... to either put my mind at ease or scare me away completely...
There's two types of people in the world, those that ride them and those that don't. Many enjoy them not broken in, they fit well out of the box. I'm one of those.
Each model fits differently. Try to 'borrow' some test rides before you throw away $100 and have a snit, declaring Brooks saddles good for nothing. You may have picked the wrong model to start with.
The B17 is probably a good starting point in the middle of the pack.