Rodes aren't that expensive. A shame that they seem to only sell the latest NT1 as a package as it does make it quite expensive if you already have a decent mount and pop shield. The NT1-A can be had on its own, but is definitely a much brighter mic.
I have a reasonable collection of SDC and LDC mics. Some bought used, some bought new. My ears' HF is so shot now though that I really can't tell much of a difference between them. Certainly when looking at The Audio Test Kitchen web site, https://www.audiotestkitchen.com/ they all sound the same (unless the software was playing up and they were all the same sample!)
I have the Neewer NW-410 SDC pair set. Surprisingly good for the money. The omni and cardioid capsules are remarkable well matched (pretty much within 1dB of each other); the hypercardioid pair less so but still not bad. Not the quietest mics around, but as long as you are recording something with a decent volume they are certainly useable.