JICO and LP Gear Stylus question

NOT reassuring is this photo of a brand new Jico SAS VN35HE for the Shure V-15 III XM. The user says this is with zero hours; the stylus had not played a single record when the photo was taken. The workmanship is shockingly bad: it's a GLUE BALL!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6866177643_69b2f2be3e.jpg

Also look at the last post in this Audiogon thread (apparently yet another Jico Glue Ball.:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1241395046&read&keyw&zzjico=sas

And this series of photos...the Jico doesn't come off well in this comparison:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1241395046&read&keyw&zzjico=sas

Such a shame. This was once one of the best values in analog to my ears. I hate that they've allowed their once stellar QC and product slip to such low levels.