Short answer: The GTT Lynx and the GTT Scorpion are the same Triple Mix surface-mix family one rung apart. The Lynx is a single-stage 7-jet torch built around a tight, controllable detail flame, listed by GTT at about $525. The Scorpion is a two-stage bench torch, roughly $945, that keeps a Lynx-style center fire and wraps an outer ring of jets around it so the flame can bush out for larger masses. If your work is beads, color, and boro up to a couple of inches solid, the Lynx is almost certainly enough. The roughly $420 step up to the Scorpion earns itself only when you are regularly heating bigger masses and want a wider flame range without changing torches.
If you are still mapping the whole GTT ladder, the complete GTT torch lineup puts both torches in context. This article is the head-to-head.
What the Lynx and Scorpion actually are
Both torches use GTT’s Triple Mix design, which is a surface-mix system: fuel and oxygen stay separate until the flame face rather than premixing inside the head. GTT’s own description of the mechanism is that it surrounds the fuel with oxygen and then injects oxygen directly down the fuel stream so the fuel burns more completely, aiming for a hotter, cleaner flame. The two oxygen streams run on independent green and blue valves, which is what gives the flame its wide adjustable range and lets you shift the chemistry from reducing to oxidizing without swapping tips or torches. That adjustability is shared by both models; it is a family trait, not a point of difference. For the full mechanism, see GTT Triple Mix technology explained.
The difference is stages. The Lynx is a single-stage torch: one 7-jet fire, built for a small, penetrating pinpoint flame. GTT describes it as working both soft glass and borosilicate with finesse, hot enough to run boro up to about 2 inches of solid mass while staying clean enough for delicate soft-glass colors. The same 7-jet unit is trusted enough that GTT uses it as the center fire inside its larger torches, the Phantom and Mirage among them.
The Scorpion is a two-stage bench torch. Its standard version uses the smaller 5-jet Cricket as the center fire and adds an 8-jet outer ring around it; GTT sells a Lynx-center version separately. GTT sells the Scorpion in 2-stud and 4-stud configurations, so it is not a single fixed SKU; the exact build depends on which center fire and stud pattern you order.
Spec by spec
| GTT Lynx | GTT Scorpion | |
|---|---|---|
| Stages | 1 | 2 |
| Mix type | Triple Mix (surface) | Triple Mix (surface) |
| Jets | 7 | Varies by center-fire configuration (see note) |
| Oxygen (estimate) | ~9.5 LPM | Modest for a two-stage torch (estimate under review) |
| Fuel | Propane or natural gas | Propane or natural gas |
| Mount | Bench | Bench (2-stud or 4-stud) |
| Price (reference) | ~$525 | ~$945 |
A few of those cells need care.
Scorpion jet count. The catalog total, 13, is the standard version: an 8-jet outer fire around the 5-jet Cricket center. The Lynx-center version GTT sells separately is 15. Which one a listing means changes the detail flame, so check the center fire before comparing numbers.
Oxygen. Both figures are estimates, not hard specs. Every GTT oxygen number in our catalog is derived from GTT’s flow-rate table at the largest usable flame on a propane basis; natural-gas consumption runs meaningfully higher. The Lynx estimate is about 9.5 LPM. GTT’s flow table suggests the Scorpion has only a modest oxygen appetite for a two-stage torch, but that specific figure is under review here, so treat it as loose rather than exact and confirm against GTT before you size a supply.
Editor’s note: GTT prices are list prices captured 2026-07-27 and can change. The ~$525 Lynx figure is the standard bench version (the hand-torch version is priced separately), and the ~$945 Scorpion figure is for the Lynx-center-fire configuration; other stud and center-fire builds differ. Oxygen numbers are estimates from GTT’s flow table, not manufacturer-stated working specs. Confirm the current price, configuration, and any flow or pressure figure with GTT directly before buying.
What the second stage actually buys you
The whole point of the Scorpion’s second stage is the outer ring. On a single-stage Lynx, you have one fire, and its size is bounded by those 7 jets. Open it up and you get a bigger version of the same tight flame, but there is a ceiling. The Scorpion’s outer ring is a second, larger fire around the center. When you bring it in, the flame widens and bushes out, throwing heat across a broader area so you can bring up a larger mass of glass evenly instead of chasing it with a pinpoint.
Crucially, the center fire alone still behaves like the detail flame you know. So a two-stage torch is not just a bigger torch; it is a torch that can be two different flames: a tight center for detail and control, or center-plus-ring for coverage and mass. That range, on top of the reducing-to-oxidizing adjustability both torches already have, is what you are paying the roughly $420 for.
When the Lynx is enough
For a large share of lampworkers, the Lynx is the right answer and the Scorpion is more torch than the work needs. Reach for the Lynx if:
- Your work is beads, small sculpture, and color work, where a gentle, precise flame matters more than raw coverage.
- You run soft glass and want a flame clean enough not to scorch reactive colors.
- Your boro work stays at or below roughly 2 inches of solid mass, which is inside what GTT says the Lynx handles.
- Your oxygen supply is modest, such as a single concentrator. The Lynx’s lighter appetite is easier to feed, and a torch you can actually fuel beats a bigger one you cannot. See the oxygen concentrator LPM guide for matching supply to torch.
Buying more torch than you can feed is the classic mistake; it leaves you running a large torch on a small, choked flame and getting none of the benefit you paid for.
When the Scorpion’s second stage earns the jump
Step up to the Scorpion when the Lynx is visibly working too hard and the limitation is flame size, not flame quality. Concretely:
- You have moved into larger boro work, bigger sculpture, or thicker masses where the Lynx’s single fire cannot bring the whole piece up to temperature at once.
- You want the versatility of a detail center fire and a wide bushy flame in one torch, without keeping two torches on the bench.
- You already have, or are ready to add, an oxygen supply that can feed a two-stage torch, whether that is tanked oxygen or multiple concentrators.
The Scorpion is a natural upgrade path precisely because it keeps a familiar center fire at its core. You are not relearning a torch; you are adding an outer stage on top of the flame you already know. If your work is specifically pipes and functional boro, the best torch for borosilicate guide covers where the extra coverage starts to matter.
Oxygen and fuel supply
Both torches run on propane or natural gas with oxygen. The Lynx runs on low fuel pressure, and the catalog lists the Scorpion operating on fuel pressure as low as 1/4 psi, so both can work on unboosted household natural gas within GTT’s stated range. That is a genuine convenience if you have a natural-gas line, and it is a shared trait rather than a tiebreaker. For the trade-offs between fuels, see propane vs natural gas for torchwork.
The real supply question is oxygen, and it is where the two torches diverge in practice. The Lynx’s estimated appetite is light enough for a single concentrator in many setups. The Scorpion, as a two-stage torch, will ask for more when the outer ring is open, which is exactly when you would be using it. Size the supply to the flame you actually intend to run, not to the torch’s smallest flame. Any specific pressure or flow number you rely on should come from GTT’s manual, not from an article; where manufacturer figures and community reports disagree, the manufacturer manual takes precedence.
Where each sits in the GTT lineup
Both torches live in the middle of GTT’s range. Below the Lynx sit the single-stage GTT Bobcat and GTT Cricket, tuned for starter budgets and modest oxygen, and the multi-fire GTT Cheetah. The Lynx is the top of that single-stage detail group. The Scorpion opens the two-stage tier, alongside the GTT Phantom; above them sit larger two-stage torches like the GTT Mirage and the GTT Delta Elite, plus family variants such as the GTT Sidewinder. Read that way, the Lynx-to-Scorpion move is the first real step from a single-stage detail torch into a two-stage bench torch that can both do detail and heat mass.
Because the whole line shares the Triple Mix system, the skills and the flame behavior carry over as you climb; what changes is the number of fires and the oxygen you need to feed them. If you are deciding between surface mix and the premix alternatives on the wider market first, start with surface mix vs premix torches.
Bottom line
Pick the Lynx if your work is detail, color, and boro up to about 2 inches solid, and if your oxygen supply is modest. It is the top single-stage detail torch in the Triple Mix family and, for many artists, all the torch they will ever need.
Pick the Scorpion when you are regularly heating larger masses, when you want one torch that can be both a tight center flame and a wide bushy one, and when your oxygen supply can feed a two-stage torch. The roughly $420 difference buys the outer ring and the range that comes with it, not a better version of the same flame.
One practical note before you order: GTT torches are built to order, with production time GTT states can range from a few days to a few weeks, and both the Scorpion’s stud pattern and its center fire are choices you make at purchase. Confirm the current price, the exact configuration, and any flow or pressure spec with GTT before you commit.
Related guides
- GTT Triple Mix technology explained
- The complete GTT torch lineup
- Best torch for borosilicate
- Surface mix vs premix torches
- How to choose a glass torch
Sources
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Lynx” (7-jet single-stage Triple Mix, detail flame, dual oxygen valves, low fuel pressure): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/lynx
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Scorpion 2 and 4 stud” (two-stage bench torch, stud configurations, built-to-order lead time): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/scorpion-2-and-4-stud
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Scorpion, Lynx center fire” (center-fire option, configuration-dependent build): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/product-page/scorpion-lynx-center-fire-1
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Triple Mix Torches” (surface-mix mechanism, independent oxygen streams, outer ring): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/triple-mix-torches
- Glass Torch Technologies, “Phantom” (Lynx 7-jet center reused inside larger two-stage torches): https://www.glasstorchtech.com/phantom