The thing that bothers me with brushing is that it seems like you are just moving the chalk dust around the surface of the table instead of actually removing it.
I never tried locating the balance point of a cue, I don't hold the cue anywhere near the balance point so I doubt the balance point would make a difference for me.
With the amount of time required to make the balls and the amount of expensive automation it sure seems a ball set should cost a lot more than they do. That kinda raises another question, how many sets of pool balls are sold every year? Considering the amount of tables out there and how long...