Nortel Mid Range: a bigger-flame surface-mix bench torch that's still easy to learn

The Nortel Mid Range is the natural next step up from the Minor: a stainless surface-mix bench burner with two valves and a larger flame, up to about 1 inch in diameter, that stays every bit as approachable to learn on. If the Minor’s small flame is starting to feel limiting but you don’t want to jump to a big production burner, the Mid Range adds heat and range without changing the easy-going Nortel character.

What the Mid Range gives you

Like the rest of the Nortel bench line, the Mid Range is surface mix — fuel and oxygen meet at the face rather than premixing inside the body — for a clean, quiet, color-friendly flame. Its precision needle valves keep that bigger flame controllable, so you can dial it down for detail or open it up for soaking a larger bead. For the broader picture on flame types, see surface mix vs premix torches.

Who the Mid Range is for

This is a beginner-to-intermediate torch for beads, soft glass, and small boro — a smart pick for someone who’s improving and wants more flame than the Minor without relearning how their torch behaves. It’s a sensible choice on our best beginner glass torch shortlist for makers who already know they want a bit more headroom.

Glass, fuel, and oxygen

Nortel describes the Mid Range as working soft or hard glass, so it covers soda-lime work and small borosilicate comfortably. It burns propane or natural gas with oxygen. Nortel’s suggested regulator pressures are roughly 0.25–5 psi on the gas and 5–15 psi on the oxygen — but those are line pressures, not flow rates, so they don’t tell you how many LPM the torch draws. Nortel doesn’t publish that LPM figure, so size your oxygen supply against the work you actually do; see how many LPM does my torch need and oxygen concentrator vs tanks.

Where it sits in the Nortel line

The Mid Range sits between the Minor and the larger bench burners. If you want a small detailed top flame alongside the main flame, the Mid Range Plus adds a top-mounted head. For more heat and versatility, look at the Red Max (and our Red Max vs Minor comparison) or the larger Major.

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: spec details reflect Nortel’s own materials for the Mid Range (flame size and suggested pressures). Nortel doesn’t publish the Mid Range’s exact oxygen flow (LPM) or current pricing, so confirm those specifics with Nortel before purchasing.