Short answer: These are not two different torches so much as one torch in two configurations. The Mid Range is a single Nortel bench burner with a broad flame up to about 1 inch across. The Mid Range Plus is that same burner with a small top-mounted Minor or Mega Minor added, so you get a second, independently controlled fire for fine detail. If your work is broad heat on larger soft glass and boro and you do not need a pinpoint flame, the base Mid Range covers it. If you regularly switch between a wide flame and a small detail flame at the same station, the Plus adds that second burner at about $666 with a Minor top on Nortel’s own US-dollar store. Either way this is a hungry bench torch, so plan the oxygen supply first: Nortel says the Mid Range wants three concentrators for best performance.
What the two share
Both are Surface mix Bench burners, which means fuel and oxygen stay separate until they leave the face. That is the quieter, more forgiving flame surface mix is known for, and it is the family Nortel’s classic bench line (Minor to Rocket) belongs to; only the newer Arrow and Hydra add premix by design. For what that implies about flame behavior and noise, see surface mix vs premix torches.
The bottom burner is identical on both models. It is a single-stage fire (the Mid Range is a 1-stage burner) that opens to roughly a 1 inch wide flame, which Nortel positions for large soft-glass work, in soft glass or boro. Nortel does not publish a port count for the Mid Range, so we do not state one; the catalog leaves its jet count blank rather than invent a figure. It also does not list a base price for the Mid Range on its own, which we note rather than guess at.
What the Plus actually adds
The Plus is a 2-stage configuration: the same Mid Range bottom burner with a Minor or Mega Minor top burner bolted on. Those tops are small surface-mix bench burners in their own right (the Minor is a 7-jet burner that lists around $325, the Mega Minor a hotter sibling near $349), so the top is a genuine second fire with its own valves, not just a pilot.
Nortel’s Mid Range Plus page says both burners can run simultaneously, so the top is not only a quick switch between a broad flame and a pinpoint: you can hold a piece in the big flame and reach up to the small one without shutting either down. Each fire has its own valves, so how you run them is your choice, and Nortel’s instructions for your exact configuration govern how to light and shut them down.
Nortel’s Mid Range Plus page lists Minor or Mega Minor tops, and Nortel’s own store also sells a Mid Range Plus with a Premix Top (read 2026-10-06, at the same Canadian-dollar price as the Minor top). The bottom burner is surface mix in every version and only that optional top fire is premix, so our catalog records the Plus as surface mix.
| Mid Range | Mid Range Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Mix | Surface mix | Surface mix |
| Mount | Bench | Bench |
| Stages | 1 (single burner) | 2 (burner + top) |
| Main flame width | ~1 in | ~1 in (same bottom burner) |
| Detail flame | None on the base burner | Minor, Mega Minor, or premix top |
| Reference price | Not published by Nortel | ~$666 |
Flame range and control
Because the bottom burner is the same, the broad-flame envelope is identical: both reach about an inch of working flame for melt-ins, gathers, and sculpture. The difference is entirely at the small end. The base Mid Range gives you one flame to shape with its valves. The Plus lets you set the big flame and a separate small flame independently, then move between them. On detailed boro or on soft-glass work that alternates between heat and fine shaping, that second burner saves you swapping tools mid-session.
If most of your work never calls for a pinpoint flame, the top burner is weight and cost you will not use. If it does, the Plus is the cleaner answer than keeping a separate hand torch lit alongside the bench. For where flame size starts to matter on hard glass, see our borosilicate torch guide.
Oxygen supply
Neither configuration has a published oxygen flow figure. Nortel does not list an LPM number for the Mid Range, and our catalog oxygen field is blank for both; any oxygen number you see for these is an estimate, not a spec, so we do not print one. What Nortel does say is directional and important: the Mid Range wants three oxygen concentrators for optimum performance. That is a real supply-planning signal. A single 10 LPM concentrator will not feed this burner at a full flame, and adding the Plus top only raises total demand when both are in use.
The practical reading: budget for multiple concentrators or bottled or bulk oxygen before you buy either version, and size the supply to the flame you actually run. Our how many LPM does my torch need and concentrator vs tanks guides walk through that decision, and Bethlehem’s own FAQ makes the same general point that oxygen supply, not the burner alone, sets your working envelope.
Both run on natural gas and oxygen or propane and oxygen per Nortel’s general torch notes. As always, the manufacturer’s manual and current product page take precedence over anything here for pressures, fittings, and setup; confirm the spec with Nortel before you plumb anything.
Price and configuration
Nortel’s own US-dollar store lists the Mid Range Plus with a Minor top at about $666 (read 2026-10-17), and we hold no standalone price for the base Mid Range. Nortel prices in Canadian dollars, so the US figure is a conversion that moves with the exchange rate, and prices also move with configuration and which top burner you choose; confirm the current number with Nortel. Because the Plus is the Mid Range plus a Minor or Mega Minor, the sensible way to think about cost is: the bottom burner does the broad work, and you are paying for the added detail fire on top. If you are weighing a Minor-class burner on its own instead, our Red Max vs Minor comparison covers that smaller end of the Nortel line.
How to decide
A few questions actually separate these two:
- Do you need a separate detail flame at the bench? If yes, the Plus is the reason to pay more: a real second burner with its own control. If no, the base Mid Range is the same broad flame for less.
- Will you use both flames? Nortel says the Plus can run both burners at once, so it works as two live flames or as a quick switch. If you would only ever use the broad flame, the Plus is money spent on a top you will not light.
- What oxygen can you feed? Nortel calls for three concentrators on the Mid Range. Size the supply to the torch, or the flame you paid for will be starved.
- Is a hand torch a better second flame for you? Some makers prefer a broad bench burner plus a separate hand torch for detail. If that fits your bench, the base Mid Range plus a small hand torch is a valid alternative to the Plus.
If your work is broad heat and you have a detail solution already, the Mid Range is enough. If you want the detail flame built into the same bench torch, the Mid Range Plus is the reason to step up.
Related guides
- Surface mix vs premix torches
- Best torch for borosilicate
- How many LPM does my torch need
- Nortel Red Max vs Minor
- Oxygen concentrator vs tanks for lampworking
- Nortel torch lineup, model by model
Sources
- Nortel, “Mid Range”: https://www.nortelglass.com/mid-range/
- Nortel, “Mid Range Plus”: https://www.nortelglass.com/mid-range-plus/
- Nortel, “Minor Bench Burner”: https://www.nortelglass.com/minor-bench-burner/
- Nortel, “Mega Minor Burner”: https://www.nortelglass.com/mega-minor-burner/
- Nortel, “Torches” (general fuel and oxygen notes): https://www.nortelglass.com/torches/
- Bethlehem Burners, “Frequently Asked Questions” (general oxygen-supply guidance): https://www.bethlehemburners.com/resources/frequently-asked-questions/