In english we use apparati as plural.

Sorry Kakero, by apparati I meant I have all the equipment. Masters level mortar and pestle, alembic, calinator and the other thing of which I've forgotten the name ;)

ahh me see, thanks for clearing that up.

is grandmasters better than secret masters? Or is it the other way around?

grandmaster is better than master. like every other game out there.

1. No you can never get rid of the drain luck side effect but yes if you add two other ingredients that restores luck you can offset it. However I think you can only get the potion that fortifies and restores strength if you use three ingredients so you can't do it with that potion as you don't have two slots left.

2. yes your alchemy skill as well as your intelligence and apparati effect the power and potency of your potions. The higher they are the longer you potions will last and the more powerful they will be.

Secret masters apperatus is better than grand masters. only problem is i don't believe there is any in the game. i never found it and the editor says there are 0 in the game. if you find it, keep it.

ehh? there's no grandmaster something in the game? I swear in one of the thief guild quest the boss want me to steal a grandmaster something from someone.

Yes, there are grandmaster alchemy tools around, but secret master are better. Simply, they aren't in the game, as Bruce pointed out. They must be included in a mod to be used. The reason why is that they are unbalancing: