Short answer: If your work is trending toward large-diameter borosilicate, the Bethlehem Champion is the bigger, hungrier tool: a two-stage Surface mix Bench burner with 36 gas jets, separately controlled inner and outer flames, and roughly ~40 LPM of oxygen appetite at full flame. The Carlisle Hellcat is the tighter, more oxygen-thrifty choice: a totally surface-mixed 21-tube burner that pulls about ~21 LPM wide open. The Champion lists near $1,916 and the Hellcat starts near $1,201, so you are weighing roughly seven hundred dollars and nearly double the oxygen demand against a larger, higher-ceiling outer flame. Both work soft glass and boro; the real question is how big your boro gets.
Both torches sit in our high price band, and both are two-stage designs (2 stages each) with an independently controllable center and outer fire. That shared shape is why they end up on the same shortlist. What separates them is scale: how much flame each can build, and how much oxygen you have to feed it to get there.
Champion and Hellcat at a glance
The figures below come from each maker’s own pages and manuals where we have them, and are labelled as estimates where they are ours. Configurations and prices change, so confirm the current spec with the maker before you buy.
| Spec | Bethlehem Champion | Carlisle Hellcat |
|---|---|---|
| Reference price | $1,916 | $1,201 (from) |
| Gas jets / tubes | 36 (6 center + 30 outer) | 21 (7 center + 14 outer) |
| Stages | 2 | 2 |
| Oxygen (estimate) | ~40 LPM | ~21 LPM |
| Mix | Surface mix | Surface mix |
| Mount | Bench | Bench |
| Fuels | Natural gas, hydrogen, propane, butane | Natural gas, propane, hydrogen |
Read the oxygen row carefully. The Champion’s estimate is measured at 20 psi tanked oxygen and the Hellcat’s at 5 psi, so the two numbers do not describe a like-for-like efficiency ratio. They tell you the ceiling each flame can reach when you open it all the way, and the Champion’s ceiling is simply higher.
How the two flames are built
Both burners are surface mix, meaning fuel and oxygen stay separate until they reach the face and combust just past it, rather than blending inside the head the way a premix torch does. That keeps the flame quieter and the backfire behavior gentler, which is part of why surface-mix bench burners dominate this size class. For the underlying difference, see surface mix vs premix torches.
The Champion carries 36 gas jets on a face measuring about 1 1/8 inch: a 6-jet center fire ringed by a 30-jet outer fire. Each stage runs on its own gas valve and its own oxygen valve, so the burner has four modular control valves in total. That layout lets you dial the pinpoint center flame and the broad outer flame independently, which matters when you want a tight hot spot for detail on one pass and a wide soft envelope for heating a large mass on the next.
The Hellcat reaches the same two-fire idea from a smaller footprint. Its center fire is the same as the Carlisle Mini CC, seven tubes, and its outer two adjusting knobs bring in fourteen more tubes, for 21 total. It is a four-inlet burner: separate feeds let the center and outer fires run on their own, so you can work off the small center flame alone or open the whole matrix. The body is brass with a stainless-steel nose cone that runs cooler, the 7-plus-14 tube matrix is stainless, and the stand sets the head at 45 degrees for bench work.
The practical read: the Champion gives you more jets and a physically larger outer flame; the Hellcat gives you a compact matrix that scales down to a genuinely small center fire and up to a respectable combined flame. If your day swings between fine detail and large heat, both handle the range, but the Champion’s outer flame has more room at the top.
Oxygen demand and running cost
This is where the gap gets concrete. Wide open, the Champion draws roughly ~40 LPM at 20 psi tanked oxygen, with gas at 5 psi delivering about 8 LPM and 775 BTU per minute at full flame, per Bethlehem’s technical information. The Hellcat draws about ~21 LPM with both fires open (roughly 4.5 LPM propane), and its center fire alone runs near 7 LPM oxygen on about 1.5 LPM propane. Carlisle’s recommended operating pressures for the Hellcat are 2 to 3 psi fuel gas and 5 psi oxygen.
Nearly doubling the oxygen figure changes what you have to build behind the torch. The Hellcat’s 21 LPM full-flame demand is within reach of a stout multi-concentrator setup or a modest tank supply, and its low 5 psi oxygen pressure is forgiving. The Champion’s roughly 40 LPM at 20 psi is squarely tanked-oxygen territory. Bethlehem publishes no oxygen-concentrator compatibility for the Champion, unlike some smaller burners in its line, so do not plan on running it wide open from concentrators. If you are still deciding between concentrators and tanks for a torch this size, the oxygen concentrator vs tanks guide walks through the trade.
Editor’s note: The oxygen figures above are full-flame consumption estimates, not minimums, and they are measured at different pressures (Champion at 20 psi, Hellcat at 5 psi). Treat them as a rough sense of appetite, not a precise efficiency comparison. Always follow the manufacturer’s own manual for pressures and flow on your specific torch and gas supply.
Oxygen is the recurring cost here, not the torch. A burner you cannot feed to its rated flame is a burner you paid for and cannot use, so match the oxygen supply to the torch before you commit to the larger one.
Which fits bigger boro work
For large-diameter borosilicate, the Champion has the published headroom. Bethlehem states it works glass rods up to 44 mm and glass tubes 80 mm and larger. That capacity, plus the larger 30-jet outer flame, is the case for the Champion when your pieces are getting genuinely big: thick sculpture, large tubing, work where you need to keep a wide mass hot and moving. If that describes your bench, the extra oxygen and the extra cost are buying you real flame.
The Hellcat is the more flexible mid-to-large choice. Its strength is range: a small, controllable center fire for detail that opens up to a solid combined flame for medium and larger work, all on a notably lighter oxygen budget. It suits a shop that does a lot of varied boro but is not routinely pushing the biggest diameters, or one where the oxygen supply is the limiting factor. Both torches work soft and boro glass, so this is a question of flame size and reach, not glass compatibility. For the wider field of hard-glass torches, see best torch for borosilicate, and for the heaviest sculptural work specifically, best bench burner for thick glass sculpture.
Price, and what you get for the gap
The Champion lists near $1,916 as a Bethlehem manufacturer-direct figure. The Hellcat starts near $1,201 as a “from” price on Carlisle’s own web store, with options adding cost. Neither is an out-the-door number: read both as reference list prices, not final totals, and confirm the current figure with the maker.
The roughly seven-hundred-dollar gap tracks the difference in scale. The Champion asks more up front and more in oxygen, and returns a larger outer flame and higher published glass capacity. The Hellcat asks less on both counts and returns a tighter, more oxygen-efficient burner that still covers a wide working range from a small center fire up. Neither maker is cutting a corner here; they are aimed at different points on the size curve.
Who each suits:
- Choose the Champion if your work is trending to the largest boro, you want the biggest outer flame of the two, and you can supply tanked oxygen at 20 psi to feed roughly 40 LPM wide open.
- Choose the Hellcat if you want a two-fire surface-mix bench burner that scales from fine detail to medium-large work, you value the lighter oxygen appetite and low 5 psi oxygen pressure, and the lower entry price matters.
Whichever you pick, fit the flashback protection your torch and gas supply actually call for, and follow the manufacturer’s manual for it rather than any blanket rule; our flashback arrestors guide explains why placement and pressure matter. The manufacturer’s instructions always take precedence over anything here.
Related guides
- Surface mix vs premix torches
- Best torch for borosilicate
- Best bench burner for thick glass sculpture
- Oxygen concentrator vs tanks for lampworking
- Flashback arrestors explained
Sources
- Bethlehem Burners, “Champion”: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/torches/champion/
- Bethlehem Burners, “Champion Operating Instructions”: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/resources/operating-instructions/champion-operating-instructions/
- Bethlehem Burners, “Technical Information”: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/resources/technical-information/
- Carlisle Machine Works, “Hellcat Bench Burner”: http://carlislemachine.com/as_benchburners/hellcat.php
- Carlisle Machine Works, “Hellcat Burner Instruction Sheet” (PDF): http://carlislemachine.com/webcatalog/HellCat_Burner_Instruction_Sheet.pdf
- Carlisle Machine Works, “Mini CC Bench Burner”: http://carlislemachine.com/as_benchburners/minicc.php
Editor’s note: Champion figures are Bethlehem manufacturer-direct list; the Hellcat price is a Carlisle web-store starting figure and options add cost. Oxygen numbers are full-flame estimates at different pressures. Verify current models, specs, and prices with each maker before purchase.