I went through this when I switched rooms. I went with a pub table.
All things being equal, I would have preferred round - it’s just better for sight lines, self-dealing, and socialization. But all things aren’t equal. I also have an octagon that’s about 53 inches across, and raking a pot from a seated position can be challenging.
I can reach about 32 inches across a table, without standing. If you have a 58 inch table, where the center point is 29 inches, I’m not going to be able to reach chips that aren’t within 3 inches of the center of the table. So I don’t believe any average-sized person will be able to rake a pot from a seated position at a 58 inch circle.
Obviously, you have the same problem with people toward the ends of ovals. But at least in those situations, the dealer or other players can help push, without getting up. And one of the big reasons for a circle (or octagon) is bringing people closer together. So there just seems something fundamentally wrong with a design that’s supposed to bring everybody closer together, but doesn’t bring people quite close enough. I think went you can go a bit smaller, for 6 players, circles are perfect. But they just don’t seem right for 8.
The other thing is the shape of the room. With my slightly rectangular room, I was able to fit a pub table, and keep a minimum of 30 inches from wall to table. 30 inches is about the minimum for comfort (and many people would say 30 inches isn’t enough.) A circle just would have put peoples chairs too close to a couple of the walls, in my room. So for my room, a pub table just fit better than a circle.