How do you like your VPI -Classic, Scout, Scoutmaster, Prime, TNT, ?

I bought a Classic when it first came out and then traded it in for a Prime when it first came out. I believe VPI belt-drive decks are good but not great. The plinths are not a marvel of sophistication. VPI’s footers are very mediocre. The VPI unipivot design with the wire coming up out of the “bearing” housing is simply not wise.The arm is very prone to canting due to changing tension from the wire-even if you don’t twist the wire to obtain anti-skate. The rotating ring to adjust azimuth is terrible-coarse and not user-friendly. Most of the top cartridges just don’t sing with the VPI unipivot design. They can sound nice, but not at the true potential of the cartidge-I am talking the $1500 and up choices. When you have the pleasure of using a top tonearm you see the crude nature of VPI  unipivots. The adjustments are coarse and the small allen lockscrews are prone to stripping. I discovered the Reed 3P and it’s in a whole different world of ease of adjustment and joy to use. At a price, but life is short. I don’t mean to bash VPI-again they are good but not great. The sound character tends toward smooth but glossed over. You will never hear glorious soundstaging, dynamic punch, or detail retrieval with an under $5000 VPI unipivot deck imho. 

I have a Superscoutmaster/SDS/rim drive/3D arm/2nd pivot/Classic platter - replaced the feet with Bearpaws ...use it with peripheral clamp, and center weight with 2 dimes (check Harry's website re:2 dimes).....I haven't heard better....had questions to VPI which were answered promptly....never a problem.  

Not in the mood to get attacked for a long bashing rant, but I owned a TNT6HR with 12.7 arm for a number of years and moved on to a Technics SP10mk2 vintage restored table at less cost. It crushed the VPI in every way. Check my post history if you care to read longer descriptions on that.
Also led a local audio club for many years with over a dozen VPI owners of Classics, Primes, Scoutmasters and Scouts. In the last few years most owners moved elsewhere and none moved back to VPI tables. All are happier. 
I think the comment above "good, not great" would sum up most of our club member-owners thoughts. Cheers,
Spencer

I always thought the original scout was the best VPI. HW 19 and original Classic would be next.  The classic may do some things better than the scout but overall I preferred the scout.  Not a bad table at all.

Some more information FWIW from my Classic 3 ownership. I tried 4 cartridges on the table and ranked them. In my opinion they are also in my preference order from least to most preferable:

Dynavector 20x2 = 50 hours
Dynavector XX-2 MK II = 459 hours
Jan Allaerts MC1 Boron = 244 hours
Lyra Delos = 150 hours = 144 hours

So for me the Delos was an all around "best" to my ear cartridge on the Classic 3 in my system. I don't claim it will be that way in all systems. I am very meticulous about setup and the JWM arm synergized (in my opinion) with the Delos.
Also if you haven't read it Fremer has a review on the Classic 3.

Michael Fremer Stereophile Review, Oct 14, 2011
Conclusions:
"The Classic 3 is the fastest, most coherent-sounding VPI turntable I've ever heard. Its measured accuracy and consistency of speed were about as good as a belt-drive turntable can achieve, and its combination of a high-mass plinth, a superbly machined aluminum platter, a carefully damped and isolated motor, and the JMW-Classic—a fully realized version of VPI's JMW tonearm—make this remarkably compact, easy-to-set-up turntable one of today's great values in analog audio. I don't hear how you can go wrong buying one."
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/vpi-classic-3-turntable-amp-classic-jmw-tonearm-page-2#s9dv2BgBd...