I'd recommend you try them all. Rode and Neumann are two wildly different brands - both are good.

I don't know if I have a general "favorite" mic. I have mics that I choose for their characteristics in certain situations. Right now I'm digging the combination of AEA R88 and Sennheiser MKH8040 - some of the best money I've spent in a LONG time.

Cheers-
J

I had a favorite mic...ONCE. It was a U87 I bought brand spankin' new in 1975. It ended up getting stolen, and this truly broke my heart. I have never been the same since then.
Take it from someone who's been there, done that. Don't get too hung up on a favorite mic. It will take you down Misery Lane every time....LOL!!!!
Seriously, nothin' fancy:
Beyer M99 large diaphragm dynamic
Beyer M160 ribbon
A-T AT4047 LDC
E-V RE200 SDC
Sennheiser MD421
and some obscure lump of potmetal called a 57...

My current favorite is an early 80's Neumann U87. Also I'm really partial to a particular SM57 UnidyneIII I have. Havent seen a 57 that sounds like this one......ever.

In the past....Neumann KM84 pair, Sennheiser MD409, Shure SM81, and finally Beyer M500(actually it broke...bad ribbon)

SounDelux has a pricey but very nice line.

I've got all the good ones. But my favorite, SM58.

Dear Mr. Shure, The economy sucks. I'm looking for work.
Ms. Remy Ann David

Shure PG58.
Best mic I've personally used.

Shure SM57.

It must be my favorite because I've been them for over 30 years.

Codemonkey wrote: Shure PG58.
Best mic I've personally used.

Is that true or a joke?

If you have never used a 57 I would ship you one of mine.
Not as good as those Nady condensers though.

Iamfrobs, that is entirely true.

I inherited a bunch of gear when I volunteered (if I ever consciously did) as church sound guy and the best mics we have are 3x PG58s.
Next, 2x AKG D310S and a pair of AT Xm5's.
Oh, and a bent Shure Prologue 12H I'm convinced came out of a skip.

I won't take up on your offer though, I think shipping one to Scotland and back would be incredibly silly.
If I sent it back.