Well, you do get what you pay for. Picked up an NCStar and the adjustments were crude - the amount of slop was more than the amount of travel the screw provided. It was two clicks forward, one back and hope it held.
But, the entire point of a red dot is that it trades accuracy FOR speed, you can see the dot on the target and make a shoot decision much quicker. It's entirely the point of why they exist and why they are service issue. The average soldier has the red dot mounted in combat, but stores the BUIS in his pack. They are reliable enough to trust.
What is interesting are the reports coming back from the vendors of the known Chinese sights - having toured the plant, they say their goods are being manufactured along side certain high end Brand names that have models sold under military contract. Those issue sights must be assembled in the US by law, but the aftermarket ones don't. Therefore, I suspect that the $400 -600 red dots similar to issue aren't made in the USA - and why should they be?
On the other hand, the US issue sights are not as indestructible as some think, the light repair maintenance NCO's have reported back for years they have broken sights by the locker full. The glass isn't unbreakable, a stray round hitting the optic will disable it, enough dust and gravel will scratch the lens. Batteries leak and corrode the circuits, and enough pounding, things will loosen and fall apart. The M4 isn't indestructible either.
If the Brand of sight has an acceptable reputation and it works for what you are using it for, you got your money's worth. A red dot is just a flat lens or two, a projected LED or laser on the lens, and some screws to get it on zero. Compared to a pair of binoculars they are dirt simple. Consider that $400 will get you polished and coated lenses with variable power than can see moving game inside the treeline, vs a flat lens with a red dot on it, the cost difference between Leupold hunting binos and an Aimpoint red dot has some issues. Bluntly, the Aimpoint should be half or less - but the reputation seems to have some convinced the money is justified.
That is known in business as Good Will, which the marketing arm exploits to the fullest. It's why Rolex can charge $8000 for a nice $500 watch - which is where they really rank in terms of accuracy and workmanship. An $400 Aimpoint is better than a $40 import red dot, but not 100 X better, not by a long shot.
You do get what you pay for, but a lot of times, you are just paying to be a member of the Club. It's not in measurable or tangible properties that can be documented. It's Brand identification, my Chebby is better'n your Ford, and that's when you see the chest thumping to cover up the lack of real difference.
