My "simplified" model was intended to help us neophytes to better understand the basics of how they were made and how the stresses flowed as any stress engineer would do. Of course we won't be making any by those methods.
As for the flaws, I once turned down in the lathe a thick twist barrel to make something and uncovered large areas of crud, probably nonmetalic inclusions or slag that were an inch long and THAT turned me into a non damascus rouletteer! I feel the flaws and imperfect welds are the big difference in a good barrel and a bad one and not the amount or type of pattern/twist/braid they were subjected to. That means good material and best workmanship equals the best barrels. Period.
I must add that the only way to tell if a barrel is cool and flaws are held to a minimum since no two are exactly alike is to proof it and that being the case twist barrels that pass a tough proof are probably as good as any other kind.