I have actually bought two pens exactly because they were in such bad taste that I thought they were hilarious. The difference between them and the pens mentioned above is that they were both Jinhaos, costing between twelve and thirteen dollars each. That made paying for them a bit lest wasteful, although in principle, one could still criticize wasting small amounts of money on a joke.
The photo below was taken for a different pen forum and a discussion of pen weights, which explains the notes, and the pens I mean are the top and middle ones placed horizontally. The relief work on the "Copper Dragon" is not only over the top as decoration, but it makes the pen uncomfortable to hold for any extended writing session. The bad taste on the "Long Offspring" (I suspect that the name sounds better in Chinese) is more subdued, and it is more comfortable to hold, but that pocket clip is pretty tacky looking. Sorry that the picture is a little out of focus, although then again, that might actually be a good thing.
In fairness, both pens actually wrote quite well when I tried them out, and the Copper Dragon does have one feature that I like; the cap screws on in the posted position. Both of them, esthetics aside, are quite well made for this price level, and I don't really regret buying them, even if I never use them again. But I would not pay Montegrappa or Montblanc prices for something like this.
And yes, my taste does run to simplicity. About the fanciest pens that actually appeal to me are some of the vintage celluloid patterns, and I like the plainness of old BCHR pens.
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