If Leupold still has a lifetime guarantee and if its Freedom line is covered by its lifetime guarantee, I'd take a chance on it, especially if the price were right.
I always go with best quality I can afford. I've seen cheap fail on big game hunts. I've never seen a Leupold of any model fail. I own about a half-dozen Leupolds. They're all excellent.
Some hunters will spend a fortune for German glass, and there is no question that the best glass in the world comes outta Germany (along with the best of a lotta stuff). However, on big game hunts, a hunter might look through his scope for maybe 5 minutes a day, probably a lot less. He'll spend hours glassing. My suggestion would be to go heavy on binos and lighter on an excellent-quality scope.