Have had them all.... and a bunch not mentioned.
If you need a 1x-something optic, you NEED a 1x optic. The scopes with 1.25/1.5x on the bottom end don't cut it.
In the 1-4x realm the Shortdot is of course king. The Trijican 1-4x with #4 is a solid choice, the Meopta K dot 1-4x is also good. However the time of the 1-4x is over. 1-6's are here and there is little reason to choose a good 1-4x over a 1-6x.
From most to least of those worth paying for-
Vortex 1-6x- best eyebox, FOV, 1x, and illumination on the market. (prefer mil reticle)
SWFA SS 1-6x- usable eyebox, good FOV, good reticle on 1x and best on 6x (potentially the best choice out of all)
Leupold VX6 1-6x with German Firedot #4 reticle- eyebox and FOV are very good, reticle is just bright enough, suffers from no graduated reticle
Bushnell Elite Tactical 1-6x SFP mil reticle- solid scope. FOV and eyebox is very good. Reticle is usable at low and high powers, but not daylight bright and turret are chintzy.
The Swarovski Z6 1-6x is awesome on 1x, has a daylight visible dot, and a mil based reticle. The major problem is durability issues.
The Leupold Mark 6 1-6x is ok, but suffers from the usual reliability issues, as well as illumination shading, and a reticle that is so thick as to be visually distracting.
