Nortel Rocket: the high-output surface-mix bench torch for large boro

The Nortel Rocket is the high-output end of Nortel’s bench line — the burner you reach for when large borosilicate and production work outstrip the Major and Red Max. It’s a two-stage, surface-mix torch with a separately controlled center-fire jet, precision needle valves, geared tilt control for positioning the head, and a flame that runs from small up to about 2 inches wide. (Nortel also markets it under the trade name “Red Rocket.”)

What the Rocket gives you

The Rocket’s job is heat with control. The separately controlled center fire lets you run a focused central flame for detail or thrust while the larger flame does the soaking, each on its own valve, and the geared tilt control makes repeatable head positioning easy during long sessions. It’s a surface-mix flame — fuel and oxygen meet at the face — so even at high output it stays comparatively clean, quiet, and color-friendly; see surface mix vs premix torches and, for how big flames drive heat, soaking vs penetrating flame.

Who the Rocket is for

This is an advanced torch for large boro and production. It’s more burner than a beginner should start on, and its strength is heat rather than pinpoint detail — though the separate center fire and the optional premix burner cover finer work when you need it. Nortel’s line tops out here; if you’re chasing the absolute hottest, most penetrating production flame, dedicated surface-mix production burners from other makers run hotter still, which is worth weighing as you read our how to choose a glass torch buyer’s guide.

Options: premix burner and foot pedal

Two extras round out the Rocket. An optional premix accessory burner runs a quiet N11 multi-orifice tip with a flame to about 3/4 inch and accepts National-style tips, giving you a calm detail flame on the same setup. An optional foot pedal is also available for hands-free control.

Glass, fuel, and oxygen

The Rocket is built for borosilicate, burning propane or natural gas with oxygen. Nortel’s suggested regulator pressures are roughly 7–15 psi on the oxygen and 2–6 psi on the fuel — but those are line pressures, not flow rates. A high-output flame like this draws a lot of oxygen, and Nortel doesn’t publish the Rocket’s exact LPM (or jet count), so plan your oxygen supply carefully around it: see how many LPM does my torch need and oxygen concentrator vs tanks.

Where it sits in the Nortel line

The Rocket is the top of Nortel’s bench range, above the Major and Red Max. It’s the line’s dedicated big-boro burner — the place Nortel makers go for production heat without leaving the brand.

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 Rocket (flame width, the separate center fire, suggested pressures, and the optional premix burner and foot pedal). Nortel doesn’t publish the Rocket’s exact jet count, oxygen flow (LPM), or current pricing, so confirm those specifics with Nortel before purchasing.