re: Are magnifiers overrated on ARs? (Sig Sauer Romeo series)

I went budget, just to check the concepts out. Did some searching online, for things that got decent reviews at that price point.

Picked up, for red dot + magnifier:
Agukexsa red dot
NcStar 3x magnifier
I got these for under $100 total.

For LPVO:
Tacfire 1-4x (on sale at AIM). It was on sale at the time for $50, with the mount included.

Been pleasantly surprised with both setups. The Agukeska red dot is a shake-awake, I found it on 704 Tactical's review. He takes cheap stuff and beats the frick out of them to see if they hold up, and he gave it a great review. I got it for $50 at the time, and it's clear and holds zero for me.
The cheapo NcStar magnifier has clear glass for the price, and eye relief is about 3.5", enough for me to get a good picture. The complaint was about the mount (it isn't the snuggest when flipped up), but I saw a guy who posted how to shim it, and that solved the problem for me.

The cheapo Tacfire LPVO also has clear glass, about 3.75" eye relief for 4x, and an illuminated reticle. I tossed it on a C308, and it's held up.

I have no regrets for either, and although I doubt they will be as good as top brands, they work for now. I'd probably lean towards the LPVO as a better distance device.