Bethlehem Bravo: the quiet 18-jet two-stage surface-mix bench torch

The Bethlehem Bravo is a compact, two-stage surface-mix bench burner and one of the easiest Bethlehem torches to recommend. It runs a 6-jet centerfire inside a 12-jet outer fire — 18 jets on a 1in face — and is known for a whisper-soft, oxygen-efficient flame on both stages. It replaced the older Barracuda in Bethlehem’s line and carries the brand’s heat exchanger and signature mounting hardware.

What the surface-mix flame gives you

Like all of Bethlehem’s burners, the Bravo is surface-mix: fuel and oxygen meet at the face rather than premixing inside the torch. Running surface mix on both the inner and outer flames gives the Bravo a notably quiet, calm, low-backfire character that’s gentle on colors — a big reason Bethlehem is trusted in scientific and production settings. For why that matters, see surface mix vs premix torches; if you share a studio, the Bravo also earns a place in our quietest torches for shared studios roundup.

Two stages, independently controlled

The Bravo’s two fires are controlled separately, so you can run a small, focused centerfire flame for detail or open the outer fire for a broader soaking flame. That range — from a fine flame up to the full two-stage flame on the 1in face — is what lets one torch cover both delicate work and medium melt-ins.

Glass, fuel, and oxygen

The Bravo handles soft (soda-lime) glass and boro and is unusually flexible on supply. The catalog gives a concrete picture: full flame is roughly 6 LPM gas and 30 LPM oxygen, at about 2–5 psi gas and 8–20 psi oxygen, but it also runs on household gas (around 1/4 psi) and on oxygen concentrators (around 7 psi). The takeaway: the Bravo will sip on a modest setup for small flames, but the full flame’s ~30 LPM oxygen is more than a single small concentrator delivers — size your oxygen to the flame you actually want. See how many LPM does my torch need and oxygen concentrator vs tanks.

The hardware advantage

A heat exchanger protects the barrel, and the Bravo carries Bethlehem’s signature swivel and rack-and-pinion adjustment, letting you set the torch to a precise, repeatable angle and height. That repeatability is a genuine ergonomic advantage over long sessions and part of what you’re paying for.

Where it sits in the Bethlehem lineup

The Bravo is the balanced middle of the surface-mix range: above the entry Alpha, Star, and gap-filling STACKS, and below the stronger two-stage Champion and the multi-stage Grand. There’s also a Bravo Sharp Flame variant that swaps in Bethlehem’s Sharp Flame centerfire. Because the flame behavior is consistent across the family, stepping up doesn’t mean relearning your torch — compare the tiers in Alpha vs Bravo vs Champion.

Before you buy

Budget for the whole system, not just the torch: oxygen (a concentrator or tanks), the correct propane or natural-gas regulator, flashback arrestors on both lines, didymium eyewear, and ventilation. New to plumbing a torch? Start with the fittings, hoses & connectors guide and the glass torch safety setup guide.

Editor’s note: flame and flow figures above reflect Bethlehem’s own catalog data for the Bravo. Bethlehem doesn’t publish current pricing, so confirm that — and your exact oxygen needs for the flame size you want — with Bethlehem before purchasing.