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You need to be able to get a clear focus on the weld area at the distance you will be looking from. I find that my 'reading' varifocals allow me to focus down to 7" from the puddle (if I look 'over' my glasses, it's 4" 
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I find that in my workshop, I can see much better than at the college where I have my welding classes. This is because I've got much better lighting at home, equivalent to about 2 Watts/sf of flourescent lighting. At home, I can see the work, the puddle and the hot-spot of the arc wandering about the puddle. At the college, with the lower lighting levels, I can see the arc and an mpression of the puddle.
The ideal shade is that which allows you clear vision of the puddle without straining or hurting your eyes after a quarter of an hour or so. But with MIG and (much more so) TIG, being able to focus close has a large effect as well.
Anyone over mid-40s in age without reading glasses might benefit from a cheater lens in their helmet. I get away with my current 'reading' varifocals because I bought them while I was still employed (last year...) for use at a keyboard and screen, but they are not ideal, since I have to tip my head to the correct angle to focus on the puddle. When I get new glasses, I'll also get two sets of cheater lenses for the welding mask. One for stick and the other for TIG/MIG.
PS:- as a datum, I'm now 59, but started noticing that my arms were getting too short for reading the newspaper in my mid forties.
).I find that in my workshop, I can see much better than at the college where I have my welding classes. This is because I've got much better lighting at home, equivalent to about 2 Watts/sf of flourescent lighting. At home, I can see the work, the puddle and the hot-spot of the arc wandering about the puddle. At the college, with the lower lighting levels, I can see the arc and an mpression of the puddle.
The ideal shade is that which allows you clear vision of the puddle without straining or hurting your eyes after a quarter of an hour or so. But with MIG and (much more so) TIG, being able to focus close has a large effect as well.
Anyone over mid-40s in age without reading glasses might benefit from a cheater lens in their helmet. I get away with my current 'reading' varifocals because I bought them while I was still employed (last year...) for use at a keyboard and screen, but they are not ideal, since I have to tip my head to the correct angle to focus on the puddle. When I get new glasses, I'll also get two sets of cheater lenses for the welding mask. One for stick and the other for TIG/MIG.
PS:- as a datum, I'm now 59, but started noticing that my arms were getting too short for reading the newspaper in my mid forties.
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