Short answer: The GTT Lynx and the GTT Phantom are the same family at two different sizes. The Lynx is a single-stage, 7-jet surface-mix Triple Mix torch (about $525) built for pinpoint detail and finite heating. The Phantom is a two-stage, 22-jet surface-mix Triple Mix torch (about $1,425) that literally wraps the Lynx’s 7-jet head in a second ring of 15 jets for far more heat and coverage. The Phantom is the natural upgrade when you outgrow the Lynx’s flame, but it demands a bigger oxygen supply to feed those extra jets. If your work is small and detailed and your oxygen is modest, stay on the Lynx; if you have moved into pipes and functional or medium boro and you can feed it, the Phantom is the step up.
If you are still deciding between the smaller GTT torches first, the Lynx vs Bobcat comparison covers the rung below this one, and the full GTT torch lineup maps where both of these sit.
The quick verdict: same family, different jobs
These two torches are not really rivals; they are two points on one ladder. GTT’s own Phantom page describes it as using “the powerful Lynx 7 Jet for the center fire with a ring of 15 jets for the outer fire.” In other words, the Phantom is built on the Lynx. That single fact settles most of the comparison: whatever the Lynx does at its center, the Phantom can still do, and then adds an outer flame the Lynx does not have.
So the question is rarely “which torch is better.” It is “how big is your work, and how much oxygen can you supply.” The Lynx answers “small and detailed, modest oxygen.” The Phantom answers “medium and hotter, more oxygen.”
Specs side by side
The figures below come from GTT’s own product pages and our catalog. Oxygen numbers are estimates (see the note under the table), not hard published working specs.
| Spec | GTT Lynx | GTT Phantom |
|---|---|---|
| Stages | Single stage | Two stage |
| Jets | 7 | 22 (7-jet center + 15-jet outer) |
| Mix type | Surface mix (Triple Mix) | Surface mix (Triple Mix) |
| Mount | Bench | Bench |
| Oxygen (estimate) | ~9.5 LPM | ~16.5 LPM |
| Fuel | Propane or natural gas | Propane or natural gas |
| Reference price | ~$525 (mid band) | ~$1,425 (high band) |
| Best for | Detail, beads, small boro | Pipes, functional work, medium boro |
Editor’s note: the oxygen figures are estimates derived from GTT’s own flow-rate table at the largest usable flame on propane, not measured working requirements, and natural-gas consumption runs roughly 2.5 times the propane figure. Treat them as rough planning numbers and confirm the current spec, and the setup pressures, against GTT’s manual before you buy.
What the Lynx does best: pinpoint detail on a single stage
GTT calls the Lynx the first Triple Mix torch it developed, and its whole design is about a small, controllable flame. It runs a 7-jet head on a single stage, which means one bank of jets rather than a center-plus-outer arrangement. GTT describes it as producing a small pinpoint flame for detail and finite heating, gentle enough for delicate soft-glass colors yet capable on boro up to roughly two inches of solid work.
The Lynx also carries two independently controllable oxygen valves (GTT labels them green and blue), which is the Triple Mix idea in practice: you widen or tighten the flame’s range and chemistry without swapping tips. For a bead artist, a detail worker, or someone doing small boro, that single stage is not a limitation; it is the point. You get a precise flame that a single roughly 10 LPM oxygen concentrator can realistically feed, given the ~9.5 LPM estimate.
Where the Lynx runs out of room is heat and coverage. A single 7-jet head can only push so much flame into a large mass of glass. When you start working bigger, the Lynx has to work harder and slower, and that is the signal to look at the Phantom.
What the Phantom adds: the outer ring and a second stage
The Phantom’s headline is its jet count: 22 jets total, and the arithmetic matters. It is the Lynx’s 7-jet center fire plus a 15-jet outer ring, and 7 plus 15 is 22. Do not read it as any other total; the Phantom is a Lynx center with a ring around it, which is exactly why GTT can say it uses the Lynx 7-jet for the center fire.
That second stage is what changes the job the torch can do. The center fire still gives you the Lynx’s precision for detail, and the outer ring adds a broad, hot envelope for putting real heat into a larger piece. GTT positions the Phantom for pipes, functional work, and medium boro, and the jet math is why: three times the jets means far more usable heat across a wider flame. GTT also offers a Phantom hand torch version with a thumb on/off switch for the outer flame, so you can drop back to just the center fire for detail passes, but the catalog model here is the bench torch, available in two-stud or four-stud versions with a stainless manifold and powder-coated base.
The trade is straightforward: you gain heat and coverage, and you take on the oxygen appetite that comes with feeding 22 jets instead of 7.
Triple Mix, shared by both
Both torches use GTT’s Triple Mix design, and both are surface mix, meaning fuel and oxygen meet at the torch face rather than being premixed inside the body. GTT’s description of the mechanism is that oxygen surrounds the fuel and a further oxygen stream is injected down the fuel stream, which GTT frames as producing a hotter, cleaner, more complete burn, with the two oxygen streams independently controllable for a wide, easily adjusted flame chemistry. The underlying burner geometry, a central oxygen jet, a surrounding fuel-gas jet, and an outer oxygen jet, is documented in US Patent 5,803,725A.
For this comparison, the practical upshot is that the Lynx and the Phantom feel like the same torch at different scales. If you already run a Lynx, the Phantom’s flame behavior and valve logic will be familiar; you are adding an outer ring, not learning a new torch. If you want the full mechanism, see GTT Triple Mix technology explained.
The oxygen step-up the Phantom demands
This is the part that decides the upgrade for most people. More jets need more oxygen, and GTT states plainly that its larger torches with more jets to feed require increased pressure and oxygen.
Put the two estimates next to each other. The Lynx’s ~9.5 LPM estimate is within reach of a single roughly 10 LPM oxygen concentrator. The Phantom’s ~16.5 LPM estimate is not; it commonly needs multiple concentrators or tank oxygen to run its full flame. A Lampwork Etc. discussion thread specifically works through whether even two Millennium M10 concentrators are enough for a Phantom, which tells you where this torch sits: at or beyond the ceiling of a typical concentrator setup.
The community pattern, independent of any dealer, is consistent: the smallest GTT torches (a Cricket, a Lynx) and their peers are the ones that live happily on a single concentrator, and once you step above that size, tank oxygen becomes the reliable supply while concentrators get pushed to their maximum and wear faster. So the honest cost of a Phantom is not just the higher torch price; it is the oxygen system behind it. If you are running one 10 LPM concentrator today, budget for a second one or for tanks before you commit to the Phantom. To size this properly, read oxygen concentrator LPM guide.
As always, GTT’s manual sets the actual pressures and setup. The flow-table figures behind these estimates are GTT’s own values at the largest usable flame, not a working requirement for every job, and the manufacturer’s instructions take precedence over any number here.
When the jump is worth it (and when the Lynx is still right)
Stay on the Lynx if your work is beads, detail, and small boro; your oxygen is a single concentrator; and you rarely feel starved for heat. A Lynx that matches your oxygen and your glass size is a better torch than a Phantom that outruns your supply. Buying more torch than you can feed is the classic mistake, and it leaves you running a big torch on a small, choked flame.
Move up to the Phantom if you have moved into pipes, functional work, or medium boro and the Lynx is visibly working too hard on the mass; you want the outer ring’s coverage while keeping the Lynx center for detail; and you either already have tank oxygen or multiple concentrators, or you are ready to add them. The Phantom is the natural next torch precisely because it keeps the Lynx you know at its core and adds capacity on top.
If you are weighing the Phantom against the even larger GTT torches, the Phantom vs Mirage comparison covers the next rung up, where the jet count and oxygen appetite climb again.
Where each sits in the GTT lineup
It helps to see both torches on the full ladder. Below the Lynx sit the single-stage GTT Bobcat (7-jet, about $275) and the smaller GTT Cricket (5-jet), both tuned for modest oxygen and starter budgets. The Lynx is the top of that single-stage group and the first real detail specialist. The Phantom opens the two-stage tier. Above it sit the two-stage GTT Mirage (40-jet, about $1,975, with a heavier ~26 LPM oxygen estimate) and the two-stage GTT Sidewinder, and beyond those the larger Delta Elite and GTT’s three-stage production torches.
Read that way, the Lynx-to-Phantom move is the jump from a single-stage detail torch to a two-stage bench workhorse: the same Triple Mix family, one clear step up in heat, jets, and oxygen appetite.
Related guides
- GTT Lynx vs Bobcat
- GTT Phantom vs Mirage
- GTT Triple Mix technology explained
- The complete GTT torch lineup
- Oxygen concentrator LPM guide
Sources
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Lynx” (7-jet single-stage Triple Mix, detail flame, dual oxygen valves): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/lynx
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Phantom” (Lynx 7-jet center plus 15-jet outer ring, two-stud/four-stud versions): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/phantom
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Triple Mix Torches” (surface-mix mechanism, independent oxygen streams): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/triple-mix-torches
- US Patent 5,803,725A (Triple Mix burner geometry): https://patents.google.com/patent/US5803725A/en
- Lampwork Etc. archive, “running a Phantom on M10 concentrators” (oxygen supply discussion): https://www.lampworketc.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-148280.html