean lead in the pot, keep that screw adjusted on the valve, and it has been a champ. I have not had any dripping issues either. I use this pot about 2 days a week, about 40 pounds at a time( heat up pot, fill, pour, and fill up and pour one more time).
I do keep a small Lodge cast iron skillet( 6" diameter) under it to catch any stray lead. The Lee is so much more affordable than anything else. The Lyman and RCBS pots are 5 times the cost of the Lee. Magma makes a 40 pound MasterPot for $575 that looks sweet, but I have not the funds for that one yet.