Carlisle C-702 vs C-705 Hand Torch: Fixed Head or Adjustable

Short answer: The Carlisle C-702 Hand Torch and the Carlisle C-705 Hand Torch are near-identical siblings that both put a CC Burner style flame in a hand torch. Pick the C-702 if you want the fixed-head version and nothing more. Pick the C-705 if you want the customizable one, whose signature option is a head that can be angled anywhere from 1 to 90 degrees, with further build-to-order extras. Either way you make a second choice at order time: totally surface mix, or a pre-mixed center fire inside a surface-mixed outer. Carlisle publishes neither a price nor an oxygen figure for either model, so those are decisions you confirm directly with the maker, not numbers you can read off a spec sheet.

If you are still deciding between a handheld and a stand-mounted burner in general, start with the complete glass torch buyer’s guide; this article is about choosing between the two C-70x hand torches specifically.

The shared design: a CC-style flame in a hand torch

Carlisle describes both the C-702 and the C-705 as producing a flame that is similar in all its characteristics to the Carlisle CC Burner. That is the reference point that matters: if you know the CC family, you know roughly what these two put out, delivered from a handheld body instead of a bench mount. In the catalog both are recorded as Surface mix torches with a Hand mount, single stage, running the same fuel set.

Construction is shared too. Carlisle normally manufactures both torches from brass with a stainless steel tube matrix. As an option, the handle stays brass while the entire head is instead built from stainless steel, which is one of several ways these torches are configured to order rather than sold off a single fixed spec.

Because the bodies are so alike, the honest way to frame this comparison is not “which torch is better” but “which body do you want, and how do you want it built.” The flame character, the fuel flexibility, and the push-button behavior below are common to both. The differences are almost entirely about the C-705’s extra options.

Surface mix or pre-mixed center fire: the option both models share

This is the first real decision, and it applies equally to the C-702 and the C-705. Carlisle builds both torches in one of two ways, and it is the customer’s choice at the time of placing the order:

• Totally surface mixed. Fuel and oxygen stay separate until they reach the face of the torch and mix at the surface. This is the catalog default for both models and the calmer, more forgiving flame.
• Pre-mixed center fire with a surface-mixed outer. A premixed core sits inside the surface-mix outer fire, giving you a hotter, more concentrated center.

That is a genuine hybrid arrangement, and it is a build-time choice rather than a switch you flip later, so it is worth thinking through before you order. If you are unsure which suits your work, the surface mix vs premix torches guide walks through what each mixing style does to the flame and why teachers often steer newer workers toward surface mix. Because the catalog records both C-70x models as surface mix, treat the premixed center fire as an order-time option you request from Carlisle, not as a fixed attribute of either torch.

The push-button outer fire and fuel flexibility

Both torches use a push button that turns the outer fire off or on without your having to adjust any valves. Behind that button is a set of solenoid valves controlling the outer fire, so you can drop from the full flame to just the center and back without rebalancing anything. That is a genuine convenience on a hand torch, where you may want to step the flame down mid-task without setting the piece down to fiddle with knobs.

On fuel, both run a wide variety of gases, including natural gas, propane, and hydrogen with oxygen. The catalog lists propane, natural gas, and hydrogen for each. Both can also be ordered with valves or with special mixing devices such as the VMB-2, which is another of the build-to-order choices you confirm with Carlisle rather than reading off a spec sheet.

One caution on hydrogen and on gas fittings generally: pressures are model and fuel specific across the CC family, and the manufacturer manual is the authority. Do not carry a specific pressure figure from a bench CC or a Mini CC onto these hand torches, and follow the manufacturer’s guidance for sealing gas fittings rather than a shop habit. For flashback protection, fit the protection your torch and gas supply actually call for rather than a blanket rule; the flashback arrestors explained guide covers how that varies by mixing style and supply.

What the C-705 adds: adjustable head, water cooling, custom handle

Everything above is common to both torches. Here is where the C-705 earns its separate model number. It is the highly customizable version, and Carlisle lists several options that the C-702 does not carry:

• Adjustable head angle. The C-705 can be ordered with the head angled anywhere from 1 degree to 90 degrees. This is its defining catalog attribute and the single biggest reason to choose it over the C-702. If your work benefits from the flame arriving at the glass at a set angle, whether for ergonomics or for a particular technique, this is the option that delivers it.
• Water cooling. A jacket can be slipped over the head to add water cooling, which increases heat resistance and decreases burner degradation. For long or hot sessions that is a meaningful longevity option.
• Ergonomic wooden handle. A wooden handle can be added on the feed tube for comfort during extended handheld use.

All three are build-to-order options, not standard equipment. The C-705 is essentially the C-702’s platform opened up to configuration, so if none of these options appeal to you, you are paying for flexibility you will not use, and the C-702 is the more direct pick.

C-702 vs C-705: how to choose

The decision is straightforward. If you want the standard fixed-head hand torch with a CC-style flame, the C-702 is the model. If you want an angled head, a water-cooling jacket, or a wooden handle, the C-705 is the only one of the two that offers them. Both share the same flame, the same push-button outer fire, and the same surface-mix or premix-centerfire order choice, so neither is a compromise on the fundamentals.

Editor’s note: Both torches are built to order, so the exact configuration, including the mixing style, the head angle on a C-705, valves versus a mixing device like the VMB-2, and the stainless head option, is settled when you place the order. Confirm the build you want with Carlisle before buying.

Fuel, oxygen, and pricing: what Carlisle publishes, and what it does not

Being direct about the gaps matters here. In our catalog, Carlisle publishes no price and no oxygen or LPM figure for either the C-702 or the C-705. We do not invent either number. What is documented is the fuel flexibility (natural gas, propane, and hydrogen with oxygen), the CC-style flame, and the build options above.

Oxygen demand for these torches tracks the CC-style flame they produce, but without a published figure we treat it as an estimate rather than a spec, and it is not the number your buying decision should turn on anyway. Pressure and flow settings are model and fuel specific and belong to the manufacturer manual, which takes precedence over any general figure. When you are ready to buy, the price and the recommended oxygen setup are questions for Carlisle directly.

Where these fit against other Carlisle hand torches

The C-702 and C-705 are not Carlisle’s only hand torches. The line also includes the Mini CC Hand Torch and the Universal Hand Torch, which are separate models with their own characters, so the C-70x pair is one branch of a broader hand-torch family rather than the whole of it. Carlisle also makes C-702 and C-705 lathe burner versions, which are a separate product line from these hand torches; if you are working on a lathe rather than by hand, those are the relevant models, not the hand torches covered here.

If you are still weighing handheld against a stand-mounted burner at all, the bench vs hand torch guide covers that split, and for a head-to-head against a comparable scientific hand torch, see Carlisle C-705 vs Nortel Red Max Handtorch.

Related guides

• Surface mix vs premix torches
• Bench vs hand torch
• Flashback arrestors explained
• Carlisle C-705 vs Nortel Red Max Handtorch
• How to choose a glass torch

Sources

• Carlisle Machine Works: C-702 and C-705 Hand Torches
• Carlisle Machine Works: Hand Torches overview
• Carlisle Machine Works: C-702 and C-705 Lathe Burners
• Carlisle Machine Works: CC Burner