Well, with no surprise to anyone (including me), user error does indeed seem to be the issue here. Thanks again for the help; using PHD2 to polar align gave me far better and consistent alignment.
I was able to get it tracking and I can't complain with these results:
https://imgur.com/a/T6DQeeD
Now I need to learn how to process my photos, but that one I can deal with...
Thanks for that thread link Crater101. It's a bit concerning to hear that the new mount I bought might have systemic issues, but from the tracking above it doesn't seem to be a problem for me atm. I was able to take 15 minute photos with nice round stars, so unless it degrades significantly I think it'll be okay for me. I'll post to that thread if it changes...