I've looked at the popular 1-4x20's, and settled on a Leupold FX-II. It's a fixed 4x33 with good glass, and though just a hair short for my .30-06, would work perfect on a .308.
Reasons I went for the 4x were;
- Simplicity
- Weight; It's 9.3oz.
- Cost; When I looked at the glass features compared to the VX-3 line at the time, they had the same coatings and features. I don't know for sure if it's the exact same glass, but the site sure made it seem that way, and in use, it provides a very clear image with good contrast. I don't feel gipped either way.
- Exit pupil diameter at 4x; A 1-4x20 will have an exit pupil smaller than your own dilated pupil at ~2.5x. Meaning, going over 2.5x can become too dark at the very first/last light of a hunt. And that's my experience in real world use. For only 2.5x, I'd rather use an Aimpoint Micro. But since I use a scope to help me see in that first/last light, I want a nice bright 3-4x. Never felt the need to go over that.
I'm not trying to sell you on the fixed power, just sharing what my thought process was when in a similar boat, and the brightness was the largest motivating factor in me getting a fixed 4x over a 1-4x20.
If I wanted a variable with a good low end, Leupold's VX3i 1.75-6x32 makes a lot of sense to me. It weighs 10.9oz, so it does add 2.8 oz over the VX2 1-4x20, but it's still lightweight, and you get a brighter image across the entire range of magnification. And the actual magnification is 1.9x-5.5x (vs. the VX2's actual magnification of 1.4x-4x), so you aren't giving up too much FOV on the low end. Something worth considering, and it's one I'm planning on grabbing in the next couple months.
All of Leupold's 1-4x20's that I've used have been great daytime optics in my experience. If the VX-2 1-4x20 offers the right brightness and image quality for you, roll with it.