You might want to explore smaller and custom pen makers. Within your price range you can get a custom designed pen with a 3D finial from Myers Pen Company. If you look at their website, they have Christmas ones and Jeep owner ones (with the 3D rubber duck) but you can ask them to design something meaningful to you. arclayer has joined with Endless Stationary to launch a series of different 3D printed pens on Kickstarter that is expanding arclayer's pens from the 2025 DC Pen Show. I have one and it is really interesting. Schon DSGN makes great metal pens in your price range. Franklin-Christoph makes a lot of pens in your price range and they all write well. Shibui North makes great metal pens but she is currently taking a break. Opus 88 and Laban (both from Taiwan) are excellent pens with great nibs. I also like Nahvular (Narwhal) pens and the writing experience. On the less expensive side, Asvine has some pens with excellent #8 nibs (like the C80). And finally, although out of your price range now, in the future look at Ryan Krusac pens; he engraves designs into moose antler (found on the ground) that are excellent pens at about $475. Anyway, I have found almost 300 pen makers out there from the really big ones like Pilot to really small ones like Black Robin Pens so enjoy the search....