I've had an Allant for about 9 months now. I love it! I put a Gamoh King Carrier on the front with a Sackville Shopsack in it and a couple of Basil Cardiff baskets on the back (I wanted the Kavan IIs, but was afraid they would be stolen) and threw on a pair of Delta Cruisers in cream. I can haul a lot of stuff on it, and have fun while doing it. I like it so much that I sold my car - didn't really need it any more (to be fair, I barely drove it anyway.
IMO the Allant is a great compromise between a fun bike, and a practical bike. I highly recommend it if your budget limits you to the sub 1k price range.