don't get too hung up on Leopold VX-1, 2 or 3 or Zeiss ... I've had all versions and yes some were brighter than others. but actual functional difference was squat between Leupold VX-1 and others. same for 40+ year old Unertl scopes .. all rock solid performance. some might have a slight edge in twight light performance and/or higher magnification. the real difference is between a cheap scope and nicely made ones. I've never seen a bad Leopold unless it was broken. lifetime warranty just send it in for a free no fuss fix.
my fav is an old Unertl 4x scope .. another good one is a Leopold 4x VX-1 .. have snagged several good VX-1 for $125 range. I've got at least 15-20 nice scopes hanging around at any given time. seems guns come and go .. but nice glass sticks around.
