Compare Value and Quality
Stained glass kits save you money but how can you be sure that the one you choose is both high quality and contains everything you need? I’ve checked out lots of stained glass kits for you and found 2 of the best so that you can:
- be sure your money is well spent AND
- get started immediately with good quality stained glass tools
1. Best Stained Glass Kits For Copper Foil
Recommended Purchase
The Stained Glass Start-Up Kit
This kit is the best of the stained glass kits for copper foil I’ve found. It comes with absolutely everything you need to start making stained glass. Not only that, the tools are high quality metal rather than the cheaper plastic ones you find elsewhere.
What’s Good About This Kit?
The 2 most important bits of this start-up kit – the soldering iron and cutter – are very good choices.
-
Soldering Iron:
It contains a Weller 100 watt temperature-controlled soldering iron. It’s a highly rated iron, reliable and consistent, and is the iron that I have been using myself and teaching students with for over 20 years. An in-built temperature control in the tip is very important as helps you solder neatly by keeping the temperature stable.
-
Cutter:
The Supercutter Dry Wheel Glass Cutter is a very high quality cutter with a textured shaped pencil grip to help you hold and cut easily. The head is replaceable – although you won’t need a new one for ages as it is made of tough carbide steel. The cutter gives you control over the sometimes messy oil-filled cutters. You can choose oil or no oil – just dip the head onto a pot on to an oiled sponge if you prefer using oil.
View on Amazon: Stained Glass Start-Up Kit (paid link)
-
Other recommended features of this Stained Glass Start-Up Kit:
- Stained glass kits don’t always include grinders but I think they’re pretty much essential for beginners. This kit comes with a very reliable Gryphon Gryphette Grinder. It comes with a free standard 3/4″ bit and a 5 year warranty (not for the bits though!). A powerful 3000 rpm motor will grind easily. The grinder accepts all standard bits so you don’t have to buy a certain make.
- The inclusion of a glass pack is good! You can’t choose the colours unfortunately but 8 hobby sheets will be enough to make a few projects and get you started.
- I’m very VERY happy to see that both the Breaker/Grozer pliers AND the Running Pliers are the long-lasting metal ones that I regularly recommend. No flimsy plastic here, thankfully.
Cons
I honestly can’t think of one. I would recommend my Stained Glass Made Perfect course rather than the DVD here but apart from that, this has absolutely everything you need to start creating beautiful things with stained glass.
Rating
With the copper foil, solder, safety goggles and the DVD to show you how to use your new tools, this is an extremely fair priced and comprehensive kit for beginners. These tools will last.
Stained Glass Start-Up Kit (paid link) came out top in the reviews on every count. It’s the best value, quality and contains all the essential tools so you’re not paying for things you don’t need.
I can’t fault it. 10 out of 10.
2. Best Stained Glass Kits For Leaded Stained Glass
Recommended Purchase
The Ultimate Lead Upgrade Tool Kit
This kit from Delphi is full of well-made and reliable tools and materials. I’m pleased to see that the Lead Nippers (sometimes called Lead Dykes) are of good, lasting quality.
It includes absolutely everything you need for easily upgrading and giving lead came a try.
What’s Good About This Stained Glass Kit?
This kit gives you an opportunity to move into leaded projects from copper foil without costing the earth or leaving you with lots of duplicate materials and tools. It includes all those extra bits of kit you need specifically for lead came:
Lead Pattern Shears, Lead Nippers and Fid, Lead Vise, Wire Brush, Glazing Hammer, Horseshoe Nails – 100 pieces, Black Cement – 1 lb., Whiting Powder – 1-1/2 lb., Scrub Brush, 50/50 Solder – 1 lb., Lead and glass stop blocks – 25 pieces, 12 feet of 1/4 inch Adj. U zinc came cut innto 8 18″ pieces, 7/32 inch Round H lead came – 4 pieces rolled and bagged.
It even has an instructional DVD to take you through the basic processes.
Rating
Out of all the stained glass kits I looked at, this one came up top as offering the best value for those ready to go from copper foil to leaded stained glass without starting over from scratch. It is a very comprehensive selection of tools and materials, mixing quality must-have tools with a range of useful items. The only thing to remember is that you will need to add a soldering iron and stand, a cutter and safety goggles if you have no existing stained glass tools. 9.5 out of 10.
There’s a page exploring the different stained glass tools you need for the Copper Foil technique here.
There’s another page going into more detail about each individual tool used in Leaded stained glass here.
Once you receive your kit, come back and have a look at my free tutorials on how to make stained glass so that you can start making your own panels.
Hi Millie! The kit is unavailable. Do you recommend another one?
Thanks!
Sorry Freya, I’ve had so much trouble with this link – they keep changing it 🙁 If you’re in the US, you can get good kits in Anything in Stained Glass. Hope that helps.
Hey Milly,
I have been looking around and around for a starters kit in New Zealand however cannot find anything. Would you please be able to stare me in the right direction? Real excited to get creative and thanks for the awesome website 🙂
Google ‘Glass Station’ and Pukerua Glass – they seem to have the basics. Can’t recommend as not my neck of the woods, though. Good luck!
Hello I just found this page and went to order the copper kit and it says unavailable, are there others you would suggest or do you know of a place it may be in stock? Thank you
Argh, how annoying Ashley, sorry. Sadly I don’t have any control over whether companies keep their products up for sale 🙁 And I don’t sell tools or materials myself…I’ll have to look for an alternative and update the link. Thanks for letting me know.
I too have visited with interest your webpages.
My wife is and has been involved with Stain glass (through a small class), and I was hoping to look to acquiring a semi-professional beginners kit.
And like your previous – Ashley – the starter kit is no longer available.
I would really appreciated any pointers to where this can be sourced from? Amazon and eBay all seem to point to hobbyist kits.
Which she has, by the quality of the work I am seeing – outgrown.
I would value your feedback.
The Stained Glass Start Up Kit is available here Gavin. Have a look at it and see if it’s will be any good for your wife – she sounds like she’s flying with stained glass!
Thanks for pointing this out. The problem is that the suppliers that offer don’t always have it in stock. I appreciate your patience.
Good morning to you, I am interested in trying a new medium, stained glass, I am very interested in the stained glass start up kit at the top of the page, but try as I might I can not find any way of buying it. I keep getting put on the Amazon site and it’s not even on there.
Would you be able to let me have details of where I might buy this item from please.
Thank you very much for your time on this matter.
Yours truly
John Walsh.
Thanks for your question John. What country are you in? The link is for Amazon US where the kit is for sale and there are no alternatives in the UK. If you’re in the UK the Tempsford Stained Glass kits are a good bet. Sorry for the frustration and I hope you manage to get a kit!
Hi again! I just went to order the Stained Glass starter kit” from Amazon and it is not in stock any longer and they do not know IF they will carry it again. Suggestions please! I’m axioms and excited to get on board with you. 🙏 Thanks Harmony
Thanks for letting me know about this Harmony. I have trouble keeping up with what’s available. I’ve had a look at some other kits and this Premium Stained Glass Start-Up Kit one is brilliant too. It has the 100w Weller that I used for years and even includes a marvellous Grinder Cookie!
You’ll love stained glass I’m sure 🙂
Thank you so much for getting back to me so promptly! Very impressed.
Yes, the kit looks wonderful and I of course would love to purchase it however, I live on my widows Social Security and at this time it is a little more than I can afford.
( recovering from Christmas, lol)! Is there one a little less expensive you could recommend)? Of course I would want all that is needed but understand that is not possible at this time. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, may a few different ones that you like and then I can pick the one I feel fits into my budget right now. I am so excited about doing this as it is something that I have always wanted to do. Thank you again for helping me. Best, Harmony
I understand the budget thing Harmony… I have a page on the essential tools needed for stained glass here. If you just buy these (not necessarily the exact ones, but the items) then you will be able to start. I hope that helps.
Hi Milly,
I was very interested to see your review of the starter kits as Ive been thinking about purchasing one…. but you dont mention the price or where I order one from. Tried the link which took me to Amazon but it didn’t recognise the search “Premium stained glass start up kit”
I joined your blog a short while ago and have a couple of projects in mind, but not the kit to get going!
any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks Tamzin
Hi Tamzin, sorry about that and thanks for pointing it out. I don’t supply any tools myself so direct my visitors to suppliers who offer tools I have tested and like. Sometimes these suppliers change their offers and remove them… which appears to be the case here!
I’ve done some research and have found this Stained Glass Start-Up Kit from Amazon.com for you; it has good metal tools (rather than the cheaper plastic versions) and – importantly – a decent soldering iron.
It’s a very good price but ideally you will need to add a grinder. I like the Glastar SuperStar II Grinder but there are cheaper ones available if your budget is tighter.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your stained glass journey!