Short answer: The GTT Phantom (22 jets, about $1,425) and the GTT Delta Elite (57 jets, about $2,575 for the standard four-stud bench model) are both two-stage Triple Mix surface-mix torches, so they share a flame character and differ mainly in raw output. The rule of thumb: the Delta Elite pays off when you routinely work large solid boro or run production hours and already have the oxygen to feed it. Its roughly doubled oxygen appetite is the real cost of the step up, not just the higher sticker. If your work tops out at medium boro and a single big flame, the Phantom does the same job for a lot less gas and money.
Both torches come from Glass Torch Technologies and sit in the same high price band, so this is a within-band step up in scale, not a jump into a different tier of tool. If you want the mechanism behind the shared flame first, read how GTT’s Triple Mix technology works.
Phantom and Delta Elite at a glance
Figures below come from GTT’s own pages and our catalog. Oxygen is an estimate at the largest usable flame, not a published spec, so treat it as a planning figure and confirm current specs with GTT before you buy.
| Spec | GTT Phantom | GTT Delta Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Jets | 22 total (7-jet Lynx center + 15-jet outer ring) | 57 total (7-jet Lynx center + 50 outer jets) |
| Stages | 2 | 2 |
| Mix type | Surface mix (Triple Mix) | Surface mix (Triple Mix) |
| Mount | Bench (hand-torch version also offered) | Four-stud bench or hand torch |
| Oxygen (estimate) | ~16.5 LPM | ~30 LPM |
| Price | ~$1,425 (high band) | ~$2,575 (high band), four-stud bench |
| Build | USA, powder-coated steel base | USA, powder-coated steel base |
The Delta Elite is roughly two and a half times the Phantom’s jet count and close to double its oxygen appetite, at a meaningfully higher price and a much larger oxygen bill. Everything below is about whether that extra capacity earns its place in your studio.
What they share: two-stage Triple Mix, all surface mix
Neither torch is a premix burner. Both are completely surface mix, meaning fuel and oxygen stay separate until they meet at or just past the torch face. What GTT layers on top is its patented Triple Mix system: the flame surrounds the fuel with oxygen and then injects oxygen directly down the fuel stream, which GTT describes as producing a hotter, cleaner, more completely burned flame.
Triple Mix runs two independently controllable oxygen streams (GTT’s green and blue valves). That lets you move the same torch across a fuel-rich reduction flame, a neutral flame, an oxygen-rich oxidizing flame, and an over-oxidizing flame without swapping tips or torches. Both the Phantom and the Delta Elite give you that full range, so color and atmosphere control is not what separates them. Both are also two-stage torches built on a 7-jet Lynx center fire, so the inner flame that does your fine detail work is essentially the same on either torch. The difference is entirely in the outer ring.
Where they part ways: 22 jets vs 57 jets
The Phantom wraps its Lynx center in a single 15-jet outer ring, for 22 jets total. GTT describes its flame as hot and penetrating enough for borosilicate up to roughly 3 inch solid, and soft and clean enough for delicate soft-glass colors. That is a wide envelope: the Phantom is a genuine large-boro and production-capable torch on its own.
The Delta Elite keeps the same 7-jet Lynx center but surrounds it with three rings totaling 50 outer jets, for 57 jets total. More jets across a bigger face means a larger, higher-output envelope of heat. Where the Phantom’s single outer ring gives you one big bushy flame, the Delta Elite’s three rings let you build a wider, deeper heat zone that keeps very large masses of glass hot and moving. For solid boro past the size the Phantom handles comfortably, or for keeping a big piece evenly warm during long working sessions, that extra outer capacity is what you are buying.
Note the jet math so nobody misreads it: the Phantom is 7 plus 15 equals 22, and the Delta Elite is 7 plus 50 equals 57. Those are the totals GTT publishes and the totals our catalog holds. Neither is a center-plus-outer figure that adds up to something larger.
Oxygen demand: the real cost of the step up
Jets are only half the story, because more jets want more oxygen. This is where the Delta Elite’s scale shows up as an operating cost, not just a purchase price.
At the largest usable flame on propane, GTT’s flow table puts the Phantom around 12 CFH of fuel and 35 CFH of oxygen (roughly 10 psi fuel, 35 psi oxygen), which we estimate at about 16.5 LPM of oxygen. The Delta Elite at its largest usable flame runs closer to 20 CFH fuel and 65 CFH oxygen, which we estimate at about 30 LPM. In round terms the Delta Elite roughly doubles the oxygen appetite of the Phantom.
Editor’s note: these oxygen figures are estimates derived from GTT’s flow-rate table at the largest usable flame on propane, not published LPM specs, and natural-gas consumption runs roughly 2.5 times higher. GTT’s pressures are propane-basis. Treat the numbers as planning guidance and confirm current figures with GTT for your fuel and setup.
That doubling matters most for how you supply oxygen. Larger boro torches can pull roughly 15 to 25 LPM or more, and typical oxygen concentrators struggle to deliver the pressure and volume the biggest flames want, which is why high-output torches often run tanked or boosted oxygen rather than concentrators alone. The Phantom’s demand sits at the edge where a strong multi-concentrator or boosted setup can keep up; the Delta Elite’s full flame realistically wants bulk or boosted oxygen behind it. If your oxygen supply cannot feed 30 LPM, the Delta Elite’s extra jets are capacity you paid for and cannot light. Size the oxygen first; our oxygen concentrator LPM guide walks through matching supply to a torch this hungry.
The Delta Elite’s four-stud bench manifold adds one genuinely useful option here: it lets you feed different oxygen sources to each stage, for example a concentrator on the center fire and tanked oxygen on the outer fire. That can soften the all-or-nothing oxygen problem, but it is a plumbing project, not a plug-and-play convenience.
When the Delta Elite pays off
The Delta Elite earns its price and its oxygen bill in a few specific situations:
- Large solid boro. If you regularly work masses beyond the roughly 3 inch solid range the Phantom targets, the Delta Elite’s three-ring outer flame keeps big pieces hot where a single ring starts to feel marginal. See best torch for borosilicate for how flame size maps to glass mass.
- Production hours. When you are on the torch for long sessions and want a deep, stable heat envelope that does not force you to keep rebuilding the flame, the extra capacity reduces fatigue and speeds throughput.
- You already have the oxygen. The step up only makes sense if your supply can feed ~30 LPM. With bulk or boosted oxygen in place, the Delta Elite’s ceiling is usable rather than theoretical.
- Multi-source oxygen plumbing. If the per-stage oxygen feed on the four-stud manifold solves a real supply constraint for you, that is a Delta-Elite-specific capability the Phantom does not offer.
If none of those describe your work, the extra 35 jets are headroom you will rarely reach into.
When the Phantom is the smarter buy
The Phantom is the smarter purchase for most people stepping into serious two-stage Triple Mix work:
- Medium to large boro, not giant. GTT’s own framing has the Phantom handling boro up to about 3 inch solid and dropping down to delicate soft-glass color work. That covers a very large share of functional and production work.
- Constrained oxygen. At roughly 16.5 LPM estimated, the Phantom is far easier to feed than the Delta Elite. If you are not running bulk oxygen, the Phantom keeps its full flame reachable.
- Budget discipline. The Phantom lists at about $1,425, well under the Delta Elite’s $2,575, and that saving is often better spent on oxygen, ventilation, and glass.
- You want one versatile torch. The Phantom’s range from soft-glass color to 3 inch boro makes it a strong single-torch studio anchor. Compare it against the mid-line step in Phantom vs Mirage.
How they fit the wider GTT two-stage line
Both torches sit inside GTT’s two-stage Triple Mix family, and it helps to see the ladder. The Sidewinder (22 jets, sold as bench or hand) is the entry into two-stage Triple Mix. The Phantom (22 jets) is the versatile bench workhorse. GTT positions the Mirage (40 jets in our catalog) between the Phantom and the Delta Elite as the mid step, covered in Mirage vs Delta Elite. The Delta Elite (57 jets) is the top of the two-stage line. Above it, the Delta Mag (88 jets) moves to three stages and a different scale of work entirely.
So the Phantom-to-Delta-Elite decision is really a question of how far up the two-stage ladder your glass and your oxygen supply justify climbing. If you are unsure whether you need the top of the line or the mid step, the Mirage sits deliberately between them.
A note on setup and safety
Both torches are large oxygen-fuel burners, and the supporting hardware matters as much as the torch. Fit the flashback protection your torch and gas supply actually call for rather than a one-size rule; GTT’s surface-mix guidance differs from generic advice, and some protective devices must not go on a concentrator output. See flashback arrestors explained for how placement works. The manufacturer’s manual sets pressures, flow, and protection for your specific configuration; this article informs the buying decision, it does not replace GTT’s instructions.
Related guides
- How GTT’s Triple Mix technology works
- GTT Phantom vs Mirage
- GTT Mirage vs Delta Elite
- Best torch for borosilicate
- Oxygen concentrator LPM guide
Sources
- Glass Torch Technologies, Phantom: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/phantom
- Glass Torch Technologies, Delta Elite: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/product-page/delta-elite
- Glass Torch Technologies, Triple Mix torches: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/triple-mix-torches
- Glass Torch Technologies, Lynx: https://www.glasstorchtech.com/lynx
- Wikipedia, Lampworking (oxygen supply context): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampworking