theres tons of really high quality cigars to be had at great prices online... check out
www.cigarbid.com and
www.cigarsinternational.com for good deals (i usually look at cigarsinternational for prices and then dont bid above their prices)
the biggest factors in getting an uneven burn is proper humidification and proper lighting
to expand on what tspike said you want to hold the cigar just above the flame at a slight angle untill you get a little white ash on that side and then rotate about 1/4 of the way and get the white ash then repeat till you have it lit all the way around then hold the middle of the cigar just above the flame and it should light the middle if it needs it and you should be good to go
you need to make sure the humidity is between 65% and 70%
a lot of people prefer to keep the cigars they are going to smoke closer to 65%, gives it an easier draw and makes it easier to keep burning but if your storing cigars for more then a couple months its better to keep them at 70%