NavList:

My ~2020 Davis Mk3 suffers from the same, and not only are the shades inadequate in terms of attenuation but the Sun seen through them gets blurry as well. I thought having the images of the Sun "kiss" was very tough, tiring and eyestraining work until I tried other instruments (an A12 and a box sextant) that made me realise that the Mk3 is not... great. None of "dull disk -- easy to look at, not the slightest glare or viewing discomfort, and with crisp, sharp edges" applied there. Especially for inland armchair navigators, who will predominantly use artificial horizons, as the direct image is shaded less than the reflected image.

Given the price tag of the Mk3, this is probably not such a surprise but -- especially given what you said, that if you don't know that's not normal, you will think that's the way things should be -- perhaps it should be more widely known that while these instruments are good for going through the motions, they may be borderline dangerous if used with the actual Sun.

Matus