Short answer: Both are seven-port, single-stage surface-mix bench torches built for soft glass and beads, and they cost almost the same: about $325 for the Nortel Minor on Nortel’s US listing and $340 for the Carlisle Mini CC on Carlisle’s store. The real differences are flame feel and setup. The Minor runs a tight, focused flame through precision needle valves, and Nortel says one 5 LPM oxygen concentrator runs it. The Mini CC throws what Carlisle calls a hot but bushy, gentle flame, publishes its own consumption (about 7 LPM oxygen), and its manual allows natural gas at house pressure. Pick the Minor for the tighter detail flame and the torch most classes use; pick the Mini CC for the more forgiving flame and the clearest published numbers.
If you are still deciding which kind of torch fits you at all, start with what a lampworking torch is and how to choose one or the complete glass torch buyer’s guide. Both torches also appear in our best beginner glass torch roundup.
First, a common myth: the Minor is not a premix torch
You will often see the Minor called “premix” in forum threads, a recurring confusion in community discussions such as Lampwork Etc.’s premix vs surface mix thread. It is not: Nortel’s own listing reads “Surface mix, 7 port”. Both of these torches keep fuel and oxygen separate until the face. The confusion is understandable, because Nortel does make premix torches, the Unitorch and Twin Fuel hand torches, and the Red Max can take an optional Premix top fire. On the Carlisle side, the full-size CC combination torches run a premixed center fire inside a surface-mix outer, but the Mini CC is surface mix throughout. For this pair, mix type is not the deciding factor; see surface mix vs premix torches for when it is.
Side by side
Figures come from the makers’ own pages and manuals where we have them, and are labelled as estimates where they are ours. Confirm the current spec with the maker before you buy.
| Factor | Nortel Minor | Carlisle Mini CC |
|---|---|---|
| Mix | Surface mix | Surface mix |
| Ports | 7, stainless front end, needle valves | 7 stainless tubes in a brass body |
| Flame (maker’s words) | Tight and focused; Nortel gives no flame dimensions | ”Hot but bushy” and gentle |
| Glass (maker) | Primarily soft glass | Soft glass and small boro |
| Oxygen | One 5 LPM concentrator runs it (Nortel); our estimate ~9 LPM | About 7 LPM oxygen, 1.5 LPM propane (Carlisle) |
| Gas pressure | Not stated on Nortel’s page | Natural gas 0.25 to 3 psi, propane 2 to 3 psi (Carlisle manual) |
| Stand | Bench mount; base details not stated | Ball-joint stand that sets the head at 45 degrees |
| Price | $325 (Nortel’s US listing) | $340 (Carlisle’s store) |
The prices sit about $15 apart, so price should not decide this one. Nortel’s US figure is a conversion from its Canadian list and moves with the exchange rate.
The Nortel Minor: the tight flame most classes teach on
The Minor is a seven-port surface-mix bench burner with precision needle valves, running natural gas or propane with oxygen. Nortel aims it primarily at soft glass, for beads, small sculpture and marbles up to about 3 inches, and calls it the classic starter most studios use. That matters if you learn in a class first: buying the torch your hands already know removes one variable from your first months at home.
Nortel’s oxygen statement is the Minor’s strongest practical point. One 5 LPM concentrator runs it, and Nortel’s comparison page describes two concentrators for hotter, faster and larger work and bottled oxygen beyond that, so the torch stays put while the supply grows. Nortel’s current page gives no flame dimensions and no regulator pressures (our catalog notes carry a flame range of about an eighth to three quarters of an inch), so ask Nortel what gas pressure it wants before you plan it on an unboosted house line.
The trade-off is the flame itself. A tight, focused flame is precise for detail, and it is less forgiving of uneven rotation while you are learning.
The Carlisle Mini CC: the forgiving flame with published numbers
The Mini CC is the small, single-stage member of Carlisle’s CC family: seven stainless tubes in a brass body, surface mix, on a ball-joint stand that sets the head at 45 degrees. Carlisle describes its flame as hot but bushy and gentle, which is why it is so often recommended as a first torch: a broad, soft flame punishes uneven rotation less than a needle-sharp one.
Carlisle also publishes the numbers a beginner needs to plan a setup. It lists consumption around 1.5 LPM of propane and 7 LPM of oxygen, and its manual specifies natural gas at 0.25 to 3 psi, which is house-line territory, and propane at 2 to 3 psi. A single 10 LPM concentrator covers the 7 LPM figure; a 5 LPM unit runs it at a smaller flame. Carlisle lists soft glass and small boro.
Carlisle also builds a Mini CC Hand Torch on the same seven-tube head, if you later want the flame off the bench.
Which should you buy?
- Buy the Nortel Minor if you learned on one, you want the tighter detail flame, and you will start on a single 5 LPM concentrator, which Nortel says is enough.
- Buy the Carlisle Mini CC if you want the gentler, bushier flame while your rotation is still uneven, you plan to run house natural gas, or you want a maker that publishes its consumption and pressures.
- If boro is the plan from the start, neither is the strongest pick; compare the Mini CC with the GTT Bobcat in GTT Bobcat vs Carlisle Mini CC, and see Nortel Red Max vs Minor for the bigger Nortel.
Either way, the torch is only part of the system. Budget for the oxygen supply, the right fuel regulator, the flashback protection your torch and gas supply call for, eyewear whose maker rates it for the glass you work (a lens-family name alone does not tell you its UV or infrared protection, which matters once you move to boro), and ventilation. The manufacturer’s instructions for your torch take precedence over this guide.
Editor’s note: Nortel’s Minor pages were read on 2026-10-06 through an owner-supplied web read and its US price on 2026-10-17; Carlisle’s figures come from its product page, manual and store, with the store price re-read on 2026-10-17. Our tools cannot open either maker’s site directly. Corrected 2026-07-19: an earlier version of this article described the Minor as a premix torch. It is surface mix.
Related guides
- Best beginner glass torch
- Nortel Red Max vs Minor
- GTT Bobcat vs Carlisle Mini CC
- Surface mix vs premix torches
- Complete glass torch buyer’s guide
Sources
- Nortel Manufacturing, Minor bench burner: https://www.nortelglass.com/minor-bench-burner/
- Nortel Manufacturing, Minor bench burner store listing (surface mix, 7 port, glass and work size): https://www.nortelglass.com/product/minor-bench-burner/
- Nortel Manufacturing, Which torch is right for me (concentrator guidance): https://www.nortelglass.com/which-torch-is-right-for-me/
- Carlisle Machine Works, Mini CC bench burner (tubes, consumption, flame, stand): https://carlislemachine.com/as_benchburners/minicc.php
- Carlisle Machine Works, Mini CC store listing (price): https://carlisle-machine-works-inc.myshopify.com/products/mini-cc
- Lampwork Etc., “Pre-mix vs Surface mix” (community discussion): http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191042