It all depends on what you have and there are good sounding mics for different things and you don't have to be an electronics engineer like me to modify them. Granted, there are a few $30-$50 that would compare with the expensive mics once certain parts are changed out. But there are a lot of mics below $250 that are nice to record with too.
Its hard to find out if the Chinese clones are clones instead of factory 2nds or CCP seizures of stock (which happens) to sell for their war efforts.