RE: arrow straightness
Yep, both of the above guys beat me to it... when you're investing nearly a grand in just the bow and a few accessories on it, why wouldn't you get the necessary equipment -- which is a VERY minimal investment consisting of an arrow cutoff saw, a Bitz and a G5 ASD -- and buy complete shafts and cut from both ends to minimize runout and ensure everything's square from the get-go when assembling the components?
I think too many people are scared to tackle some of the most simple of things that could put them light years ahead of the game and save them money in the long run, as you described with your buddy.