Glazed and Confused

One allowance here buys 21,650 EXP, which places it 5th of the 6 Lv 25 Alchemist tradecraft leves that record EXP. The best of them, You Put Your Left Hand In, returns 43,600 EXP for the same allowance, 101% more.

Across that rung the return runs from 17,310 EXP to 43,600 EXP per allowance — 6 distinct figures spanning 152%, so the wrong pick leaves 26,290 EXP of the allowance unspent.

On whether to wait: the best Lv 30 Alchemist tradecraft leve returns 41,410 EXP per allowance, 5% less than the best on this rung, while the Lv 20 rung behind tops out at 21,600 EXP.

At Lv 25 this data holds 52 leves paying EXP across 2 categories: the 48 Tradecraft ones average 31,772 EXP per allowance, the 4 Fieldcraft ones 204,269 EXP, which puts this leve 32% below its own category's average.

Gil ranks it differently: 229 gil per allowance is 4th of 6 on the same rung against 5th on EXP, with the best there paying 715 gil.

Clear Glass Lens ×1 is a Lv 28 Alchemist recipe, 2 steps deep through 1 intermediate, costing 3 units of raw material and 5 crystals.

Handing that in returns 7,217 EXP and 76 gil for every unit of raw material the order swallows.