Probably depends on your application and your expectation.

Got a picture? whats starphire? whats the cost? whats is it used for?

carazy, we did a frameless shower door and decided against Starphire due to the addl cost. Our bathroom is all white so we were willing to take the risk. Our experience is that the difference isn't as radical as they show in the comparison pictures. I'm just guessing at these...but I've taken a pic from your idea book to show the coloring. I think the first photo probably isn't Starphire (notice the slight coloring of the white blind and the white tub as seen thru the glass).

The 2nd photo is Starphire. See that there is no blue/green tinge to the glass.

Depending on what's on the other side of the glass, it may be important for you to have it be crystal clear.

Designideas - starphire is just a process where heavy glass is made crystal clear. It adds a lot to the price. Normally the heavy glass has a very slight blue/green tinge to it.

Starphire is an upgrade of shower glass that is virtually clear. Tempered glass has a slight green hue that to be honest I never noticed until the salesman told me about it. I took these photos and the difference is extreme, but that is also since it is touching the tile. The shower door will be 3 feet away so maybe won't be noticeable. It will be a frameless, glass sliding door skyline (see attached for sample of style) I have also included a photo of the shower that it will be covering, work in progress. It is an upgrade of $475 which is about 20% of the cost of the door. My contractor says he doesn't use it in his own house, my husband says not worth it.... yet I am obsessing about it. This is a hallway shower for my girls and guests. This is a full remodel where we removed the wall to make the pony opening up the natural light of the room to shine through. The attached photo was taken at night with low light... the tile is beige and the glass tile blue, green, brownish reds and grays.

wow "onthefence"... thanks for the very thorough review! This helps, and maybe it is the photo but seems the starphire has more glare. That could be annoying? Maybe that is wishful thinking? I appreciate the time you invested to help with my decision!

Gorgeous shower carazy! I love absolutely everything about it.

I think you're right that you notice the difference more because the tile is right up against the glass. If you still have the glass sample, you may want to ask hubby to hold it on the rim of the tub so you can get a pic of how the glass will impact the look of the tile from the correct distance.

To be honest, when we first installed ours I really noticed it. But because our bathroom is all white it wasn't unpleasant. Now, I don't even realize there is a coloration to it.

As another example that may be closer to your bathroom here's another shot from your idea book. I suspect this isn't starphire (notice the very slight tinge to the glass). I don't think this makes the beige tile look bad at all. But everyone has a different tolerance level!

I agree, the starphire photo seemed to have a lot more glare to it to me as well. I think the only full starphire door I've seen is one of the patterned glasses (WAY beyond my price point). Because of the movement in the glass, perhaps the glare wasn't obvious?

Best of luck in your decision. Which ever way you go, that bathroom is going to be spectacular.

Thanks again "onthefence". You are making me relax as I read these posts! What a great forum. Now I can sleep easy! I will try and upload a picture of the finished project! I think the best option is save the money and enjoy a new bathroom. A huge upgrade from the Hello Kitty shower curtain that was there for the past six years. ;-) I have two sweet girls ages 7 and 9 that are going to love their new bathroom no matter the glass. Maybe the slight tint will hide the water spots better than the crystal clear. Knowing my girls it won't be sparkling for long.

LOL about the water spots and your sweeties! Invest a few bucks of that $475 in a couple squeegies and show them the fun of squeegieing!

Can't wait to see your final product! I do understand the 2nd guessing and the walking in and out of a room a dozen times to look at colors and patterns and try to make a decision.

Kitchen is next for us. I'm stocking up on wine ;-)

I think I will be banned from any more remodels after this one... the kitchen could just put me over the edge. Good luck and enjoy the wine!!!

Where did you purchase your glass? I'm collecting my nerve for a huge bathroom DIY project with an open shower with a single glass panel. I'm certain Starphire is out of my budget, but where do I get the alternative? Can any glasscutter provide a suitable grade for my shower?

From what I have currently researched, there is a Standard Clear that has enough iron to make the glass look green against white and light tile and marble (even three feet away). There is "Starfire" a trademark name brand that has low iron and therefore clearer and significantly less green and then there is Crystal Clear. According to one person I spoke to, Crystal Clear has a gold-ish tint from the side glass profile. This is all information I have tried to research online and through phone inquires. I would like to know if this is correct?

I spent lots of money on beautiful marble and asked for clear glass. The first thing I noticed when it was installed was the color green. I tried to remove what I thought was "protective glass film" only to find it wasn't removable! It is heartbreaking and very noticeable.

What glass was used in your project.

I spent the extra money on starfire bc I didn't want the glass to have that green color but the edges still look green to me and now I'm obsessing that I got the wrong thing.

I am just about decide whether to do starphire for the shower and am looking to avoid the green color. I am using 1/2" thick glass. Is that what you used? How green are the edges?

I have a frameless shower and to be honest the green tint doesn't bother me at all, if you want to spend 400$ more I would use it to get a protective process to guard against glass etching and discoloring from hard water. Several different sources that you can research on houzz, diamond something and shower guard I believe, I got shower guard and after two years it looks like new.

Personally I do not like the green tint and paid the extra to get the Starfire clear glass, as well as the ShowerGuard treated glass that keeps the glass from getting stained from hard water and soap. It was worth it and in the end was a very small percentage of the total cost of the bathroom. Especially against white tile, where the green would really show up.

oh, Starphire.....To use it or not to use it....

It depends on background tile color and on the thickness of the glass used: the whiter the background- the more noticeable green tint of regular glass, the thicker the glass the more noticeable the green tint.....

In white/light baths we recommend LOW IRON GLASS (Starphire or other brands)

1/2" and more in glass thickness we recommend LOW IRON GLASS

And the ShowerGuard coating does help! It has I believe 10 year warranty if factory applied. (helps with cleaning)

This could be old information, but it's always been my understanding that tempered glass is much stronger than Starphire, and shatters less, if a fall were to happen. Would make a difference to me, especially if I had children or older adults in the house.

Any evidence behind this?

You have to use tempered glass in showers ALWAYS, no matter what kind of glass is used (code and good practice too!)

Hi Beth Catanese l know your comment on your clear glass for your shower was a while ago wondering if your glass was right l have just installed clear glass and it has a green tinge side on also and wondering if it is wrong too how did you go wanted to know before l confront the installer, thanks

• This is an older thread, but I am replying in the interests of clarifying a bit due to potential safety concerns. And sorry if some of my comments echo previous posters.

• Tempering glass is a method of making glass safer by heating it to transition temperature and then cooling it rapidly. The tempering treatment results in glass that shatters into the messy (but MUCH safer) little tiny pieces that most of us have seen at one time or another. Tempering also results in glass that is more impact resistant than is non-tempered glass, but that is NOT part of the safety equation, it's simply a very positive side benefit. Safety is all about how it breaks.

• A glass shower door MUST be safety glass. This is required by every code and regulation on the books. The glass may be tempered or it may be laminated, but there is no option that it must be safety glass.

• Starphire is Vitro's (used to be PPG) version of low iron glass. Trying to compare Starphire to tempered is like trying to compare a tomato to an baseball. They are both round, but when talking about salad or a 100mph fastball, they aren't the same thing.

• Ordinary window glass has iron added to it when manufactured which results in a slight greenish tint in the finished glass that is rarely a consideration in a window or door, but that may be noticeable in interior applications, especially with a white background.

• Starphire is just one brand of low iron glass, there are a number of different versions of low iron glass on the market from different glass manufacturers and there may be slight appearance differences between the different variations.

• Starphire is notable for its slightly blue appearance. This slight azure tint (noticeable primarily on the polished edges) is due to cobalt being added to the molten glass during manufacture. Most other low iron glass variations have a slight yellowish tint, again noticeable primarily on the polished edge.

• Due to the nonavailability of several of the various minerals used to manufacture low iron glass not being readily available in North America, most low iron glass is imported. If a North American glass company wants to float low iron glass they have to import the raw materials to do so. Its generally cheaper to import the finished glass.

• Whether you use green-tinted "ordinary" glass or you use low iron, the glass must be tempered or laminated, there is no option.

We went with Starphire in our basement gym, for the wall and door separating the gym from the rest of the space:

It's quite clear but still has a blue-green tint on the edges:

We added privacy film as well, which is visible in the first pic.

More pictures and construction log here:

http://havingfunalongtheway.com/basement-home-gym-glass-door-and-wall/

The glass for my new shower wall and door was measured today. I told the rep that I didn’t want green glass like the shower door we had just removed during the demo. He told me it was quite a bit more but that his company usually installed it when homeowners had white bathrooms- which is what mine is. He showed me the sample of the regular glass which had a very green edge. He then showed me the Ultra Clear glass which had a blue edge (not aqua). I fell in love with the Ultra glass. I asked him to price both of them for me, but I’m guessing we will be purchasing the upgraded non green glass as I spent all this money on a remodel and don’t want to regret it every time I see the green tint on the edges of my shower.

I ended up getting the regular glass and to be honest I have never even thought about it again. I didn't notice the gree and I LOVE the shower. Good luck. I think sometimes we over think these things, it is really easy to do. Save the money... you won't notice. You hardly ever see the edges of the glass anyway. I also think the sales guys have a more green example!!!

carazy, some people notice these types of details more than others. If the green tint in a white shower bothers you, and you have the extra $$ to spend, then you get the low-iron glass. If you do not notice it, then it's not worth spending the extra $$. But it's worth it to educate yourself on the differences so you're not disappointed after the fact and wish you had known beforehand. The worst situation is to have spent a lot of money on a renovation and be unpleasantly surprised when it's all finished.

This is an old post but for those still considering regular clear glass VS low iron, there is a significant difference. (starfire is a brand name of low iron glass) The difference is most noticeable in a white tiled shower as some mentioned above. The glass thickness also plays a role in the difference. The thicker the glass - the more "green" regular clear glass will look. So 1/2" regular clear glass will look more green than a 3/8" regular clear glass. We created a dining table for a client how came back to us years later and asked that we re-create it in low iron. The glass was 3/4" so the green hue is very noticeable. Photos below.

Also like mentioned above all shower glass MUST be tempered.

Is low iron glass more reflective with more glare? And, does it cost twice as much as regular glass?

As per my thoughts, tempered glass is stronger than Starphire. Also, it is much durable and long-lasting. I have a table at my home and its table-top is of tempered glass which has been used for years.

ADM,

As per my thoughts, tempered glass is stronger than Starphire

Unless the starphire is also tempered.

Starphire is the brand name for a specific low iron glass product while tempering is a process used to strengthen and change break pattern characteristics of glass, including Starphire. You cannot compare them as if this is an either/or selection.

What do the edges look like on Starphire? Is there any green to them at all? Or are they Clear?

Some low iron glass may have a slight yellow tint at the edge, but Starphire edges are a pale blue.

Krystal Klear low iron from AGC is very clear at the edges.