Whether or not a company actually makes anything is irrelevant.
Tell me that in 20 or 30 years when you want to take advantage of that lifetime warranty you were told you had when you bought that trade name product. The trade name may still be around, but it will have probably been bought and sold a couple of times. So your warranty will not be worth the paper it was written on.
Ask the guys who owned the old trade name scopes that had lifetime warranties. Then found out the company was sold, and only the name remains. Then tell me how irrelevant it is. Try sending a 30 year old RedField(that also had a lifetime warranty) to the current owner of the trade name. And ask the current owner(which is Leupold) to fix that 30 year old scope or replace it for free. Good luck with that.
A very hot selling scope in the 80's was the Charles Daly scope. Because it also carried a full lifetime waranty. That is when CD was owned by OSHI. Try getting that lifetime warranty scope repaired or fixed. Good luck with that.
You are thinking short term. When I buy glass I am thinking long term. 30 or 40 years, or more. When Vortex gets a 30 year track record then I might believe you. ButI bet there is no way you will get your current Vortex fixed for free or replaced in 30 years!! But you will get your Zeiss or Leupold fixed. They have that track record. That is as simple as it can be put.
I have had scopes fixed or replaced by Leupold that was over 30 years old. Try that with other trade name scopes. It ain't gonna happen!! Tom.
