OMG stop allready!!!
Flipping the cue that someone just about gifted to you is one of the biggest dick moves in the history of the forum. You should have been red bombed into oblivion for that one. I'm not really sure what your game is here? Buying warped cues and shafts etc..WTF is that? Then nit picking every cue that is perfectly playable? Go to a god damned store or even a pool hall. Look the cue you are about to buy over. There your problems have now been solved.
Your problems could be ended once and for all if you actually saved up for a Mezz. They are the best cues I've ever tried and have several different shafts to choose from, even regular maple. An entry level Mezz will set you back about 400 dollars and they are worth every cent. You can get phenolic joints or metal joints, the balance is perfect, the joint is nice and snug and the hit is amazing. Instead you want to buy some beaten to shit sneaky from a garage cuemaker, that you are guaranteed to sell in a week...I bet you even a regular, plain Joss will play circles around any custom you can find for 200 dollars and IMO the Mezz is even better. 400 dollars isn't all that much money if you really want something and are willing to make some small sacrifices for it. If it has to be 200, buy a used Joss. You can keep that for the rest of your life. It's a perfectly acceptable cue for players of any level and it's quality.