Nortel Twin Fuel Hand Torch
Premix
$172
US reference price
Hand configuration shown.
Overview
Best for: Hand torch, Scientific, Lathe, Quartz
- Mount
- Hand
- Fuel
- Propane, Natural gas
- Oxygen (estimate)
- Not confirmed
Specs
The Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch is a premix hand torch with an injector-type mixer and one-hand finger control on a lightweight aluminum handle. Nortel builds it for quartz and high-temperature work, lathe work and boosting the fires under a lathe.
Intermediate-to-advanced scientific, quartz and lathe workers who need a light, portable premix flame they can aim at one spot.
- Jets
- Not confirmed
- Stages
- 1
- Mount
- Hand
- Mix
- Premix
Specs
- Mix type
- Premix
- Mount
- Hand
- Oxygen (estimate)
- n/a
- Fuel
- Propane, Natural gas
Manufacturer page · checked 2026-10-06 · source
- Skill level
- Intermediate, Advanced
- Glass
- Quartz, Boro
Manufacturer page · checked 2026-10-06 · sourceNortel's store listing names quartz.
- Best for
- Hand torch, Scientific, Lathe, Quartz
- Price
- ~$172 (reference)
Manufacturer page · confirmed · checked and price captured 2026-10-17 · source
- Stages
- 1
Figures come from Nortel's own pages and manuals where we have them; the oxygen figure is a rough estimate, not a specification. Confirm the current spec with Nortel before you buy.
How we source these figures
Treat the oxygen figure as a rough sizing estimate. Depending on the model it may be manufacturer full-flame consumption, a converted flow figure, or a documented estimate, and delivered pressure and purity matter as much as flow. What actually drives a torch choice is the glass, the work, and the flame, so size your oxygen supply after you pick the torch.
Prices may be manufacturer list prices or observed dealer references. Where a cell carries an evidence line it says where the figure came from, the date we checked it, and links the source where we hold one; a cell without one rests on the sources at the foot of the page. On a phone those lines show while this note is open. Confirm the exact configuration with Nortel before buying.
Spec provenance: 3 of 7 spec fields on this page cite the manufacturer's own pages or manuals.
Overview
The Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch is a small premix hand torch: a pre-mix injector-type mixer, a finger control you work with one hand, and a lightweight aluminum handle, 16 inches overall. Nortel builds it for quartz and high-temperature work, for lathe work, and for boosting the fires under a lathe, where you bring extra heat to one spot on a turning piece.
What you get
You control the flame with one finger while the same hand aims the torch, which leaves your other hand free for the lathe or the work. The torch takes multi-orifice, ribbon and National-style tips, in brass or stainless steel, so you can change the flame shape by changing the tip. Nortel’s store listing says it ships with a 2RC brass tip and sells further tips separately; the model page says tips are not included. Ask Nortel which you will get.
It is a premix torch: fuel and oxygen combine inside the body before they leave the tip, which gives a tight, hot point of flame. See surface mix vs premix torches for what that changes at the bench.
Who the Twin Fuel is for
This is an intermediate-to-advanced tool for scientific, quartz and lathe work, not a first torch or a bead burner. If your work is heading into quartz, soft glass vs boro vs quartz explains why the flame matters so much there; on format, see bench vs hand torch.
Fuel and oxygen
Despite the name, Nortel’s Twin Fuel pages do not list the fuels it runs. Nortel’s torch index says its torches run on natural gas or propane with oxygen, and that is what our catalog records. If you want to run anything else, ask Nortel first. Nortel gives no flame size, pressure or oxygen flow for this model, so size your supply against the work; how many LPM does my torch need walks through it, and propane vs natural gas for torchwork covers the fuel choice.
Where it sits in the Nortel line
The Twin Fuel sits beside the Unitorch, Nortel’s six-tip premix scientific hand torch for tubing, seals and lathe work. The Unitorch spreads heat across several tips; the Twin Fuel puts one hot point where you aim it.
Before you buy
Budget for the whole system, not just the torch: oxygen (a concentrator or tanks), the correct regulators for your fuel, flashback protection matched to your torch and gas supply, eyewear rated for the glass you run, and ventilation. New to plumbing a torch? Start with the fittings, hoses & connectors guide and the glass torch safety setup guide.
Editor’s note: details here come from Nortel’s own model page and store listing as read on 2026-10-06. Nortel names no fuels, flame size, pressures or oxygen flow for this model, and its two pages disagree on whether a tip is included, so confirm those with Nortel before you buy.
Fit and tradeoffs
Best for: Intermediate-to-advanced scientific, quartz and lathe workers who need a light, portable premix flame they can aim at one spot.
Not for: Beginners and general soft-glass bead work, this is a specialist high-temperature hand torch, not a first bench burner.
Pros
- + Takes multi-orifice, ribbon and National-style tips
- + Injector-type mixer with a single finger-tip control
- + Lightweight aluminum handle
- + 16 inches overall, light enough to hold for long lathe sessions
- + Suited to quartz and high-temperature work, and as a lathe booster
Cons
- − Specialist tool, not a beginner or general soft-glass torch
- − Premix and hand-held, so limited for large bench work
- − Nortel names no fuels, flame size or oxygen flow for this model; confirm with Nortel
- − Nortel's pages disagree on whether a tip is included
Reader reviews
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Write a review of the Nortel Twin Fuel Handtorch
Flame notes
Premix hand torch with a pre-mix injector-type mixer and one-hand finger control on a lightweight aluminum handle, 16 inches overall. Accepts multi-orifice, ribbon and National-style tips. Nortel names quartz and high-temperature work, lathe work and boosting underside lathe fires. Its model page and store listing name no individual fuels; Nortel's torch index describes its torches as natural gas or propane with oxygen (read 2026-10-06). The store listing supplies a 2RC brass tip while the model page says tips are not included.
Maker
Nortel Manufacturing
Canada · Founded 1967
Focus: Soft, Boro, Beginner
Toronto manufacturer founded by Peter Norton. The current mounted line is surface mix; selected hand torches and optional top burners are premix.
Related reading
Compared with
Head-to-head guides that put the Twin Fuel Handtorch against other torches.
FAQ
- What fuels does the Twin Fuel Handtorch run?
- Nortel's Twin Fuel pages do not name the fuels. Nortel's torch index says its torches run on natural gas or propane with oxygen. Ask Nortel before you plan on any other fuel.
- What is it best suited to?
- Nortel positions it for quartz and high-temperature work and as a lathe booster. It's a specialist hand torch rather than a general bead or bench tool.
- Is it surface-mix or premix?
- It's a premix hand torch, using a special injector-type mixer with a single finger-tip control. Premix construction keeps it simple and predictable to run.
- What tips does it take, and is one included?
- Nortel says it accepts multi-orifice, ribbon and National-style tips, in brass or stainless steel. The store listing says it ships with a 2RC brass tip, while the model page says tips are not included, so confirm what comes in the box when you order.
Researched and edited by Joe Blanchard, sixteen years on the distribution side of the glass industry.