Yep. But just because some variables last a long time, and some fixed powers break, that still doesn't mean variables are as mechanically tough as fixed powers. They can't be, especially in 1" tubed scopes, as I pointed out earlier. 1" variables have to crowd another tube around the erector tube, the slotted cam-tube that changes magnification. In a 1" scope this has to be very thin, and also has to move lenses inside the erector lens longitudinally. In a fixed-power, the lenses inside the erector tube don't move, and the erector tube itself can be stouter.
