i have used one belonging to a friend of mine. i agree with most of what you said.

i did have a little 'problem' with the stiff turrets. i know S&B also feel somewhat stiffer than other scopes like leupold but their knob is wider and you can apply more torque if thats the correct word for it.

i do like the FFP reticle alot. however bearing all that in mind i don't find the 1/8" that appealing for me, i would prefer to go with 1/4" or else given the option, Metric turrets to have reticle and turrets matching.

the front parallax works great but easier to have it as a side turret. i have found most of these features in the Falcon Menace scopes and they have been receiving alot of good reviews online. if i remember well they also come at a better price.

one more thing im remembering about the lightstream. this same friend has also the one with the higher mag and 30mm tube. the scope is lovely to use however i was much bothered by the fact that the elevation turret has NO lines demarcating at what revolution you are at and me being a clicker i find major fault in that. to others this is not a concern.
m 2p