How is the NT3 for a beater?
 

I'm dragging some stuff overseas to film the family vacation but chances of getting stuff ripped off is high (Rome). I have an HV20 and Beachtek and sm57 but hissy, hissy. My NT3 does much better recording kids voices indoors with the beachtek and I want to interview them via handheld but I'm thinking the NT3 is heavy and they'll probably drop it. The SM57 has taken some heavy drops but it still works great if it's hooked up to a mixer that can handle dynamics. What about the NT3? Can it take a beating or no? I'm guessing no, no, no but it never hurts to ask.

A dynamic mic is something to pound nails with, but a condenser mic such as the NT3 should be treated like the delicate piece of gear it is. I even go so far as to keep mine in the original plastic with a silica gel pack. Just because it doesn't cost an arm and a leg doesn't mean that it isn't a sensitive piece of equipment. Shotgun mics can take more abuse than the NT3 if you want something to toss in your bag and not worry about. A short shotgun that doesn't require phantom power is something I'm still looking for. Most "short shotguns" that are self powered look monstrous on the tiny HV20. Although you could get a BeachTek DXA-6 with phantom and use the RODE NTG-1, which is a nice fit. The RODE SM3 shockmount doesn't seem to fit easily though on an HV20. A Sennheiser MZSCAM shockmount fits nicely and it a good price.

Thanks Guy. I figured this was the case but I'm always looking for more gear that can be abused. You have answered other questions of mine and I appreciate it. I buy stuff from you when I can. You suggested a Merlin to me not so long ago over the phone for the HV20 and it has worked like a dream. I have a ME 66 and have been eyeing the blimp for it at your DVEstore. After christmas I hope to buy one from you.

Cool! Nice to hear.
As much as I like and respect the Sennheiser pistol grip set-up, I have found something new from K-TEK for a bit less.
Take a look http://www.dvcreators.net/k-tek-zeppelin-windscreen/
It does not set-up as fast as the Sennheiser, nor does it have a pistol grip, but it is less than half the price!

Thus far I've been very happy with the gear you've suggested. It's always good bang for the buck. How good is the Ktek blimp compared to the Sennheiser? 70% at half the price or more like 90%. What do you honestly think?

Because dynamic mics put out such a weak signal, they are totally dependant on the quality of the pre-amp they are connected to.

The hiss you are hearing when using your SM57 mic is the HV20's pre-amp struggling to provide enough gain to the SM57's weak signal.

The signal from your NT3 mic is 6x stronger than the SM57 mic, so your HV20's pre-amp doesn't have to use as much gain, resulting in a much quieter recording.

To use the SM57 mic with your HV20 you're going to have to add a high-quality pre-amp to boost the SM57's signal without adding much noise.

If you don't mind the extra bulk, the Sound Devices MM-1 or MixPre units do a great at boosting weak signals with very little noise.

I'd say 85% at half the cost.
The Sennheiser "hairy" has fine thin long hair and a netted blimp. The K-TEK has no net around the blimp cage but does have foam at both ends.
The foam will take off some of the high frequencies. So the Sennheiser will sound a bit better, but at twice the cost, it's all relative.