Bethlehem Champion Sharp Flame: the Champion with a Sharp Flame centerfire

The Bethlehem Champion Sharp Flame is the two-stage, surface-mix Champion fitted with Bethlehem’s Sharp Flame centerfire. It runs a 6-jet centerfire inside a 30-jet outer fire on a 1.125in face, giving the Champion a crisper, more focused inner flame aimed at larger-diameter boro while keeping the brand’s strong, quiet character.

What the surface-mix flame gives you

Like all of Bethlehem’s burners, the Champion Sharp Flame is surface-mix: fuel and oxygen meet at the face of the torch rather than premixing inside it. The Champion’s low-velocity flames stay gentle to the glass across a wide range of fuel mixtures, keeping the burner calm and forgiving of color even as it reaches into bigger work. For the background, see surface mix vs premix torches; for how a soaking flame differs from a hard penetrating one, see soaking vs penetrating flame.

The Sharp Flame head

In its Sharp Flame configuration, the Champion’s head is a 6-jet centerfire surrounded by a 30-jet outer fire on a 1.125in face. The Sharp Flame centerfire sharpens the inner flame for detail; the 30-jet outer fire delivers the broader soaking heat for larger-diameter boro. The two stages are controlled independently, so you can move between a focused inner flame and a wide outer flame as the work demands.

Glass, fuel, and oxygen

The Champion Sharp Flame handles larger-diameter boro and medium soft glass and burns propane or natural gas with oxygen. Bethlehem publishes the jet layout above but doesn’t publish an exact oxygen flow (LPM) for the variant, so treat its appetite as substantial — a stronger flame than the Bravo’s, needing oxygen to match — and confirm against your supply. See how many LPM does my torch need and oxygen concentrator vs tanks.

The hardware advantage

Like the rest of the line, it carries Bethlehem’s signature swivel and rack-and-pinion adjustment, so you can set a precise, repeatable angle and height — a real advantage for repetitive production and delicate scientific joins.

Where it sits in the Bethlehem lineup

The Champion Sharp Flame is a centerfire variant of the Champion, sitting above the Bravo (which also offers a Sharp Flame variant) and below the multi-stage Grand. Because the flame behavior and hardware feel consistent across the family, moving up from a Bravo is straightforward — 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: the jet layout above (6-jet centerfire, 30-jet outer fire, 1.125in face) reflects Bethlehem’s own catalog for the Champion Sharp Flame. Bethlehem doesn’t publish the variant’s exact oxygen flow (LPM) or current pricing, so confirm those — and your oxygen needs — with Bethlehem before purchasing.