I wondered about that too, so a while back I asked Alex about it. He said the reason they use such a weird ratio is that valine is cheaper than leucine or isoleucine. Apparently they do purchase the aminos seperately and then mix them together. Anyway, I agree that a 2:1:1 or 8:5:5 ratio is much better. But, if what you say is true, the Optimum blend is not only cheaper but also has the correct ratio. I might look into that.