Docsleepy, all I can say is good for you.
I've tried NCStar, barska, BSA, Mueller, centerpoint, Simmons, China made Bushnells, tasco, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few red dots labeled by who knows who. All of them had problems of some sort. The Mueller was the only one that didn't outright break, it just is less than ideal from a turret side. The others, when mounted on mild rifles from .221 fireball to 30-30 have all broken within a year, some within a few trips. I've had sideways reticles, turrets that free spun, magnification adjustments that caused 2 feet of impact change at 100 yards, images that just turn black when something inside broke, and on and on. None of them held up to any turret use. If you dialed them in, they broke faster. If you put them on a mild rifle and set and forget them they lasted longer. No matter how it ended up though, none were ever satisfying. If all you do is shoot half a box at the range and at deer each year, it may last long enough and be worth the money. If you plan to shoot much, it doesn't take long to see the benefits of a nicer optic. Plus, once you look through a great scope (say something in the Zeiss line) you quickly see flaws that weren't apparent before. Believe me, I've tried to find a cheap option that was satisfying. I have yet to come across one. I could have had half a dozen Nikons, Leupolds, Sightrons, Bushnell elites, or Burris scopes for the money I've spent on "cheap optics" that were a let down.
Buy what you will but if you think for a second that a $50 scope is equal to a $300 scope, its your mind trying to justify what you didn't spend. I'm not suggesting you need to spend $1000 on a scope but spending enough to get out of a China made optics is typically a good investment, certainly one I've never regretted.