About GlassTorches.com

What this site is

GlassTorches.com is an independent resource for choosing a glass torch for lampworking and flameworking. We bring together side-by-side comparisons, a plain-language buyer's guide, manufacturer profiles, and a torch finder that narrows the field by how you actually work — your glass, your mount, your skill level, your budget.

We don't sell torches. We have nothing in a cart for you to check out. The goal is simply to make a confusing, expensive decision easier to get right.

Why we built it

Good information about torches is out there, but it's scattered — buried in long forum threads, spread across manufacturer sites that haven't changed in years, and tucked into the middle of hour-long YouTube videos. Beginners especially struggle to even know which questions to ask, let alone compare answers across brands.

We built this site to gather that knowledge in one place and turn it into clear, sourced guidance: what surface-mix versus premix actually means for you, why jet count matters, and which torch fits the work you want to do.

How we research and source

We want to be transparent about where our information comes from and how far along it is.

Where the specs come from

We compile specifications from a range of sources and cross-reference them where we can:

• Manufacturer materials — product pages, manuals, and published spec sheets from the makers themselves.
• Reputable retailers — listings from established sellers such as Mountain Glass, which often carry detailed working specs.
• Community forums — practitioner discussion on places like Lampwork Etc., where real-world experience surfaces.
• Educational organizations — teaching resources from groups such as The Crucible.
• Practitioner demonstrations — publicly available technique videos and tutorials, used as background research.

How far along verification is

Every model in our catalog has been checked to confirm it is a real, current (or clearly noted as discontinued) product, and linked to its manufacturer's own listing — you'll find those manufacturer links on each maker page. We keep an internal verification record for every torch.

We're still reconciling the finer specifications — exact jet counts, oxygen/LPM figures, and prices — against each manufacturer's current pages, and those can vary by configuration and model year. So treat specific numbers as a guide and confirm the exact spec with the maker before you spend money. A few hard-to-source models are still marked unverified until we can confirm them.

We cite our sources

Where an article draws on a particular source, we say so and link out so you can check the original yourself. If we got something from a forum thread or a video, we'd rather tell you than pretend it's settled fact.

What "independent" means

We aren't a torch manufacturer and we aren't a storefront. That gives us the freedom to write about honest trade-offs — to say when a cheaper torch is the smarter buy, or when a beloved brand isn't the right fit for a particular kind of work.

We don't currently have affiliate or partner relationships. If that ever changes, we'll disclose those relationships plainly so you can weigh our recommendations with full context.

Who writes this

GlassTorches.com is written and maintained by Joe Blanchard. The guides, comparisons, and maker profiles here are researched and edited under that byline, using the sourcing approach described above.

Keeping it independent and maker-agnostic is the whole point: there's no storefront and no brand to favor, so the writing can call the honest trade-offs as they are. Where a specific number or claim should be confirmed with the manufacturer, we say so rather than present it as settled fact.

Coverage so far

Right now the catalog covers 65 torches across 6 manufacturers, alongside a growing library of guides. This is a living project — we're actively expanding the lineup, deepening the profiles, and working through verification. Expect the numbers above to keep climbing.

Corrections & contact

If you make or sell these torches — or you've simply run one for years — and you spot something off, we'd genuinely like to hear from you. We want this to be right.

Spot something off? Reach out at hello@glasstorches.com and we'll review it.