Rode's M1

A solidly built mic with great audio performance. The style lends itself to multiple uses while it's construction allows for a bump or two. Over all I'm very satisfied with the quality.

Industry standard with rose colored glasses

This is of course a direct competitor with the venerable Shure SM58. I chose it after a shoot-out with the Shure Sm58, Sennheiser e835, Electro-Voice PL80, and the Rode M1:

The Shure SM58 is a nice mic. I like the fact that I can sing off-axis and still have it pick up a fairly good sound. In fact, this feature is crucial to my application (multiple singers around one mic). It's a nice round sound. There's a reason why it’s an industry standard.

The Sennheiser E835 is more detailed than the Shure. The salesman who was listening liked this one. It has more roll-off when singing off-axes - which is a problem for me. My highest voices are slightly more "grainy" through it in my opinion, but I can see why folks like this mic too, especially women's voices with smoother control of the higher registers.

The EV PL 80 is the hottest of the mics and the least like a Shure sm86. I wanted to like this one because I like my EV N/D767a, but I couldn't get comfortable with it. It has a very noticeable off-axis change in tone that was a deal breaker.

The Rode M1 is essentially a Shure SM58 with a new lease on life. The clarity was better. Great warmth. The off-axis sound was great. It looks and feels good. I bought it.

Since then I've had two formal practice sessions on stage, and I'm so pleased. Mics are very personal, try before you buy if you can. But put this one on your short list!