Yikes! I can see why that would freak you out. We installed our own frameless shower glass and after watching the videos on line and handling the stuff I'm now super freaked-out about it breaking. I really can't say whether the deflection you're seeing is normal or not. Hopefully someone will chime in. But here are a few thoughts: ~I think it if were me I would ask the opinions of a couple other glass experts. I know there is one company on line that has lots of how-to information and I called them with a question at one point, because they were the only ones open and I needed an answer right away. Even though I didn't buy my glass from them they were super helpful... I can't recall the name but a google search would turn them up. ~If there's even a shred of doubt, I'd go with one of your two options. HOW different are the non-drilled side clips? My guess is that even though you think they'll look mis-matched now, you probably won't notice it after a while. I've had to add a piece of clear plastic "stop" at the top edge of my door/sidewall joint, because for whatever reason (settling?) the two pieces have shifted slightly and the gap between them is now too close for my comfort. I was super upset about this at first, because it "wrecked the visual effect", but, honestly, I don't even notice it anymore.... Also, we do have silicone attaching our side wall to the tiled shower wall, and it's amazingly strong. It also looks great. And we haven't had any mold at all growing in it. We do have a good bath van. But, you know, even if mold did grow in there eventually, you could slice the old silicone out and install fresh stuff without too much trouble, I think. Good luck! Stacey

Adding a comment here for anyone who is still searching! We went with the CR Laurence Brushed Bronze hinges and handle, they are NOT an except match for Delta champagne bronze, however, it's not a big enough difference to care. They did however come out with a revised color, called Dark Brushed Bronze. I'm not sure if this is a match or not but it seems possible. We opted for a tile in drain in our shower. While the exposed material for this style of drain is minimal, it is an exact match for Delta champagne bronze. https://rstyle.me/+fzqRGl4pUTdxqIhzOeCFhQ All other bathroom items linked here - https://liketk.it/565oz

food.....I am getting too old to do so many simple things anymore and that is a far cry from my previous young self, and hiring something so simple to be done is almost impossible and expensive.. It is an expensive showerhead and I will leave it in place as we are old and will probably be selling sometime in the near future. If it is bright, shiney and not from the 1980s, I will let it be and use one of the other two showers, both of which have a simple inexpensive one from Home Depot that I actually do like. I was so disappointed when I went to use that rain head one. I can get wet all over but in no one place enough to make it an enjoyable hot shower or, even to get the soap rinsed away. I want a nice strong flow, not a misty spray of warm water from that tank where I paid to heat the water to a nice comfortable temp. A wonderful hot shower is one thing that I am immensely grateful for and choirs of angels sing in my ears as I enjoy it! I remembrt one time we traveled in Costa Rica where they have a lot of these suicide shower heads that give you , at best, a lukewarm trickle of water. Then, we got to a hotel that had an actual hot water heater and I must have run that tank dry over and over as over joyed as I was to find such a nice hot shower in that country. I am conservative in my use of some things, but my hot shower is one of the greatest pleasures, ever. We had to get a new water heater and we chose an electric one. I am trying to limit my time to about three minutes, but I want wonderful hot water for those minutes.

All custom glass shops buy their hardware here. https://www.crlaurence.com/productcategory/ShowerHardware