Herbert Arnold Premix Hand Torch vs Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch

Short answer: These are two premix hand torches for scientific, sealing and quartz work, but they solve the buyer’s problem from opposite ends. The Herbert Arnold Premix Hand Torch (model 126/22) is a compact German sealing torch with a fine needle valve each for gas and oxygen, three interchangeable jets, and a published maximum oxygen draw, at $649 US reference (EUR 400 on Arnold’s own list). The Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch is a light, inexpensive premix torch with one finger-tip control on an aluminum handle, at $172 in our catalog, and it accepts the wide family of National-style tips. Choose the Arnold if fine, repeatable flame control and published figures lead your list; choose the Nortel if a light hand torch, a big tip ecosystem and a modest price matter more.

Both are premix hand torches in our catalog, so both mix fuel and oxygen ahead of the jet rather than at the face. If you are still deciding whether premix even suits your work, start with surface mix vs premix torches, then come back here for the head-to-head.

What “premix hand torch” means here

A premix torch combines the fuel and oxygen inside the torch, upstream of the jet, so the flame leaves the tip already mixed. That gives the short, sharp, concentrated cone that quartz and scientific glassblowing lean on, which is why both of these torches end up recommended for the same jobs. It also means premix torches are more sensitive to how you set the gases, and both makers approach that sensitivity differently: Arnold with two independent needle valves, Nortel with one blended control.

Both are hand torches, not bench burners, so they are meant to be held and moved to the work (or mounted at a lathe), rather than sitting fixed while you feed glass into them. For the broader trade-off between held and mounted torches, see bench vs hand torch.

Herbert Arnold Premix Hand Torch (126/22)

The Herbert Arnold Premix Hand Torch, catalogued as model 126/22, is a premix gas and oxygen torch that Arnold’s catalog describes as producing very sharp, hot flames and rates as a sealing burner (Abschmelzbrenner). Gas and oxygen each have their own fine needle valve, which is the feature that defines it: you set each gas independently, so you can dial a flame in and return to it. It is a short torch, 270 mm (about 10.6 inches) long, with 6 mm hose glands. Earlier listings describe a brass body; Arnold’s current catalog page does not state the material.

The upper part comes off with a union nut and takes interchangeable jets. Every version ships with three interchangeable jets of 0.8, 1.0 and 1.3 mm bore: groove jets (180/40) on the propane and natural-gas versions, single-hole jets (180/41) on the hydrogen version. Arnold sells a two-jet distributor (126/22.1001, EUR 137 for propane), a four-jet distributor (126/22.1002, EUR 275 for propane) and a stand with a cast-iron base and ball joint (126/22.1003, EUR 230), so the same body can run a broader flame or sit fixed at the bench.

Arnold builds it as a propane (PS), a natural-gas (ES) or a hydrogen (WS) torch, and a given torch runs the fuel it was built for; the single-hole jets belong to the WS version, not a sign that any one torch switches fuels. Arnold’s 02/2025 price list gives EUR 400 for the propane and natural-gas versions and EUR 378 for hydrogen, excluding VAT. In our catalog it is a Premix, Hand-held, 1-stage torch at a US reference price of $649, in the mid band. Arnold’s page names no glass type for it; our catalog records it for borosilicate, and its sealing rating is what puts it on scientific benches.

Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch

Nortel describes the Twin Fuel Handtorch as a premix hand torch built around a special injector-type mixer with one hand finger-tip control, on a lightweight aluminum handle. That single control is the character of the torch: rather than tuning two needle valves, you manage one blended control on a torch light enough to hold comfortably for long sessions.

Despite the name, Nortel’s Twin Fuel pages do not list the fuels it runs; Nortel’s torch index says its torches run on natural gas or propane with oxygen. Nortel points it squarely at quartz working, other high-temperature work, and lathe work. Nortel also names boosting the underside lathe fires among its uses, so it can double as a booster torch at the lathe. In the catalog it is a Premix, Hand-held, 1-stage torch running on propane or natural gas, at $172 in the entry band. That figure is the US-dollar price on Nortel’s own store (read 2026-10-17), which Nortel converts from its Canadian-dollar list of CAD $244 with a 2RC brass tip (read 2026-10-06), so it moves with the exchange rate.

The tip ecosystem is the other reason people reach for this torch. Nortel says it accepts multi-orifice, ribbon and National-style tips, in brass or stainless steel, so you change the flame shape by changing the tip. Its store listing says it ships with a 2RC brass tip, while the model page says tips are not included, so ask which you will get. If your bench already runs National tips, or you want to grow into different flame shapes without changing torches, that compatibility is worth real money. Our three National premix hand torches, including the National 3A-B, sit in the same tip family.

Head to head

Read the table as a set of priorities rather than a scoreboard. The Arnold’s argument is precision and documentation: two fine needle valves, jets you swap by undoing a union nut, and published pressures and oxygen draw. The Nortel’s argument is lightness, versatility, and ecosystem: one control, a torch Nortel also pitches for boosting lathe fires, and access to the whole National tip catalog, at roughly a quarter of the price on our reference figures.

The price gap is large, but the two torches answer different questions: one buys fine, repeatable dual-gas control and published figures, the other a light, adaptable premix hand torch with a deep tip supply. Neither is “better” in the abstract; they weight control, weight and cost differently.

Oxygen and fuel supply notes

Arnold publishes maximum consumption for the Premix Hand Torch: on propane it runs 50 mbar gas and 0.5 to 1.5 bar oxygen (about 0.7 and 7 to 22 psi, our conversions) and draws at most 0.05 cubic meters of propane and 0.17 of oxygen an hour, ~2.8 LPM. That is a ceiling at the largest flame, not a working figure, and a small one. Nortel publishes no oxygen figure for the Twin Fuel Handtorch, so we carry none and will not invent one. Size oxygen for either torch to the flame you actually run: the tip or jet bore, the fuel and how hard you push the flame all move the demand.

On fuel, follow the manufacturer’s manual first, always. For the Arnold, the jet you fit is tied to the fuel, groove jets for propane and natural gas, single-hole jets for hydrogen, so the jet choice and the fuel choice are one decision, not two. For the Nortel, the model page names no fuels, so ask Nortel which fuel your torch is set up for and confirm the correct regulator and fittings for it; never mix fittings between fuels. Arnold’s catalog recommends protection against reverse gas flow and flashback on its burners. Fit the flashback protection your torch and gas supply call for, per the maker’s guidance, not a blanket rule.

Editor’s note: figures here come from Nortel’s own pages and store and from Arnold’s burner catalog and 02/2025 price list where we have them; the psi values are our conversions. The Arnold oxygen figure is its maximum consumption converted to LPM. Model options, jets, tips and prices change; confirm the current configuration with the maker before you buy.

Which to buy

Buy the Herbert Arnold Premix Hand Torch if fine, repeatable flame control is central to your work and you value an instrument with two independent needle valves. It rewards a maker who wants to set a precise flame and return to it on sealing work, who wants published pressures and oxygen draw before buying, and who is comfortable at the mid price point. The interchangeable-jet upper part and the two- and four-jet distributors keep it flexible within Arnold’s own range.

Buy the Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch if you want a light hand torch that is easy to hold for long sessions and access to the large National tip family, including multi-orifice and ribbon tips, at an entry price. Its use as a lathe booster, which Nortel names on its listing, is a genuine bonus for scientific and lathe setups. If your bench is already built around National tips, this is the torch that drops straight in.

If you are still narrowing the field, our guides on the best scientific glassblowing hand torch and the best torch for quartz put both of these in wider company, and the complete buyer’s guide walks the whole oxygen, fuel, and budget decision.

Related guides

• Surface mix vs premix torches
• Best scientific glassblowing hand torch
• Best torch for quartz
• Bench vs hand torch
• How to choose a glass torch
• Flashback arrestors explained

Sources

• Nortel Manufacturing, Twin Fuel Handtorch: https://www.nortelglass.com/twin-fuel-handtorch/
• Herbert Arnold (Arnold Gruppe), hand burners: https://www.arnold-gruppe.de/index.php?L=1&id=169
• Herbert Arnold (Arnold Gruppe), ARNOLD Burners (PDF): https://downloads.arnold-gruppe.de/ARNOLD%20Burners.pdf
• Herbert Arnold (Arnold Gruppe), burner price list 02/2025 (PDF): https://downloads.arnold-gruppe.de/Brenner%20Preisliste.pdf
• Nortel Manufacturing, Twin Fuel Handtorch store listing: https://www.nortelglass.com/product/twin-fuel-handtorch/
• Nortel Manufacturing, torch index: https://www.nortelglass.com/torches/
• National Torch (Premier Industries), torch and tip line: https://nationaltorch.com/?page_id=301