Short answer: $500 buys a capable surface-mix bench torch, enough to carry you from your first bead well into intermediate work. For a first torch, the proven default is the Nortel Minor at about $325: a quiet 7-port torch that runs soft glass and small boro on modest oxygen. The rest of the field, in price order, is the GTT Bobcat (about $275, the lowest price of the six), the Carlisle Mini CC (about $340), the Nortel Mega Minor (about $349), the Bethlehem Alpha (about $350) and the Bethlehem Star (about $446), which has the biggest oxygen appetite of the six. A large production burner is out of reach at this price: those cost more and need more oxygen than a single concentrator can feed.
If you are planning the whole rig and not only the torch, start with the complete glass torch buyer’s guide. This page answers a narrower question: where your money goes under $500, and which torches give you the most usable flame for it.
What $500 actually buys you
At this price you are buying the torch, not the studio. The six value picks below are single-stage, surface-mix bench torches; the premix hand torches and the bigger Nortels near the end get their own section. Any of the six is a beginner-to-intermediate tool for soft glass beads and small sculpture, plus small to medium borosilicate depending on the model. None of them is a multi-stage production burner built to melt inch-and-a-half boro rod all day.
Surface mix is a large part of why these torches suit newer hands. In a surface-mix burner the oxygen and fuel stay separate until the flame face, so the flame comes out broader, gentler and lower in velocity than a high-velocity premix flame. It forgives uneven rotation, and it is slower to shock or scorch the glass. That is why surface mix is the usual recommendation for a first torch, and most of the catalog uses it. For the full mechanism, see surface mix vs premix torches.
The torch is one line item, though. A first setup costs a good deal more than the torch, and our beginner setup cost guide prices it line by line, because you also need:
- Oxygen, from either a concentrator (no refills; it pulls oxygen from room air) or compressed tanks. See oxygen concentrators vs tanks.
- Fuel, usually propane, or natural gas if your space is plumbed for it.
- Regulators for both gases, T-grade hose, and the flashback protection your torch and gas supply call for.
- Eyewear filtered for your glass, which becomes essential the moment you touch boro.
- Hand tools, glass and an annealing kiln, so your work does not crack as it cools. See the lampworking kiln guide.
On a concentrator, oxygen costs you little while the torch is lit; keeping the electric kiln hot is the bigger recurring bill. Buy a torch you can feed, and leave money for everything else on that list.
The value picks under $500 at a glance
Prices are catalog reference figures and move with the maker and the date; the Nortel figures are Nortel’s own US-dollar prices, converted from Canadian dollars, so they also move with the exchange rate. Oxygen numbers are estimates on a max-usable-flame basis, so read them as a rough guide to appetite rather than as specs. All six are single-stage, surface-mix, bench-mounted torches, sorted by price.
| Torch | Price (reference) | Mix | Mount | Jets | Oxygen (estimate) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTT Bobcat | ~$275 | Surface | Bench | 7 | ~8.5 LPM | Grows toward boro, kind to a small concentrator |
| Nortel Minor | ~$325 | Surface | Bench | 7 | ~9 LPM | Soft glass and small boro, the classic first torch |
| Carlisle Mini CC | ~$340 | Surface | Bench | 7 | ~7 LPM | Forgiving flame, lowest oxygen appetite |
| Nortel Mega Minor | ~$349 | Surface | Bench | 7 | ~9 LPM | A bit more reach than the Minor |
| Bethlehem Alpha | ~$350 | Surface | Bench | 6 | ~10 LPM | Quiet low-pressure flame, household gas |
| Bethlehem Star | ~$446 | Surface | Bench | 11 | ~20 LPM | Most flame in the group, hungriest for oxygen |
If budget comes first, the GTT Bobcat carries the lowest price here, and the Nortel Minor, the classic first torch, sits about $50 above it. If you want a bigger flame and can feed it, the Bethlehem Star sits at the top of this group. The Mini CC falls between them, a forgiving all-rounder that can dip into boro.
Nortel Minor and Mega Minor: the classic starters
The Nortel Minor is the proven default. Nortel’s own site positions it as the first choice for entry-level or small-scale lampworking: a quiet, soft, surface-mixed 7-port flame for soft glass and smaller borosilicate sculpture, running natural gas or propane with oxygen. Nortel also calls it “virtually indestructible.” At roughly $325 on Nortel’s own US-dollar listing, with a ~9 LPM oxygen estimate, it is no longer the lowest-priced torch here (the Bobcat is), but it is the torch the craft knows best. Plenty of soft-glass beadmakers learned on one, and used Minors come up often, which lowers the cost of getting started further.
The Nortel Mega Minor, at about $349, is the half-step up. It keeps the Minor’s 7-port surface-mix layout and a similar ~9 LPM oxygen appetite while giving you a bit more flame. If your budget stretches and you already expect to push into slightly larger work, that extra headroom costs you little. Both torches sit in the entry price band, and both leave real money for oxygen and a kiln; at this price, that leftover money matters as much as the torch.
GTT Bobcat: the surface-mix bench torch that grows with you
The GTT Bobcat is a standard surface-mix bench torch. It is not a Triple Mix torch; GTT’s Triple Mix starts higher up the line, at the Lynx. GTT describes the Bobcat’s flame as running from a roughly 2-inch pinpoint up to a 9/16-inch diameter, 13-inch flame capable of working 1.5-inch solid boro, and calls it good for beads, marbles and sculpture in soft or hard glass. For a budget rig the oxygen figure counts for more: GTT says the Bobcat runs on a 5 LPM oxygen concentrator and performs best on 8 LPM, so one modest concentrator can feed it where some torches want two. At about $275 it fits you if you want a surface-mix torch you will not outgrow the moment boro catches your interest. Our Bobcat beginner review covers it in more depth.
Carlisle Mini CC: the forgiving low-oxygen option
The Carlisle Mini CC is surface mix throughout, unlike the full-size Carlisle CC, which is a hybrid. Carlisle lists recommended operating pressures around 2 psi fuel gas and 5 psi oxygen, with a lower 0.25 to 3 psi fuel band on natural gas where house pressure is enough. The burner runs natural gas or propane and adjusts for hard or soft glass. Its ~7 LPM oxygen estimate is the lowest in this group, which makes it a sensible match for a single small concentrator. At about $340 it sits between the Minor and the Mega Minor on price, and the forgiving flame is the reason to choose it. Follow the manufacturer’s manual for the pressures on your specific fuel.
Bethlehem Alpha and Star: the low-pressure and the big-flame ends
Bethlehem builds its whole line as surface mix, with gas and oxygen kept separate until the face, and two of its models land under $500 at opposite ends of the range.
The Bethlehem Alpha (about $350) is a low-pressure stainless surface-mix bead burner on a swivel base. Bethlehem’s launch announcement quotes it at 7 cubic feet per hour at only 2 psi gas, and its product page calls it ideal on household gas (1/4 psi) with an oxygen concentrator (7 psi). Its 5/8-inch face melts both soft and boro glass. Choose it if your gas supply is modest and you want a quiet, low-pressure torch; Bobcat vs Alpha sets it against the cheapest pick here.
The Bethlehem Star (about $446) has the largest flame in this group and the largest oxygen appetite. Bethlehem lists it as an entry bench burner for beadmaking, with a surface-mix flame from 6 center gas jets plus 5 outer fire jets (11 total) and a .75-inch face. At full flame it burns around 5 LPM of propane at 2 to 5 psi and up to about 20 LPM of tanked oxygen at 8 to 20 psi, and it handles boro rod to 7/8 inch and 36mm heavy-walled tube. That ~20 LPM oxygen figure is the catch. Running the Star at full flame puts you in tanked-oxygen or multi-concentrator territory, well past what a single 5 LPM box can supply. Of the six it gives you the most torch, provided you can feed it; Star vs Mega Minor weighs that trade.
The premix hand torches: National, and where they fit
A few premix models also come in under $500, and they solve a different problem. National Torch, a division of Premier Industries, makes small premix torches: the National 3A-B (about $151), the 3B-B (about $163), the bench-mounted 6B (about $183) and the larger 4B (about $249), all National’s 2024 list prices for the base torch, before tips or kits. National describes the 3A-B as a versatile, economical premix hand torch that runs city, natural, mixed, propane or butane gas with oxygen or compressed air. Output depends on the tip, so there is no single oxygen figure. The 3B-B differs mainly in its larger screw-on hose fittings.
Two caveats apply. Our catalog lists the 3A-B, 3B-B and 6B as running both soft and borosilicate glass, following National’s own notes. In practice premix hand torches are aimed at boro and quartz, and community sources report that they handle soft soda-lime glass (Moretti or Effetre) less gracefully than a forgiving surface-mix bench torch. A premix flame also runs at higher velocity and forgives less than the surface-mix torches above, which is why these are not the usual first-torch pick. If your path is boro tubing and scientific work, they are inexpensive and capable; the scientific hand torch guide covers that path. For a surface-mix hand torch in the same budget, look at the Bethlehem Sharp Flame Hand Torch ($357 list from Bethlehem, 6 gas jets).
If you want more than a Minor, one more surface-mix Nortel bench torch sits just under the ceiling: the two-stage Nortel Major (about $492, our street estimate). It is more torch than a first-timer needs, and it raises your oxygen requirement to match. The Nortel Mid Range Plus lists at about $666 with a Minor top on Nortel’s own US-dollar store, which puts it over the line.
What is just over the line
The GTT Lynx, at about $525, is the next torch up from this group, and it is where GTT’s patented Triple Mix begins. It is a real step up in capability, but it costs more than $500 and asks for more oxygen, so it belongs in the next budget tier. If you find yourself wanting one, budget for the oxygen to run it along with the torch itself.
Bottom line
- Classic first torch: the Nortel Minor (~$325), the proven default for soft glass and small boro.
- Lowest price in the group: the GTT Bobcat (~$275), also the easier match for a single small concentrator.
- Half-step up from the Minor: the Nortel Mega Minor (~$349).
- Forgiving and low-oxygen: the Carlisle Mini CC (~$340).
- Quiet low-pressure: the Bethlehem Alpha (~$350).
- Most flame in the group: the Bethlehem Star (~$446), if you can feed its ~20 LPM appetite.
- Boro and scientific on a budget: the premix National hand torches (from ~$151), though their harder flame is not the usual pick for soft-glass beadmaking.
- The rest of the rig: leave money for oxygen, regulators, hose, the flashback protection your torch and gas supply call for, eyewear and a kiln. Follow the manufacturer’s manual for pressures on your specific fuel; this guide informs your choice and does not replace those instructions.
Related guides
- Best beginner glass torch
- Surface mix vs premix torches
- Oxygen concentrator vs tanks for lampworking
- Lampworking kiln guide
- How to choose a glass torch
Sources
- Nortel, “Minor Bench Burner”: https://www.nortelglass.com/minor-bench-burner/
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Bobcat”: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/bobcat
- Bethlehem Burners, “Star”: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/torches/star/
- Bethlehem Burners, “Alpha operating instructions”: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/resources/operating-instructions/alpha-operating-instructions/
- Bethlehem Burners, “New Alpha Glass Bead Torch”: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/news/alpha-torch/
- Bethlehem Burners, Alpha product page: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/torches/alpha/
- Carlisle Machine Works, “Mini CC bench burner”: http://carlislemachine.com/as_benchburners/minicc.php
- National Torch (Premier Industries), “3A-B hand torch”: https://nationaltorch.com/?page_id=301
- ILPI, “Glassblowing burners tutorial”: https://www.ilpi.com/glassblowing/tutorial_burners.html
- Lampwork Etc., “Pre-mix vs Surface mix”: https://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191042
Editor’s note: prices are catalog reference figures that move with the maker and the date, and the oxygen numbers are estimates on a max-usable-flame basis, not precision specs. Verify current models, configuration, and pricing with the manufacturer before purchase.