Short answer: For borosilicate pipes and functional work, the torch matters less than the oxygen supply behind it. Most makers do well in the middle of the range: the GTT Lynx or GTT Cheetah, the Nortel Red Max, or the Bethlehem Bravo. Smaller work and first setups are well served by the GTT Bobcat or a Nortel Minor; large solid boro and all-day production point toward the GTT Phantom or GTT Mirage. Before you pick any of them, size your oxygen: a torch you cannot feed is worse than a smaller one you can.
This guide is pipe-and-functional-work specific. For the broader treatment of hard glass across all uses, see our general borosilicate torch guide; this page zooms in on tube work, points, seals, and the oxygen realities of production functional glass.
What pipe and functional work actually asks of a torch
Functional borosilicate work is mostly tube work: pulling points, blowing out bowls and chambers, welding joints, and running clean seals without chilling the glass next to the flame. That puts two demands on a torch.
The first is penetrating heat. Boro (roughly 33 COE) needs a hotter, more concentrated flame than soft glass to move and fuse, and thicker sections need heat that reaches into the mass rather than just glazing the surface. Bethlehem states plainly that a soft-glass flame does not require as much heat as a hard or borosilicate flame, which is the whole reason boro makers reach for bigger, hotter burners.
The second is flame range. Good functional work swings between a pinpoint for tight detail, sculpting, and small welds, and a broad bushy flame for heating a whole tube or chamber evenly. A torch that only does one of those forces you to fight it. The mid and upper models below are prized precisely because they open from a pencil flame up to a wide envelope on the same burner.
Oxygen is the real gate
Here is the part beginners underestimate: on functional work, your oxygen supply usually caps your torch, not your wallet. Every bench torch here is surface mix and oxygen-fuel, and the bigger the burner, the more oxygen it wants. Under-feed it and the flame goes cool and lazy no matter what you paid.
Two supply routes exist. An oxygen concentrator pulls oxygen from room air with no refills but a ceiling on both pressure and volume (measured in liters per minute, LPM). Compressed or tanked oxygen delivers far more output but means cylinders, refills, and storage. Community equipment guides give a useful rule of thumb for matching a concentrator to port count: a small 7-port dual-fuel torch can run on roughly a 5 LPM concentrator; a 13-to-14-port torch wants closer to 8 to 10 LPM; and a torch with a large inner-plus-outer fire needs roughly 15 to 20 LPM, which usually means one large concentrator or two smaller ones plumbed together. Treat those as community figures, not manufacturer specs.
The harder line is diameter. For borosilicate larger than about half an inch to an inch in solid diameter, for boro sculpture, or for larger production pieces, tanked oxygen is generally preferred, because typical concentrators cannot supply the pressure and volume the bigger torches need, and only very large, expensive concentrator systems reach it. If your plan is thick points, heavy sculptural work, or all-day sessions, budget for tanked oxygen alongside the torch.
For the full breakdown, see our oxygen concentrator LPM guide and concentrators versus tanks.
Editor’s note: the LPM-to-port matching above comes from community equipment guides and varies with glass diameter, flame size, and how many concentrators you run. Oxygen figures in the torch descriptions are estimates at the largest usable flame, not fixed specs. Confirm current numbers with the maker, and let the manufacturer’s manual govern pressures and setup.
Entry tier: small-to-medium boro and tube starts
These are surface-mix bench burners in the entry price band that handle soft glass and small-to-medium boro. They are where most functional makers begin, and they run on a modest oxygen setup.
The GTT Bobcat (about $275) is a single-stage, 7-jet surface-mix torch that runs happily on a single small concentrator (its oxygen estimate is around 8.5 LPM). It is friendly to learn on and handles small-to-medium boro, which makes it a common first functional torch that you will not outgrow the day you start pulling tube.
The Nortel Minor (about $224) is the classic 7-port surface-mix bench burner, with a quiet, soft flame Nortel describes as ideal for soft glass and smaller borosilicate sculpture, with a flame diameter from 1/8 to 3/4 inch. The Nortel Mega Minor (about $268) is its hotter sibling: the same 7-port surface-mix design but a larger, wider flame at the same oxygen pressure, flame diameter 1/8 to 7/8 inch, and Nortel says it works soft glass, larger workpieces, and borosilicate, dialing down for detail. Nortel publishes line pressures for both of 25 to 5 PSI gas and 5 to 15 PSI oxygen; treat those as the manufacturer’s figures and follow the manual for your setup. Both run natural gas or propane with oxygen from a bottle or concentrator.
Between the two Nortels, the Minor is the economical soft-glass-first entry that dips into small boro; the Mega Minor is the pick if you already know functional work is your goal and want more heat in the same footprint.
Mid tier: the working range for most functional makers
This is where most pipe and functional makers actually live. More heat, wider flame range, and the ability to work thicker boro, at the cost of a hungrier oxygen appetite.
The GTT Lynx (about $525) is a 7-jet, single-stage torch and the first Triple Mix burner GTT developed. Triple Mix surrounds the fuel with oxygen and then injects oxygen directly down the fuel stream so it burns more completely for a hotter, cleaner flame, with the two oxygen streams on separate valves for a wide adjustable range. GTT rates the Lynx for boro up to 2 inches solid and says it dials down to a pinpoint for detail; its oxygen estimate is around 9.5 LPM.
The GTT Cheetah (about $645) steps up to 13 jets total (a 3-port center fire inside a 10-port outer ring) and a hotter, more penetrating flame GTT rates for boro up to 3 inches solid, ranging from pencil-thin to about 3/4 inch wide by roughly 20 inches long. Our catalog carries its oxygen figure as an estimate near 13 LPM at the largest usable flame, derived from GTT’s own flow table. Either way, plan on more oxygen than the Lynx needs.
The Nortel Red Max (about $712) is a large round surface-mix bench burner Nortel labels 45-port while describing a center ring of 16 ports surrounded by a ring of 27 (16 plus 27 is 43, a discrepancy Nortel’s own materials carry). It is a two-stage torch Nortel calls great for borosilicate, with a large concentrated flame up to 1.25 inches wide. Its oxygen figure is not published in a form we will estimate, so size its supply generously.
The Bethlehem Bravo (about $1,171, in the high price band) is an 18-jet, two-stage surface-mix burner. Bethlehem states all its burners are surface mix and can work both soft and borosilicate glass; the Bravo carries an oxygen estimate around 30 LPM at full flame, so it sits at the demanding end of this group and rewards a strong oxygen setup.
Production tier: large solid boro and all-day work
These are two-stage GTT torches built around the Lynx 7-jet center fire wrapped in outer rings. They exist for thick solid boro, large sculptural work, and running all day, and they demand serious oxygen, tanked in almost every real setup.
The GTT Phantom (about $1,425) uses the Lynx 7-jet center fire with a 15-jet outer ring for 22 jets across two stages. GTT rates it for boro up to 2.5 inches solid and says it works quartz efficiently; its oxygen estimate is around 16.5 LPM.
The GTT Mirage (about $1,975) keeps the Lynx center fire and adds two outer rings for 40 total jets. GTT also rates it for boro up to 2.5 inches solid, with an oxygen estimate near 26 LPM. The Mirage is not rated for larger diameter than the Phantom so much as it carries more total flame to keep large work hot and moving; both are firmly tanked-oxygen tools.
One practical note on GTT: these are made to order, with production time typically running from about three days to three weeks. Plan around a lead time, not a same-day pickup.
How to choose
Work the decision in this order:
- Start from your glass diameter. Small-to-medium boro and tube starts fit the entry tier. Most functional work fits the mid tier. Thick solid boro and production runs need the top tier.
- Size your oxygen to the torch, then buy the torch you can feed. A 7-port entry torch is concentrator-friendly. The mid tier pushes a single concentrator’s limit and often wants tanks. The production torches are tanked-oxygen tools. See the surface mix versus premix primer for why every torch here is surface mix.
- Match fuel and pressure to the manual. The Nortels run natural gas or propane; GTT burners tolerate low fuel pressure, which is part of why they suit unboosted household gas. Whatever you run, the manufacturer’s manual governs pressures, and the flashback protection your torch and gas supply call for is not optional.
Quick comparison
Specs below come from our catalog, which draws on the makers’ own pages where we have them; oxygen is an estimate at the largest usable flame. Confirm current configuration and pricing with the maker before buying.
| Torch | Tier | Jets | Stages | Oxygen (estimate) | Reference price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTT Bobcat | Entry | 7 | 1 | ~8.5 LPM | ~$275 |
| Nortel Minor | Entry | 7 | 1 | ~9 LPM | ~$224 |
| Nortel Mega Minor | Entry | 7 | 1 | ~9 LPM | ~$268 |
| GTT Lynx | Mid | 7 | 1 | ~9.5 LPM | ~$525 |
| GTT Cheetah | Mid | 13 | 1 | ~13 LPM | ~$645 |
| Nortel Red Max | Mid | 45 (label) | 2 | not published | ~$712 |
| Bethlehem Bravo | Mid work | 18 | 2 | ~30 LPM | ~$1,171 |
| GTT Phantom | Production | 22 | 2 | ~16.5 LPM | ~$1,425 |
| GTT Mirage | Production | 40 | 2 | ~26 LPM | ~$1,975 |
Key takeaways
- The best torch for borosilicate pipes is the one your oxygen supply can actually feed; size oxygen first.
- Entry: GTT Bobcat, Nortel Minor and Mega Minor for small-to-medium boro and tube starts on a modest concentrator.
- Mid: GTT Lynx and Cheetah, Nortel Red Max, Bethlehem Bravo cover the working range for most functional makers, and start to want tanked oxygen.
- Production: GTT Phantom and Mirage for thick solid boro and all-day work, on tanked oxygen.
- Boro larger than about half an inch to an inch solid generally needs tanked oxygen; typical concentrators cannot supply the volume and pressure bigger torches want.
- Figures come from the makers’ pages and our catalog, labelled as estimates where they are ours. Confirm current specs and pricing with the maker, and let the manual govern pressures.
Related guides
- Best torch for borosilicate: the general hard-glass guide
- Oxygen concentrator LPM guide
- Oxygen concentrators versus tanks for lampworking
- Surface mix versus premix torches
- Flashback arrestors explained
Sources
- GTT, Lynx product page: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/lynx
- GTT, Cheetah product page: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/cheetah
- GTT, Phantom product page: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/phantom
- GTT, Mirage product page: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/mirage
- Nortel, Minor bench burner: https://www.nortelglass.com/minor-bench-burner/
- Nortel, Mega Minor burner: https://www.nortelglass.com/mega-minor-burner/
- Nortel, Red Max: https://www.nortelglass.com/red-max/
- Bethlehem Burners, technical information: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/resources/technical-information/