I was outside of the totality in 2017 but only just barely. My friends who were in the totality insist that what I saw wasn't as good but their pictures look identical to what I saw.

Considering they were in a farm field and I was on top of a mountain with a view of several volcanoes, I'm not sure I would trade my view for theirs just because it was a little darker.

With that said, maybe you've seen an eclipse from just outside the totality and maybe it is truly different?