Short answer: The GTT Cheetah and GTT Lynx are GTT’s two small Triple Mix surface-mix bench torches, and the choice is detail versus heat. The Lynx is a 7-jet torch whose jets combine into a pinpoint flame; GTT rates it for solid borosilicate up to 2 inches, and its instruction sheet describes a tight detail mode for stringers, dots and fine line work. The Cheetah has 13 ports (a 3-port center fire inside a 10-port outer ring), runs a flame GTT gives as pencil-width up to 3/4 inch wide by 20 inches, and is rated for solid boro up to 3 inches. It asks more of your oxygen supply (about 13 LPM at its largest usable flame on GTT’s chart, against the Lynx’s 9.5) and lists at $645 against the Lynx’s $525. Buy the Lynx if your work is detail-first; buy the Cheetah if you want more heat for bigger beads and boro where a needle flame is not the point.
If you’re still mapping the bigger decision, start with the complete glass torch buyer’s guide; this article zooms in on these two GTT models.
What the two have in common
Both torches are surface mix: the fuel (propane or natural gas) and the oxygen stay separate until they leave the torch face. GTT calls its patented version Triple Mix, in which, in the company’s own framing, oxygen both surrounds the fuel and is injected down the fuel stream, with the flame’s chemistry adjustable from reducing to oxidizing without changing tips. The Lynx and the Cheetah both carry it; GTT’s Bobcat, Cricket and standard Scorpion are standard surface mix instead. For the mechanism, see GTT Triple Mix technology; for the broader design split, surface mix vs premix torches.
Both are single-stage bench torches with the same three-valve layout on their instruction sheets (red fuel, green main oxygen, blue secondary oxygen), both ship with a powder-coated base, hoses, screened adapters for 1/4 inch grade T hose and a cleaning kit, and GTT sells both as hand torches and with a compressed-air option. Both sit in our mid price band. So this is not a technology contest; it is about how fine the flame gets and how much heat the torch can put down.
GTT Lynx: the pinpoint detail torch
The Lynx’s seven jets combine into one small pinpoint flame, and GTT calls it the first Triple Mix torch it developed. Its instruction sheet describes two ways of running it: a thrusting flame built up from 8 to 12 inches with all three valves, and a red-and-blue detail mode with the green valve off that holds a tight flame from about 1 inch to roughly 10 inches. That detail mode is the reason the Lynx earns its reputation for stringer work, dots and intricate boro.
It is not a toy for small work only: GTT rates the bench Lynx for solid borosilicate up to 2 inches. The Lynx is also the building block of GTT’s larger line, the center fire inside the Phantom, Mirage, Delta Elite and the three-stage torches above them, so learning it is learning the center of every bigger GTT torch. Our catalog rates it for intermediate to advanced users, because its strength, precision, pays off most once your hands can exploit it.
GTT Cheetah: more heat in a small torch
The Cheetah keeps the Triple Mix foundation but spreads it across 13 ports total, a 3-port center fire inside a 10-port outer ring. GTT gives its flame as pencil-width up to 3/4 inch wide by 20 inches and rates the bench Cheetah for solid borosilicate up to 3 inches (2.5 inches for the hand torch version), a full inch more than the Lynx. That is the concrete meaning of its reputation for a lot of heat in a small torch.
What it gives up is the Lynx’s needle: the 3-port center is not as fine as the Lynx’s 7-jet pinpoint. Its instruction sheet also runs it differently. You light it to a 10 to 12 inch yellow flame, keep the green valve on, build toward about 24 inches, and GTT’s sheet warns never to run short, soft flames. Our catalog rates it beginner to intermediate, and for soft-glass beads and general melting the broader flame is easy to live with, but if your plan involves a lot of tiny, short-flame detail, that warning is the Lynx’s argument.
Side-by-side: Cheetah vs Lynx
Figures come from GTT’s own pages, instruction sheets and flow rate chart, and the oxygen figures are estimates converted from that chart. Configurations and prices change; confirm the current spec with GTT before you buy.
| Factor | GTT Lynx | GTT Cheetah |
|---|---|---|
| Mix type | Surface mix (Triple Mix) | Surface mix (Triple Mix) |
| Jets / ports | 7 | 13 (3-port center inside a 10-port ring) |
| Stages | Single-stage | Single-stage |
| GTT capacity rating | Solid boro up to 2 inches; pinpoint flame | Solid boro up to 3 inches; pencil-width to 3/4 x 20 inch flame |
| Fuel at largest usable flame (GTT chart, propane) | 5 to 8 psi | 5 to 8 psi |
| Oxygen pressure | 10 to 15 psi (chart); 15 to 25 psi (instruction sheet) | 20 to 25 psi (chart and instruction sheet) |
| Oxygen at largest usable flame | ~9.5 LPM | ~13 LPM |
| Skill level (our catalog) | Intermediate to advanced | Beginner to intermediate |
| List price, bench | $525 | $645 |
| Hand torch / compressed-air versions | $625 / $700 | $725 / $820 |
Which should you buy?
- Detail-first artist (stringers, dots, fine boro line work, intricate soft-glass detail): Lynx. Its pinpoint flame and green-off detail mode are built for that control.
- You want more heat in a small torch (bigger beads, general melting, boro work toward the 3 inch mark): Cheetah. The extra ports and the larger capacity rating are the point.
- Beginner-to-intermediate generalist on soft glass: lean Cheetah for the broader flame, provided you are comfortable running it at the longer flames its sheet asks for.
- You already own a heat-heavy torch and want a dedicated detail burner: Lynx. It pairs well as the precision tool on a multi-torch bench.
The Lynx is about precision and the Cheetah about heat, and because both are Triple Mix you keep GTT’s chemistry control either way. If you are also weighing the Lynx against GTT’s standard surface-mix starter, see GTT Lynx vs Bobcat; for the Cheetah against that same starter, GTT Bobcat vs GTT Cheetah; and for the next step up, GTT Cheetah vs GTT Phantom.
Oxygen and fuel
GTT’s flow rate chart puts the Lynx at about 9.5 LPM of oxygen at its largest usable flame and the Cheetah at about 13 LPM, both measured on propane. Those are full-flame figures, not minimums, and GTT notes actual use is usually much lower, but they decide how much concentrator you need if you plan to run either torch flat out: the Lynx’s figure sits within reach of a single larger concentrator, the Cheetah’s top end wants more. Oxygen pressure matters as much as flow: the Cheetah’s 20 to 25 psi is the higher ask, so check your concentrator’s rated outlet pressure before you count on it. Our GTT Lynx oxygen concentrator requirements guide works through the Lynx case in detail.
Both torches run on propane or natural gas, and GTT’s chart lists both at 5 to 8 psi of fuel at the largest usable flame on propane, above what an unboosted household line delivers (GTT’s quarter-psi house-gas floor belongs to its smallest models), so ask GTT and your installer before counting on house gas for the full flame. Never mix up fittings between fuels, fit the flashback protection your torch and gas supply call for, following GTT’s guidance and local code, and work with proper ventilation. For budgeting the whole system, see the complete buyer’s guide.
Key takeaways
- The Cheetah and Lynx are GTT’s two small single-stage Triple Mix bench torches.
- Lynx = pinpoint detail: 7 jets, a green-off detail mode, solid boro to 2 inches, about 9.5 LPM of oxygen at full flame.
- Cheetah = more heat: 13 ports (3-port center inside a 10-port ring), solid boro to 3 inches, about 13 LPM at full flame, and an instruction sheet that warns against short, soft flames.
- Buy the Lynx for detail-first work; buy the Cheetah for heat, beads and general melting.
- Confirm the current spec and price with GTT before buying, and plan your oxygen and safety gear as part of the budget.
Related guides
- GTT Lynx vs Bobcat
- GTT Bobcat vs GTT Cheetah
- GTT Lynx oxygen concentrator requirements
- How to choose a glass torch
- Surface mix vs premix torches
Sources
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Lynx” (jets, capacity, included parts, hand and air versions): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/lynx
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Cheetah” (jets, capacity, flame size, hand and air versions): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/cheetah
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Flow Rate Chart” (fuel and oxygen psi and flow at the largest usable flame, tested on propane): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/_files/ugd/0f433e_940fa1536d544665a118116eb9542e62.pdf
- Glass Torch Technologies, Lynx instruction sheet (pressures, lighting, detail mode): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/_files/ugd/0f433e_2cc690cf1a864891b9bab3e0d745bb89.pdf
- Glass Torch Technologies, Cheetah instruction sheet (pressures, lighting, flame length): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/_files/ugd/0f433e_df033fb2205a4478a29007ef8f9324ea.pdf
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Triple Mix Torches”: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/triple-mix-torches
Editor’s note: GTT’s figures here come from a read of its model pages, instruction sheets and flow rate chart on 2026-10-06. Where GTT’s own documents differ (the Lynx’s oxygen pressure is 10 to 15 psi on the chart and 15 to 25 psi on its instruction sheet), we show both; follow the instruction sheet that ships with your torch.