It appears that they drilled the holes starting from the bottom, I've noticed what you described on other clones. I can't see it as causing any problem in how it works.Theres one thing ive wanted to ask but i wasnt sure if it was my duff version or not, but this is also present on the hcigar version - the main chimney with the 6 holes in it, if you look at them are they all equal and straight, or does 1 or 2 dip or actually higher than the rest of them, hard to explain but hope someone will know.
My honest opinion is the clones perform just as well as the originals, at least that's how it seemed to me so I sold my original and bought more clones. They are not without their little problems like burrs, oil and poor fitting o-rings but after that's taken care of they are fine. Let us know how the hcigar works out.