I bought three for an open mic (I wanted a few new mics for others to use). My 58 was battered, and I stopped using it some years ago. I think I initially bought one - as soon as I could do so, I A/B'ed it with a Rode NT3 (£150) in a live situation. Apart from a slight increase in presence with the NT3 there was no discernible difference in sound quality or noise/signal ratio. As soon as I'd established the quality I bought two more. That was about a year ago, and they seem to working fine. They are robust and absolutely fantastic value at less than 33% of the price of the model they are copying, with a good quality clip too. For anyone considering buying the original product (whether on a budget or not), I would recommend this alternative. Why not spend the £70 you save on something else (like two more), or give it to charity?