Silicone

Water will leak under there when the spray is deflected by a body, or if you use a hand held sprayer when cleaning.

Add one vote for silicone. The 100% silicone in my bathroom is 10 years old and looks like the day I installed it. The manufacturer warranties it for 50 years. Just how long did your glazier say it would take to need to be replaced? Maybe he needs to use a different caulk.

These and silicone caulk

One more vote for the channel with silicon. No matter how tightly the glass is fitted to the wall tile (and this depends a lot on how flat the tile/wall is), there is a gap through which water can escape.

On the other hand, the amount of water getting out is likely to be very small So you have to decide whether the inconvenience of cleaning it up is offset by the look you prefer.

Thanks for the input. I'm not a fan of the metal channel. I'm getting rid of sliding shower doors because no matter how much we cleaned, the metal would attract mold. I know these would be tighter than a slider, but I wouldn't stop worrying that mold was growing in there. The installer said that if I chose the third option and didn't like it, they'd come back and fill it with silicone. You're right, I'll have to decide which one I can live with the best. Thanks again!

Cabot and Rowe, can you please tell me what brand of silicone you used in your shower? If you're that confident I may use that for some of the install, such as on top of the pony wall, and leave a gap in the others. Also, would there be any disadvantage to installing the silicone after the fact if I chose to see how the third option worked out? Thanks again for your input.

What I posted is not channel, they are called mini-clips, approx. 2" pcs of channel.

If you use silicone, make sure it's the type that dries crystal clear. It is not the stuff you can buy at home depot marked clear. The type my shower glass guy uses is special ordered and literally looks like clear glass and you can't see it

Silicone alone will not hold the glass in place period. Mini-clips, channel, recessed into the tile or framed is required. Generally 2 clips top and bottom per panel

This is a pic of our shower using clips and silicone. The shower door is open. The silicone is along the wall and the bottom, where the glass meets the Torreon travertine. It is nearly invisible. The clips are drilled directly into the stone tile. There is framing behind it. (edit to say there are wood studs behind the tile)

We initially did not have the rubber seal on the glass where it meets the door because the water did not splash out during the "test". The shower head is in the center of the shower but from this photo angle, it looks like it is close to the door.

But once a body was in the shower, the water was deflected and came through the crack. Not a ton, but enough to need to wipe up instead of letting sit on the travertine floor.

Hope that gives you a visual how clips will hold your glass.

And the clips I referenced are half that height and even less obtrusive.

Aside from the door hinges, in this shower below there is only one clip, very high on the left side, just outside of camera view. The rest of the installation is silicone alone. Been that way for 7 years. Still looks new.

Very impressive Cabot, I have not seen that set up.