People try to FUD you away do not know what they know.
Since you are not talking about 400mm or 600mm lens, you can find pretty good ball heads near your price, and some are less than $100.
Try KEH, A used Gitzo G1276 runs ~$150 (KEH), and the G1275 (similar to G1276 but without quick release) is ~ $90.
For brand new ball head, Benro BH2 is ~$80, it supports ~$15lbs, but it only has one knob. A better one, Benro B1, which has two knobs, is ~$150.
Benro (same company as Induro) is a new comer in tripod. But I found they products are pretty good. In fact, I prefer Induro's AT seriers over Gitzo's Aluminum tripod. This based on my long time experience with Gitzo's tripod and not so long experience (but enough) with Induro.
When you are ready for 400mm or 600mm lens, that's another story. But I don't know any good ball head anyway. I have to settle with heavy tri-axis pan-and-tilt.