Vladmir is both a great person and great teacher. Once you get past his heavy accent, he is a good lecturer. The class content is not very difficult especially if you took AP Physics. I will say his tests are very difficult and the class average are typically around 50% but if you pay attention in class and don't cheat on the homework its very manageable to get well above that. Vladmir's grading scale is very generous and he will most likely curve the exams tremendously.

Vlad is a kind-hearted old man who is undoubtedly a genius but lacks a few basic but critical skills to make this class manageable. His accent is definitely a factor to consider because at 8am he is unintelligible without 110% focus, which I often could not muster. The real kicker however was that the slides and formula were PREWRITTEN AND NOT DERIVED LIVE. No other math or science class that I've taken has ever had every formula prewritten and not allowed students to derive along with the professor. This makes it extremely difficult to remain engaged - instead of following along with the lecture, we would have to copy down the lecture frantically while Vlad rambled in the background.
The demonstrations that supposedly make mechanics interesting were mediocre at best, although that had more to do with faulty equipment than it did with Vlad's teaching. The tests were difficult but also closely rooted in textbook problems and curved somewhat generously with extra credit opportunities, so in theory they should have been approachable to a well-prepared student. The worked out solutions to homework problems would make a huge difference - I found them in week 8 but they would have greatly enhanced my understanding if they had been outright provided instead of pirated independently.

Overall, as far as Physics 1A goes Professor VVV is certainly not the worst possible options. He means well and wants his students to succeed because he is passionate about physics. Unfortunately, his inability to deliver lectures in a meaningful or engaging way is his one downfall, but thanks to my AP physics background I was able to skate by.

Professor Vassiliev has a way of frustrating you and intriguing you at the same time. In 8 AM lectures, he is almost impossible to understand, but it is clear that he is passionate about his subject and wants you to love it as much as him. I learned almost the whole subject through the textbook, but I gained a newfound appreciation for Physics by visiting office hours, where we could spend close to an hour talking about a single problem. One-on-one, he is a far better teacher than during lecture, so if you sign up for this class, take advantage of office hours more than lecture time. His exams are quite difficult. There are 4 across the quarter, and no final exam in Week 11. Each exam and homework assignment has a lot of extra credit opportunities, so it's good idea to at least attempt the homework ones. If you're a Physics god, try the exam ones too.