Bethlehem Bravo Glass 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 stainless-steel body and swivel base.

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 to 5 psi gas and 8 to 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 stainless-steel construction keeps the body cool, and the Bravo carries Bethlehem’s swivel base and scroll pedestal, 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 protection matched to your torch and gas supply, didymium or boro-rated eyewear matched to your glass, and ventilation. New to plumbing a torch? Start with the fittings, hoses & connectors guide and the glass torch safety setup guide.

Editor’s note: spec details reflect Bethlehem’s own catalog and product page (compiled 2026-07-18, not independently re-verified). Confirm the current price and your exact oxygen needs for the flame size you want with Bethlehem before purchasing.