Having been burned (by my own foolish decisions) so many times, I tend to shy away from some of those off brands. I have been pleasantly surprised from time to time though.
You did the right thing. Research the unknowns a bit before you pull the trigger.
Usually when these guys around here tell you a cigar is bad, they have a big fat tongue in cheek, but this time, their posts smacked of rare sincerity. 🙂