It's not the lever body that resists the lever blade, it's the pads hitting the rim. It sounds like a dodgy bleed or a bad pad set up.
EDIT: Could be a leak
You came to Birmingham, and I wasn't there! Not happy 1 bit!! Anyway, I know how big/massive/f**king huge that stuff in Brum is, and you widdled all over it! Unreal mate!
1) Do the bottom limit screw 1st so you don't have to hold the mech
2) Yeah, they're shit. But I'd imagine it's cheaper for them to make as they can use any shit generic MTB wheel and whack it straight on.