Actually, I believe that the VX-1 is slightly better than the old Vari-X II, which is one of the scopes that built Leupold's reputation for quality. I have 2 Vari-X II's, both more than 20 years old, and 2 VX-1's all 3 x 9, and the VX-1's seem to be a bit brighter. Yes Martha, they have the old style friction adjustments, but unless one spends a lot of time tinkering with the adjustments, this is not a hardship. All 4 of these scopes, along with 4 other Leupolds, dating back to 1971, have been absolutely trouble free.