Bodum makes good stuff, I have the Bodum Mini Electric Santos vacuum pot coffee maker. Weis has the mesh ball hangin in the tea aisle, I've been tempted to get one and try some loose teas, my whole tea experience is pretty much Lipton and a decaf green tea with mint 
If you have a small strainer with a mesh that's good enough to catch most of the leaves, then why not just use a pot, throw the leaves in there, and then just pour the tea out into your cup through the strainer? Don't get me wrong - I use the tea ball too as a matter of convenience sometimes. It's just not my favorite way to make tea. The other thing is to look for little paper filter bags. Those I think are better than the tea balls.
