Interesting thread and opinions on here for sure. IMHO, get what you want, it is your bike and it is your funds.
Not familar with Vance and Hines, but they are well know and have probably better QA than some of the others, maybe not as good as some, but more than most.
A smart person would go with a functional pipe and not something just because of looks or how loud it is, but how much it actually improves the sought out performance. That said us riders are not always taking the most logical route, me included (hell I got to figure out which one of the two sets of Hookers I will put one when I get home).
As far as looking like all the rest, goo point, but then again, the way many us adapt to a mod like so many others, a stock bike may be the one that is the most unlike all of the others.
As far as bluing, have seen very few chrome plated steel pipes that did not blue, was much more noticable back in the days when heat shields were not as common and scared calves were!!
Safe riding to all