Cabelas is currently having a sale on the
Center Point Tactical Open Reflex Sight, with the price reduced from $100 to $30. One of my in-laws, having decided that a high-power scope didn't really work on an AR he wanted to use for self-defense, decided to pick one up to mount on his AR. He also bought an extra for me as an "early birthday present." Since I have a Burris Fast Fire II on another firearm, this provides a bit of an opportunity to compare the two products.
First of all, like all other optics, it is very much of a "you get what you pay for." Although the case is mostly made of aluminum, the cover over the emitter is made of plastic. Also, it is clearly not water resistant. Thus, this is not a sight I would choose for hunting or field use.
The sight comes with a built-in mount for attaching to a Picatinney or Weaver rails.The mount appears to be solid. I haven't used it shooting, so I don't know if the screws will need Lock-tite or not.
Unlike the Fast Fire II, which had a rigid plastic cover that covers the entire device, the Center Point comes with a black silicone cover that only covers the lens. The cover is not very easy to remove, so I would not mount this on a "go-to" gun unless you decided to leave the cover off.
The Fast Fire II had anti-glare coatings so you don't get reflections from light behind you or additional glare from the emitter. This one does not. So, you can see reflections in the glass from behind you, as well as extra glare from the emitter.
Not having shot it, I don't know yet whether it can handle the recoil from a larger caliber rifle, or if it is limited to small bore. Several of the reviews at the Cabelas site related having problems with the device either stopping to work after use in a .223 or larger rifle, or having the glass fall out. Thus, although there is no caliber limitation listed in the packaging or instructions, this sight may be limited to use in a small bore, rimfire rifle. The sale price of $30 is appropriate for a mount designed only for use on a .22 LR firearm, but for a regular price of $100, it should be able to work on most any small or medium bore rifle. There is a small gap between the mount and the bottom of the unit, through which I can see a couple springs. This suggests to me that whether it works or not, the system was intended to absorb recoil so it could be used for most rifles.
You have five different reticle choices, from a simple dot, to a small cross, to other less useful shapes. You can also select five different brightness levels (unlike the Fast Fire II, you must manually set brightness levels), and between green and red colors. Green is a nice option for use in brighter light. However, whichever color you use, the unit appears to be very bright, even at the lowest intensity levels. In fact, it is almost too bright to use in dim light! Certainly, using the larger and more elaborate reticles, it is bright enough to blot out your view of a potential target in dim light. I would recommend sticking to either the dot or the simple cross shaped reticle.
The objective lens on the Center Point unit is 32 mm. However, there is distortion and shifting of the reticle toward the edges, so you don't get full use of the whole lens.
It uses a standard CR2032 battery, which is included with the sight. It can be replaced by unscrewing a cap on the top of the brightness/color knob. This is nice because it means that you don't need to remove the sight in order to replace the battery.
When I had discussed my Fast Fire II, one of my readers asked about whether you could see the light from the emitter through the front of the lens. With the Fast Fire II, you could not see the emitter through the front of the lens except in a dark room, and then only when up very close. The Center Point unit, however, is a different story. At almost any brightness setting, and inside a building, you can see the emitter fairly easily from about a 45 degree angle above and to the front of the unit. I don't know if you would be able to see it outside. I don't think it would be visible from any great distance, though.
Of course, the real test is actually shooting with the unit. I had mounted it on an SKS, which should answer the issue of whether it can handle a reasonable amount of recoil, or is limited to a .22 LR. It will probably be a week or two before I can out to the range, but I will let you know how it goes.
Updated (July 25, 2012): I took the sight out shooting this past weekend, and my initial impressions are good. As I noted, I had mounted it on an SKS rifle. The sight had been bore sighted, and I only tested it at short ranges--plinking at cans and a couple water filled plastic milk-jugs. I shot approximately 70 rounds without any noticeable problems--it appeared to retain its zero, nothing broke, and all the controls continued to work. The green sight was visible in full midday sunlight even at the lowest setting (I didn't try the red setting). If I have any issues in the future, I will let you know.