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Choosing A Stained Glass Starter Kit
from rockymountainglasscrafts
I know there is a lot of information here! My hope is that you'll be able to compare our kits against each other and against those of our competitors and find the kit that's right for you. We were the originators of the comprehensive stained glass starter kit and our kits are often imitated. Please be careful when selecting a stained glass kit. I often get emails from people who have purchased kits with bad cutters, low powered grinders, and cheap tools. They're frustrated from the beginning. You cannot buy a good stained glass kit with a grinder for $125.00.
When comparing kits, please make sure to compare the grinders and the cutters which are the heart of a stained glass starter kit and the most expensive components. Many kits, for example, come with a Wizling CG which is a smaller and less powerful grinder than the Wiz CG which we include with most of our kits. And the "dip in oil" cutters have a retail value of $1.99 compared to our Toyos which sell for over $30.00. You might not know the difference (yet) but we do and we will not start you with something you're going to be unhappy with in the very near future.
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Small But Mighty I
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The Red Kit |
Lucky I |
Lucky II |
Beyond I |
Beyond II |
Small But Mighty II
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True Love |
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Grinder |
Inland GTO
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Wiz CG |
Wiz CG |
Wiz CG |
Wiz CG |
Wiz CG |
Inland GTO |
Wizard IV |
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Running Pliers
Light Runners |
Choice |
StudioPro
StudioPro |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice Small
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Choice |
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Shears |
Choice |
StudioPro |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice |
Fan Out |
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Breaker/Grozer
Pliers |
Choice |
StudioPro |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice |
Choice |
Fan Out |
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Fid/Lathekin |
Fid |
Both |
Fid |
Fid |
Fid |
Fid |
Fid |
Fid |
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Flux & Brushes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
* Yes |
Yes |
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Cutter Oil |
Tube |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Tube |
Yes |
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Patinas |
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Copper |
Black
Copper |
Black
Copper |
Black
Copper |
Black
Copper |
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Black
Copper
Black Z |
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Coolant/Lube |
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coolant |
both |
both |
both |
both |
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coolant |
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Soldering Iron |
Choice Iron Choice Rheostat
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Studio 100 |
Choice Iron
Separate Rheostat |
Studio 100 |
Choice Iron
Separate
Rheostat |
Studio
100 |
Choice Iron
Choice Rheostat |
Choice Iron Choice Rheostat
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Stand |
Yes
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Cutter |
Choice Brand
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Toyo |
Toyo |
Toyo |
Toyo |
Toyo |
Choice
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Toyo
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Foil |
1 roll |
1 roll |
3 rolls |
3 rolls |
3 rolls |
3 rolls |
1 roll |
3 rolls |
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Instruction |
Book |
Book |
DVD |
DVD |
DVD |
DVD |
Book |
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Solder |
1# |
1# |
1# |
1# |
1# |
1# |
1# |
1# |
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Glass |
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Sm pack |
Lg pack |
Lg Pack |
Lg Pack |
Lg Pack |
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Pattern Supplies |
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Ruler |
Square
Oilboard
Carbon paper |
Square
Oilboard
Carbon paper |
Square
Oilboard
Carbon paper |
Square
Oilboard
Carbon paper |
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Patten CD |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Bonus Items
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Extras
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Fid'l Stick |
Knife
Foiler
Bevels
J-rings
S-Cups |
Knife
Foiler
Bevels
J-rings
S-Cups |
Knife
Foiler
Bevels
J-rings
S-cups
G Shield
Fine Bit
2nd Story |
Knife
Foiler
Bevels
J-rings
S-cups
G Shield
Fine Bit
2nd Story |
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Knife |
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Comparing Kits
Our stained glass starter kits are our speciality. Since 2002 we've sold hundreds of kits to satisfied buyers. In fact, we regularly get fan mail on these kits which makes our day. When assembling these kits, I tried to think of what people would want to have included in their kits based on their budget and space requirements.
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The Small But Mighty kits are designed especially for people taking their first stained glass class. They likely have all of the items on your "buy before class" list and is great for people who can pick up glass, chemicals, and other sundries from their local dealer. They are an amazing value!
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The Red Kit is basically a scaled down version of the Lucky Duck kits. Because its "red" it's often given as a Valentine's Day or Christmas gift.
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The Lucky Kits are hugely popular and are geared towards the serious hobbyist through someone starting a glass arts studio.
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The professional kit is for people who want to start with top of the line tools and do production (heavy) stained glass work. They are normally purchased by practicing glass artists but paired with some instruction and a few add-ons are great for the beginner who wants to start out with the best. Suggested add-ons for beginners: a glass pack (just ask, I'll make one up for you); a ruler & glass square; instructional DVD or getting started book.
I started with only excellent quality grinders and cutters for all of our kits. They're expensive but worth the extra money. (Many stained glass starter kits come with inferior cutters and grinders. They look like our kits, but they're not the quality you'll need for the long haul.) You might not know the difference, but we do, and we wouldn't sell you something we wouldn't want in our own studio.
The Small But Mighty kits were specially designed for classroom use. They have all of the basics most instructors require for a beginner's stained glass class. We were flattered when one of the largest distributors in the world patterned this kit from our Lucky kits. This is the only one of our kits we don't assemble in house, except to add a Toyo cutter and pattern CD.
The Lucky Duck Kits are all huge and contain everything you'll need to set up your stained glass studio. They are a beginner's dream! There are two regular Lucky Duck kits (one with a separate iron and rheostat and one with an iron with built in temperature control). Then we have two Beyond a Lucky Duck kits which contain everything in the regular Lucky Kits plus great bonus items. These kits are not always available and tend to sell out when they are.
The True Love Professional Kit is a great kit for people who have taken a class and know that they are in this for the long haul. It has all professional quality tools (the best in the industry) plus some consumables. It is a great value!
More Kit and Tool Notes
Many stained glass starter kits come with inferior cutters. All of our kits come with Toyo pistol grip oil fed cutters because they're the best, the professional standard.
About tool brands: Choice & Studio Pro are both studio quality tools and are equal in quality. Choice brand have blue handles; Studio Pro have red. FanOut tools are professional quality and quite expensive.
Soldering Irons: Choice irons come with a separate rheostat temperature control device. This is a good choice for people who want to do lead came construction later on. Studio Pro 100 irons come with a handy built-in temperature control device which takes the guess work out of setting your iron. If you're on the fence, a Studio Pro iron is a better value (more expensive) and a lot easier to manage.
How do we put these kits together at this price? I buy in large volume and stock up on components when they are on sale at my various distributors. We are one of the largest suppliers of Inland grinders in the country and get better pricing than most studios. Our mark-up on stained glass starter kits is minimal. We really want to make this great hobby affordable and hope to earn your repeat business. Our overhead is minimal (we're a home-based business) and our CEO works in her jammies. In a retail store, these kits would retail for 40-55% higher.
These are not cheap tools cheap. There are no fillers to make the kits look bigger. We're not getting rid of over-stocks. We want you to be happy. Only then are we happy!
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