Could you give your impressions on the 1-8? It looks pretty good but haven't found any comparisons with the LOW variants (Bushnell Elite tactical, vortex razor 1-6, ect..)
The CT 1-8x is an excellent bargain at the current prices. Build is solid and it feels like quality. Turrets are low profile and similar to the PST Gen 2/Razor layout but much easier to turn than the PST Gen 2. The .2 MRAD adjustments is a bummer...I'd prefer .1 mil but this isn't really a long range precision optic so I'll let that slide. They are tactile and not as mushy as the 1-5x. There is an ever so slight bit of play between detents on the turrets, but they otherwise feel good to me.
The glass clarity is on par with the SMRS II Pro and other LOW-made offerings I've seen. I haven't noticed any CA but I need more time with it under different conditions to be sure. It does have a minimal bit of distortion around the edges but that isn't unusual and it can be minimized by dialing in the diopter. The illumination on mine is not daylight bright in bright direct sun but it's still very usable. I'm not a stickler for nuclear brightness in an LPVO but you may be disappointed if that's important to you. On 1x, the center dot is very small but the illumination helps considerably and the large circle does help bring your eye back to the center. I didn't think I'd like the large circle but it works better than I'd thought. The center may still get washed out at 1x on a very bright day...it's been too cloudy the past few days to test. I'm not a fan of the lack of off settings between brightness steps...that is a major fail on these scopes. I'll be on 11 or off most of the time.
The 1-8x has a tighter eye box and slightly shorter/more critical eye relief than the SMRS Pro and Razor, but it isn't bad by any stretch. The LOW 1-6x scopes are a bit easier to get behind so if you are looking at an LPVO for 3-Gun I'd probably go with one of them. My CT 1-8x is going on a 6.5 Grendel AR pistol and it'll be perfect for that role or an SPR-ish build.
Compared to the SMRS II Pro and the Razor 1-6x, I'd choose one of them over the CT 1-8x if prices were similar. I think LOW has a leg up on JOL in its optical designs, but not by as much as you'd expect considering that LOW has been making LPVOs for a lot longer.
When the SMRS II Pro was $599-$699, it was the better bargain. Now that it's back up around $999, it's a more difficult choice. Since I have more than 30 rifles to scope and I'm regularly upgrading/moving around scopes, I buy based upon most value per dollar. The SMRS II Pro and Razor are better scopes, but not at a 50%-100% premium unless your use case demands their features (daylight bright reticle for the Razer), wider FOV and their slightly easier to get behind nature. I think the CT was overpriced at $1400; I think a $999 MSRP would have been a more reasonable ask. The CT 1-8x at $650 is ridiculously good value.