I have and use several of the M8-4x and M8 6x36 on various rifles from 308 Win on up to 338 Win Mag. Have taken many head of game with them - I find them perfectly adequate for the hunting that I do (white tail, mule deer, elk in Saskatchewan) and feel no need to change them out - I prefer a fixed power scope for hunting. That said, I also have 3 of the FX Freedom 3 to 9 power scopes and they do have brighter image. The last two of them that I bought new were $605 mailed to me for the pair, so I can't see spending much more than $200 mailed to me for an excellent condition M8 when looking for a fixed power scope. I have never owned or used a VX-2 or an FX-II.