I disagree here. While first acknowledging the differences between the E6 and the E6i, the latter is by far the most flexible and robust mic I have ever used. You can
bend it up like a pretzel, straighten it out, and not have an issue.
Between the 6 AT mics and the 4 E6s originally bought before I was here, every single mic broken from poor handling has been an
Audio Technica.
Again, this is a major YMMV situation, you're making a blanket statement about a brand and i'm countering it with another blanket statement about a brand. Not meant to be a debate, just throwing my experiences out there.