Indeed I did, with most new monoculars with "low end" Gen 2 tubes units starting at $3,500-$4,500 (GSCI, ACTinBlack, Newcon), the price/ability difference seemed pretty large. If this is $2,700 and decent quality, that makes a pretty big difference to me. Also the more I use the Aurora, the less I'm liking it as an actual NOD. However, I LOVE using it as a camera. I really shouldn't speak to these Russian units yet, though. Hard to say much without seeing the specs or looking through them.