OK, I've got two mics. A $15
Radio Shack and a mic that came with my karaoke machine. The karaoke is a decent box and the mic was heavy metal, not cheap plastic. My wife doesn't project much with her voice and she wanted a "good" mic that would pick up her voice well without her having to sing real loud.
So I go to Sam Ash to see what they have. I've seen the Shure SM58 talked about a lot as a good dependable mic. The sales guy suggests the Samson Q7, which is $10 less ($90 vs $100). I test them both out and the Samson has slightly higher output so I get it with the assurance I can bring it back if she doesn't like it. Well I get home and do side by side recording comparisons with the RS, Karaoke, and Samson mics. The result... They all sound practically identical. The karaoke mic has the highest output, and the Samson maybe was a bit fuller sounding and less bright but only by a shade. The Samson is a hypercardiod and it did seem to have a bit better rejection of extraneous sounds. And maybe this was it's real benefit.
Anyway, it seemed more like a waste of money to spend nearly $100 after tax on a mic that sounded like my karaoke mic. I mean the karaoke machine only cost $200, and it even included an XLR to 1/4" cable, which the Samson didn't. Oh well back to Sam Ash it goes. Anyone have any suggestions?