Re: Etched Mil-dot?
From the user end the advantage of etched reticles is they don't break like a wire reticle would. I've seen a couple Unertls go down for that. I know we were always told the dots were soldered onto the wire, and that leaving your scope cover off allowing direct sunlight to enter the objective would melt the dots off. Never saw that one happen though but we sure made certain our scopes were covered.
I agree with the FFP comment from fdkay. It isn't for everyone, especially with the upcharge it always commands, but I'm a believer it is for everyone that uses a mil reticle for what it is intended but want the versatility of a variable. The power setting becomes one less thing to worry about.