"the look of MOI is the only thing preventing me from switching to this modeler"

What matters to me is getting the job done in the fastest, least frustrating way possible.

The "look" of the UI is not a consideration for me, as long as I can find things, it's logical, and it doesn't confuse or work against me.

Now, several years ago I purchased a render program called TrueSpace. I gave up after 2 weeks because the UI was like a game of looking inside the little 3D icons to find various functions.

So, is it the "look" or the functionality that is the issue? From the title of your post, it seems to be the aesthetics.

If so, that seems to be a strange criteria to decide which modeling program to use. I'll take functionality, ease of use, and excellent support ahead of aesthetics. Not that I think MOI is ugly, but who needs the cluttered eye candy? Also, keep in mind the MoI UI was designed from the beginning to be compatible with a pen tablet. Simplicity is the key here.