GTT Cheetah vs Bethlehem Bravo: Mid-Range Boro Torch Compared

Short answer: The GTT Cheetah and the Bethlehem Bravo are both mid-range surface-mix bench torches that many boro workers cross-shop, and they answer the question differently. The Cheetah is a single-stage Triple Mix torch with a 13-port face (a three-port center fire inside a ten-port outer ring) that packs a lot of heat into a small, hot torch for about $645. The Bravo is a pricier two-stage surface-mix burner with an 18-jet face (a six-jet center fire inside a twelve-jet outer fire on a one-inch face), more fuel options, and more room to scale, for about $1,171. Both are surface mix. If you want the most heat per dollar for mid boro, lean Cheetah; if you want a two-stage bench torch with a separate inner and outer fire and a concentrator-friendly gas story, lean Bravo.

If you are still mapping the larger decision, start with the complete glass torch buyer’s guide; this article zooms in on these two specific models.

The two torches at a glance

Figures below come from each manufacturer’s own pages and manuals where we have them, and are labelled as estimates where they are ours. Oxygen numbers in particular are estimates on different bases (see the Oxygen section). Configurations and prices change; confirm the current spec with the maker before you buy.

The ~$645 Cheetah price is for the standard bench version; GTT sells a Cheetah hand-torch variant that is priced separately, so do not read $645 as covering both. Sources: GTT Cheetah, Bethlehem Bravo.

How the flames are built: Triple Mix vs standard surface mix

Both torches are surface mix, which means fuel and oxygen stay separate until they leave the face of the burner and combine at the surface, where they burn. That is the first thing to get straight: both are surface-mix designs, not premix ones, and the flashback behavior follows from that. Bethlehem’s entire line is surface mix, and GTT’s Triple Mix is a variety of surface mix, not a separate premix category. For the broader distinction, see surface mix vs premix torches.

The Cheetah face is 13 ports total: a three-port center fire sitting inside a ten-port outer ring. That is worth stating plainly, because it is easy to find the layout described wrongly as thirteen outer ports plus a three-port center, which would imply sixteen. It is thirteen ports in all. GTT describes Triple Mix as surrounding the fuel with oxygen and then injecting oxygen directly down the fuel stream, so the fuel burns more completely for a hotter, cleaner flame. The two oxygen streams are independently controllable through the green and blue valves, which GTT says lets you adjust flame chemistry without changing tips. That is the company’s own framing of the technology; we present it as GTT’s claim rather than a measured fact. The deeper explanation lives in GTT Triple Mix technology. Source: GTT.

The Bravo face is 18 jets: a six-jet center fire inside a twelve-jet outer fire on a one-inch face. Bethlehem builds it as two independent burners in one barrel, and its own operating instructions state that the flame is surface-mixed. Because it is surface mixed, Bethlehem notes that flashbacks are not a concern for the burner in the way they are for a premix design, subject to your own gas supply and local regulation. The Bravo replaced the popular Barracuda and uses all stainless steel construction. Source: Bethlehem Bravo operating instructions.

So both share the surface-mix foundation. The real difference is that the Cheetah packs its Triple Mix chemistry into one single-stage flame, while the Bravo splits its output into two separate fires you can run alone or together.

Boro capacity and flame range

The Cheetah is built to punch above its size. GTT states it works both soft and borosilicate glass, running from a pencil-size flame up to a roughly 3/4-inch-wide flame about 20 inches long, hot and penetrating enough for boro up to about 2.5 inches of solid work. That is a wide working range for a single-stage torch, and it is the Cheetah’s main selling point: a small torch that still brings real heat to mid-range boro. The trade-off, echoed by working artists on Lampwork Etc., is that the Cheetah is a lot of heat and does not throttle down to a needle-fine pinpoint the way a smaller detail torch does. It is a heat tool first, a detail tool second. Source: GTT Cheetah.

The Bravo approaches range through its two stages rather than one wide flame. The inner six-jet fire gives you a smaller, controllable flame for detail, and the twelve-jet outer fire surrounds it for bulk heat, and you can lean on either or run both. That two-burner layout is what you are paying the premium for: instead of opening one flame up and down, you are choosing how much of two separate fires to bring to the work. For small to medium boro and soft glass it is flexible, and it scales up more gracefully than a single-stage torch when you push into larger pieces. For where each torch sits in the wider field, see best torch for borosilicate.

The honest read for mid boro: the Cheetah delivers more concentrated heat per dollar and handles solid work up to a couple of inches on GTT’s own numbers, which is plenty for a great deal of functional and sculptural boro. The Bravo gives you a second stage and a broader ceiling, which matters most if your work is trending larger or you want one bench torch to grow into.

Oxygen and fuel supply

Here is the caveat that matters most, and where a lot of comparisons go wrong. The oxygen figures for these two torches are estimates on different bases, and you should not line them up as a clean apples-to-apples spec.

• The Cheetah estimate of ~13 LPM is derived from GTT’s own flow-rate table at the largest usable flame on propane. It is a working-flame reference near the top of the torch’s range, not a minimum.
• The Bravo estimate of ~30 LPM is Bethlehem’s full-flame tanked-oxygen consumption, again a ceiling at full output rather than a floor. Bethlehem lists this at roughly 8 to 20 psi tanked oxygen with about 6 LPM of gas at full flame.

Editor’s note: these two oxygen numbers are estimates drawn from different manufacturer bases (a GTT flow table at largest usable flame on propane vs Bethlehem full-flame tanked-oxygen consumption), so treat them as rough guidance, not a directly comparable buying spec. Oxygen is the juice you feed the torch, not the headline buying decision; confirm current figures with the maker.

What the numbers do tell you honestly is that the larger two-stage, 18-jet Bravo can consume more oxygen at full flame than the 13-port Cheetah, which is what you would expect. That has practical consequences for your supply. If you plan to run either torch near its top end, size your oxygen accordingly; for the method, see how many LPM does my torch need.

On low-pressure gas, both makers document flexibility. GTT torches run on fuel pressure as low as about 1/4 psi, which is why they work on unboosted household natural gas. Bethlehem states the Bravo can run on household natural gas at about 1/4 psi and on oxygen concentrators at about 7 psi, with no published minimum concentrator LPM. That concentrator support is a meaningful point in the Bravo’s favor if you run one or two concentrators instead of tanked oxygen. Bethlehem’s materials also list more fuel options for the Bravo, adding hydrogen and butane alongside propane and natural gas, where the Cheetah is documented for propane and natural gas.

Those pressures come straight from the makers, and the manufacturer manual always takes precedence over anything you read here; set your regulators to what your torch’s own documentation specifies. Whatever you run, use the flashback protection your torch and gas supply actually call for rather than a blanket rule; the makers differ on this, so read flashback arrestors explained and follow your own torch’s guidance. Sources: GTT Cheetah, Bethlehem Bravo.

Price, resale, and value

The Cheetah sits in the mid price band at about $645 for the standard bench version. The Bravo sits in the high band at about $1,171. That is roughly a $500-plus gap, and it tracks what the two torches are: a single-stage Triple Mix burner versus a two-stage burner with a separate inner and outer fire, all stainless construction, and a swivel base and scroll pedestal in the box.

You are not paying more for the Bravo and getting “the same torch but nicer.” You are paying for a second full burner stage, more fuel flexibility, and documented oxygen-concentrator support. Whether that is worth the premium depends on whether you will use the range. A boro artist who wants maximum heat for the money may get more real value from the Cheetah and steer the difference toward oxygen and safety gear. GTT torches also hold their resale value well, a point working artists on Lampwork Etc. raise often, which softens the cost of buying in and buying up later. An artist who wants one scalable two-stage bench torch, or who runs concentrators, may find the Bravo earns its price.

Which one fits you

• Most heat per dollar for mid boro: Cheetah. The 13-port Triple Mix face runs from a pencil flame up to a broad 20-inch flame and handles solid boro to about 2.5 inches on GTT’s numbers, at a mid-band price. It does not dial down to a pinpoint, so pair it with a detail torch if you need fine work too.
• A two-stage bench torch with room to grow: Bravo. The separate inner and outer fires give you detail and bulk heat in one barrel and scale up more gracefully for larger pieces.
• You run oxygen concentrators: Bravo leans this way, with documented concentrator operation at about 7 psi; confirm your setup against Bethlehem’s own figures.
• You want the widest fuel flexibility: Bravo, which Bethlehem documents for hydrogen and butane on top of propane and natural gas.
• Detail and color finesse on a modest budget: neither is a dedicated pinpoint torch, but the Cheetah’s lower price frees budget for a small detail burner, while the Bravo’s throttled inner fire covers moderate detail in one unit.

Neither is “the better torch” in the abstract. The Cheetah is about concentrated heat and value in a small single-stage package; the Bravo is about a second stage, more fuel options, and a broader ceiling. Both are surface mix and both work soft glass and boro. Match the torch to the work you actually do, not to the bigger number.

Related guides

• GTT Triple Mix technology
• Surface mix vs premix torches
• How many LPM does my torch need
• Best torch for borosilicate
• Flashback arrestors explained

Sources

• GTT, “Cheetah”: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/cheetah
• GTT, “Triple Mix Torches”: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/triple-mix-torches
• Bethlehem Burners, “Bravo”: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/torches/bravo/
• Bethlehem Burners, “Bravo Operating Instructions”: https://www.bethlehemburners.com/resources/operating-instructions/bravo-operating-instructions/
• Lampwork Etc. community forum: https://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=206662

Editor’s note: model names, specs, and prices reflect public manufacturer information as of 2026, and the two oxygen figures are estimates on different bases; verify current lineups, specs, and prices with GTT and Bethlehem before purchase.