Nortel Red Max: the versatile, oxygen-efficient two-head bench torch

The Nortel Red Max is the versatile workhorse of the Nortel bench line — an oxygen-efficient, affordable generalist with a loyal following well beyond beginners. It carries two heads: a 45-port lower head with a flame up to about 1.25 inches, plus a swappable top burner that can be a Minor, a Mega Minor, or a Premix head. That upper-and-lower arrangement is what lets one torch cover everything from soft glass to inside-out work.

What the two-head design gives you

The Red Max’s lower head is built around a center port surrounded by a ring of 16 and a ring of 27 ports — a flame for general heat and soaking — while the interchangeable top fire adds a second, smaller flame for detail or a different flame character. Because you can choose the top burner (Minor, Mega Minor, or a Premix head with N11/N3 tips), you’re effectively tuning the torch to your work. Like the rest of the Nortel bench line it’s surface mix, so the flame is clean, quiet, and color-friendly; see surface mix vs premix torches.

Who the Red Max is for

This is an intermediate torch and a genuine all-rounder. Its appeal is breadth: soft glass, general work, and inside-out work all sit comfortably in its range, and its oxygen efficiency keeps running costs down. It’s the Nortel a lot of makers settle on when they want one flexible bench burner rather than a specialist. Coming from a Minor and weighing the jump? Our Red Max vs Minor comparison lays out the trade-offs.

Glass, fuel, and oxygen

The Red Max runs soft glass and borosilicate, burning propane or natural gas with oxygen, and Nortel specifies 3/8in or 5/16in hose. Nortel calls it efficient on oxygen, which is a big part of its reputation — but it doesn’t publish an exact LPM figure, so size your oxygen supply against your work. See how many LPM does my torch need and oxygen concentrator vs tanks.

Where it sits in the Nortel line

The Red Max is the flexible mid-line generalist. The Mega Minor and Minor both serve as its top fire, so it shares flame behavior with the small Nortels you may already know. If you want the same flame in a hand-held form, Nortel also makes the Red Max Handtorch — see bench vs hand torch for which format fits your work. For more top-end boro heat, look at the Rocket.

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 Red Max (the 45-port head, flame size, top-burner options, and hose sizes). Nortel doesn’t publish the Red Max’s exact oxygen flow (LPM) or current pricing, so confirm those specifics with Nortel before purchasing.