Has anyone heard the VPI Classic yet

Question for you guys who have the VPI Classic---do you have the stainless steel armtube or is the tonearm all aluminum? I've read that the stainless steel armtube is now standard. I should be getting my Classic in a little over a week, I'm really looking forward to getting this turntable based on all the positive comments I've read about it so far.

On another note, offtopic, great as it may seem, the Classic is a bang for buck, value for $ turn table.
Has anyone compared this with the TW Acoustic Raven One TT ? It may be obvious from a price point that the Raven one is 3x more expensive than the Classic. But you never know.. The classic may have its bells and whistles.
Would be curious how this $2500 TT can match with the more pricey Raven One.

Thanks

Any comparison against a Raven or even a Linn Sondek would be great. Please..