ridgerunner is correct. IOR does not make thier own glass. They use Schott Glaswerk of Germany (as does Zeiss) and I think they use the same coating as Zeiss. IOR has been around since the '30's. What with WWII and being in a commie bloc nation for a long time, we have only been able to get them in the west since the fall of the Berlin Wall. They are the largest producer of millitary optics in the world. I have 2 pairs of binos (7x35 and 10x40) These are very well made and extremely tough glasses. I first heard about them in the mid to late 90's when an American company (in CO, I think) called Valdada started importing them. They used to have a 3-9x40. Back then the Dollar was very strong and IOR's pricing was pretty low. But still at thier prices currently, they are a bargain. The image quality is very good and the scopes are VERY tough. Did you read the reviews on the IOR Valdadawebsite? You might ask IOR, SWFA, etc if they would be willing to let you return the scope if you don't like the view. Good luck