UPDATE: this lens is much brighter around the perimeter of the lens. If you turn your head a little it feels like safe 8 or 9 if you are on 11. The shade numbers seem to be a little off to. 11 is more like 12 and so on. It is clearer then singles 240 HD. Both are amazingly clear and are like looking at the arc as if welding wasn’t very bright and you were looking at it with the naked eye. However, to me it is the difference between sunglasses and Polarized sunglasses. You may see more light with the regular sunglasses but a lot of the light acts as interference for What you were actually trying to see. But when you put on polarized glasses you see more clearly because it only Allows the light which is helpful to come through. The Lincoln isn’t darker, it just allows you to see more clearly in my opinion because it Eliminates light interference that the singles 240 HD allowes to come through. The clear state on the singles HD is a little better But the Lincoln allows you to change the shade and in my opinion is more clear. I don’t know how long it will last because I just got it yesterday I don’t know how long it will last because I just got it yesterday. if it breaks I will update this.