Monk: Is going overweight ever worth it?

[sajbert]

Are penalties to monk AC visible, is it as plain as looking at your character profile and looking at your AC or is are there any hidden losses (e.g. mitigation)?

I don't really see how even with only 2 tink bags and no other bags I can equip items like Barbed Dragonscale Shoulders or Boots without going overweight, does the AC offset the penalty in instances such as these? Should I gun for items like Silver Chitin Wristbands or keep the weight under the limit?