Short answer: These two bench burners sit at opposite ends of a very wide price range and answer different questions. The Herbert Arnold Zenit is a quiet, precise, German-made surface-mix burner at a reference price near ~$3,300, built for glassworkers who want a refined, adjustable flame and are prepared to order from overseas. The Nortel Red Max is a two-stage surface-mix workhorse at roughly ~$712, widely used in North America for borosilicate and larger soft-glass work, with the option to bolt a smaller top fire on top of it. If your priority is a calm, finely metered flame and budget is not the deciding factor, the Zenit is the more specialized tool. If you want a proven, versatile bench torch at a fraction of the cost, the Red Max is the practical choice. This is not a case of one torch beating the other; it is a character and price gap you should understand before you spend.
The two torches at a glance
Both are surface-mix bench burners, so gases stay separate until at or just past the burner face. Beyond that shared category, they diverge in stages, flame control, and cost. The figures below come from the manufacturers’ own pages and our catalog, with oxygen shown as a rough sizing estimate, not a hard spec.
| Spec | Herbert Arnold Zenit | Nortel Red Max |
|---|---|---|
| Mix type | Surface mix | Surface mix |
| Mount | Bench | Bench |
| Stages | 1 | 2 |
| Ports / jets | Not published (three head sizes: 40, 50, 65 mm) | 45-port label (see note below) |
| Fuel | Propane or natural gas, plus oxygen | Propane or natural gas, plus oxygen |
| Oxygen (estimate) | ~58 LPM | Not published (estimate) |
| Price (reference) | ~$3,300 (pro band) | ~$712 (mid band) |
Editor’s note: Prices here are reference figures of mixed origin and capture dates, not live quotes. The Zenit price reflects the standard 40 mm head configuration; the 50 mm and 65 mm heads and any accessories change the number. Confirm the current price and configuration with Herbert Arnold or Nortel before you buy.
Herbert Arnold Zenit: the quiet German surface-mix burner
The Zenit is a noiseless surface-mix bench burner (model 114/21) made by Herbert Arnold in Weilburg, Germany. It runs on gas and oxygen and accepts an optional compressed-air input. Its defining feature is a flame-stabilization system that lets the burner run on a surplus of air, which produces a cooler, softer flame when you want one. A single twist-grip adjusts the flame from a sharp pinpoint to broad, intensive flames, so the range of work one head can cover is wide.
It comes in three head sizes, 40 mm, 50 mm, and 65 mm. The 40 mm head works borosilicate tubing up to roughly 80 mm, which is meaningful reach for a single burner. The burner mounts on a solid cast-iron foot with a ball joint, uses maintenance-free ball valves, and carries a solid non-scaling stainless head. Herbert Arnold’s own framing calls the Zenit one of the best bench burners in the world; that is the company’s marketing claim, and we present it as such rather than as a measured fact. What is verifiable from the data sheet is the build approach: a heavy stable base, sealed valves, and a stabilized flame aimed at controllability rather than raw output.
The catalog records the Zenit as a concentric surface-mix design and lists its oxygen figure as an estimate of ~58 LPM at the 40 mm head on propane, derived from the Arnold data sheet. Treat that as a sizing input, not a buying spec; the real number depends on your head size, fuel, and how hard you run the flame. For the wider Herbert Arnold range and where the Zenit sits in it, see our Herbert Arnold torch lineup and the deeper look at Herbert Arnold concentric ring burners.
Nortel Red Max: the two-stage surface-mix workhorse
The Red Max is a two-stage stainless surface-mix bench burner from Nortel, a long-running Canadian maker. Nortel labels the lower head a 45-port burner. The same product page also describes the head as rings of 16 and 27 ports, which total 43, so the honest way to report it is Nortel’s own 45-port label with that internal discrepancy noted. We do not invent a center port to reconcile the two numbers, and we do not silently pick one; both figures come from Nortel’s page.
Its flame width reaches up to about 1.25 inches, and it runs on natural gas or propane with oxygen. The Red Max’s real flexibility is its top-fire option: it accepts a top-mounted Minor, Mega Minor, or premix (N11/N3 tip) top fire, each separately controlled, so you can add a second, smaller flame above the main burner for detail or pinpoint work. That is a genuinely different way of working than a single adjustable head. Within the glassworking community on Lampwork Etc., the Red Max carries a stronger reputation for borosilicate than the older Nortel Major and Minor combination; treat that as community knowledge rather than a measured comparison. There is also a matching hand-torch version that shares the same 45-port flame pattern for people who want the Red Max flame off the bench.
Nortel does not publish an oxygen consumption figure for the Red Max, so we do not list one; size your oxygen supply to the flame you actually run and confirm with Nortel. For how the Red Max compares to the smaller Nortel it is often cross-shopped against, see Nortel Red Max vs Minor.
Flame character and control
This is where the two burners feel least alike. The Zenit is built around quiet, metered control: the stabilization system and surplus-air capability let it settle into a soft, cool flame, and the single twist-grip moves smoothly from a needle point to a broad flame. If you value a calm bench and a flame that responds finely to small adjustments, that is the Zenit’s whole argument.
The Red Max is a more forceful proposition. A 45-port surface-mix head throws a substantial bushy flame, and the separately controlled top fire lets you stack a concentrated flame on top of the broad one, which is useful for moving between bulk heating and detail without swapping torches. Surface-mix burners of this size have an appetite for oxygen and are not silent; that is the trade-off for the output. Neither behavior is better in the abstract. The Zenit rewards a worker who wants precision and quiet; the Red Max rewards one who wants versatile output and the top-fire trick.
Price, value, and who each torch is for
The price gap is real and it should drive the decision more than any single spec. The Zenit’s reference price sits near ~$3,300, in the pro band, while the Red Max sits near ~$712, in the mid band. That is roughly a four-to-one difference. You are not paying that premium for more flame; you are paying for German build, the stabilized cooler flame, sealed maintenance-free valves, and the single-grip control range.
Choose the Zenit if refined flame control, quiet operation, and long-term build quality matter more to you than upfront cost, and if you are comfortable ordering a specialized burner from overseas. Choose the Red Max if you want a proven, widely supported bench torch that handles boro and larger soft-glass work well, at a price that leaves budget for oxygen and the rest of the station. For many working studios in North America the Red Max is simply the pragmatic answer, which is a large part of why it is so common on benches here.
Availability and lead time
Availability is a practical difference that does not show up in a spec table. Herbert Arnold is a German manufacturer, so a Zenit is typically an overseas order, which can mean longer lead times, international shipping, and configuration questions about head size and fittings that you settle before purchase. Herbert Arnold GmbH and Co. KG was founded in 1950 in Weilburg and is part of the Arnold Gruppe, which makes burners, tools, and machines for glass and quartz processing, fibre optics, photovoltaics, and other industries, so the company is well established even if the buying path is less immediate for a North American studio.
The Red Max, by contrast, is a current North American product that is far more commonly available on this continent, which usually means shorter lead times and easier local support. If you need a torch sooner rather than later, that gap matters as much as the price does.
How to decide
Start from your glass, your budget, and your workflow. If you work borosilicate and larger pieces and want a forceful, versatile flame with an optional top fire, and you want to keep budget for oxygen and safety gear, the Red Max is the sensible pick. If you want a quiet, finely controllable flame and long-term build quality, and the price and overseas ordering are acceptable to you, the Zenit is the more specialized tool that will reward that choice.
Whichever you lean toward, size your oxygen supply to the flame you actually run rather than to a headline number, and set up the flashback protection your torch and gas supply call for; our guide to flashback arrestors explained covers how that differs by maker and gas source. Manufacturer manuals take precedence over any general advice here: confirm the current specs, pressures, and price with Herbert Arnold or Nortel before you buy.
Related guides
- Herbert Arnold torch lineup
- Herbert Arnold concentric ring burners
- Nortel Red Max vs Minor
- GTT Phantom vs Herbert Arnold Zenit
- Flashback arrestors explained