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  #1  
Old 2008-10-23, 5:55am
Sylvie D.'s Avatar
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Default looking for a slightly more powerful torch... Any suggestions?

Hello,

I have been the happy owner of a Minor for a few years now, but recently I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a hotter torch since I want to make very large focals (it’s doable on my minor but takes forever). I don’t want to do boro just yet and I’m on tanked oxygen. What would be a good choice ? Cricket ? Bobcat ?

Thanks for your advice.
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  #2  
Old 2008-10-23, 8:18am
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I went from a Minor to a Cricket and I have found it to be quite a bit hotter than the Minor - but I am on two 5 lpm concentrators. I am not sure on tanked how much of a difference it would be.
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  #3  
Old 2008-10-23, 8:54am
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A lynx would give you a great all around torch. Big focals are fine to make on the cricket but it's not a big step up from the minor. The flame has a bit more range and does seem hotter, has a nice pinpoint capability great price etc. The flame just doesn't quite cater to larger stuff without alot of back and forth just like the minor. It's an awesome small torch for small work though and I do like it.
The lynx OTOH would give you the triple-mix flame (bobcat doesn't sport this nice feature) for more color control, can be adjusted down to tiny needle on up to a flame big and hot enough even for big boro focals etc.
The bethlehem barracuda is another option though it is a two stage (inner and outer fire) and this may be more flame than you're after.
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Last edited by evolvingBeau; 2008-10-23 at 8:57am.
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  #4  
Old 2008-10-23, 9:02am
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I went from a Minor to a Lynx on tanked and from tanked to a concentrator. I get the Lynx hotter and can work larger (my skills have also improved, so I'm sure that changes things...) than I could with the Minor. I also like the fact that I can dial down a super fine flame to spot heat or detail work. I don't get that cooler but large & soft flame that I used for certain reductions.

The Cricket wasn't out when I bought mine, or I might have gotten a Cricket. I think they are a great deal! Don't know how big you want to go, but I assume the Lynx can go bigger but not necessarily hotter, so that might be a reason to choose it if you have the funds.
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  #5  
Old 2008-10-23, 11:56am
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well thanks everyone, your input was helpful. I'm going to forget about the bobcat and do some more research about the lynx... and the barracuda, even though I had my mind set on a GTT torch since I've red so many good reviews about them... The Cricket looks really like an awesome torch but if there isn't much difference with a minor, I'm not sure that would be the best move.

Beau, what do you mean by "more color control"?


This kind of bead I'm planning on developping more and I've love to go slightly bigger than that (about 2.75"):
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  #6  
Old 2008-10-23, 6:23pm
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Those are awesome Sylvie! I like what you're doing with the e-forming. Is the one on the right a "captains wheel"?

As far as color control...it's a little bit more applicable with boro but with all of the new silver glasses that have striking and reducing properties (often both) then having more control over the flame chemistry is going to help with getting desired and consistent results with those as well.
The lynx has the "triple mix" setup. One oxy knob,one fuel knob and an additional oxy knob that lets you fine tune the flame by incorporating more oxygen via a third set of jets in the tip. No other manufacturer provides this particular configuration.
The extra control is nice to have for fussy colors and to just give you more control over the way the flame melts the glass.
The bobcat is the same as the lynx minus the triple mix feature (both 7 jet torches). So it's a matter of whether or not the additional function is worth the additional expense to you. The extra knob doesn't exactly equate to a larger flame or more heat. Maybe, but it couldn't be much IMO, you'd have to ask the nice folks at GTT to clarify on that.
Sometimes I just go for the extra bells and whistles to make me feel better about my purchase. If I'm sitting at the torch 8 hours a day 6 days a week then I want that extra knob and peace of mind that I got the best by golly!
Though if I'm short on funds though I always remember a quote from Bhandu Dunhams Contemporary Lampworking book is "it's a poor craftsman that blames his/her tools".
You can't go wrong.
Oh and BTW if you think that you might go really big someday, and maybe want to make this your last torch purchase there is the GTT phantom..has a lynx for the centerfire with a 15 jet outerfire. You can use the lynx portion independently and only fire up the outer ring when you need it. Kind of like the barracuda but with that triple mix action..
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  #7  
Old 2008-10-23, 6:29pm
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I went from a Bobcat to a Barracuda. I don't use the outer flame of the Cuda much but it sure is handy when I do need a bigger, wider flame. The inner fire of the Cuda is a Piranha and it's a lot hotter than the Bobcat. I don't find that I have any problem striking silver glass with a Cuda.

Hope this helps.
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  #8  
Old 2008-10-23, 8:43pm
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Don't forget about the Cheetah!! It's a fantastic and versatile torch...nearly twice as big as the lynx (but still not huge) and can still get an impressive pinpoint flame and be shaped for anything in between, being a GTT. It's also very efficient.
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  #9  
Old 2008-10-23, 8:46pm
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I copied the following from one of my old posts:

How the triple mix works...
Basically, on a triple mix, the oxygen is diverted into two paths - inside each propane jet and around it. This allows for more complete combustion. It isn't using any more oxygen to do this - it is just seperating the available oxygen into those two paths. In fact, the combustion is so much more efficient, you end up using less oxygen for the same amount of (actually even more) heat you would get on a standard torch. This is why a Phantom, with 21 jets, can generate more heat than a CC+ with at least three times the number of jets. Also, the Phantom can generate more heat than a 40mm Herbie while using a fraction of the oxygen for the same reason. And for the sake of this discussion, this is why the Lynx can get a much hotter flame (when needed - you can certainly dial in a cooler flame, too) than the Minor (or any of the similarly sized standard mix torches).

What the triple mix does...
Besides combusting fuel more efficiently (using less oxygen), the triple mix also affects the shape of the flame. This is how you can get the wider range of flame shapes on a triple mix than on a standard torch.

When you use less of the blue valve (what controls the delivery of oxygen to the injector jets), the torch behaves more like a standard torch, and the wider the flame will be. The Lynx flame can get to around 7/8" or so at the shoulder when using a minimal amount of the blue valve.

When you use more of the blue valve, the more the triple mix is employed and the narrower/more focused your flame becomes. It also intensifies the heat. Many people working boro like to use more blue valve to get a thrusting flame. So, typically, when working boro this way, the flame shoulder width will be slightly narrower than it would be if you were working with a soft glass setting or a setting used for thinner hollow boro work. It will be a hotter flame, even if it is narrower, though, because you are employing more of the triple mix feature.

When using the red and blue valve only, you get a very hot narrow flame. You can adjust it down to the super pin-point flame you hear people talking about.
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Last edited by kbinkster; 2008-10-23 at 8:48pm.
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  #10  
Old 2008-10-23, 11:48pm
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Thank you all so much! I ain't gonna go for a barracuda (a little out of my budget range, plus after reading some comments Pam Dugger made, I've realised that it might give me too much of a wide flame with the outer fire and not enough using just the center one).

So now, it is just a question about the lynx or the cheetah... I guess for the limited difference in price, I should get the cheetah... What do you think? For medium size beads and large focals, all soft glass (at this point) and I'm on tank O2...


PS. Yes, Beau it's sort of a captain's wheel
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  #11  
Old 2008-10-24, 2:10am
Reenie Reenie is offline
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I have a betta and I love it. I don't work really, really big but I like the fact that it works on natural gas for me.
I can do boro on just one oxycon but I do have two set up.

I'd love to try the crickett but I know I had problems running the bobcat with either the natural gas or the oxycon. It just had no umph. Can't remember which one.
If the cricket ran on natural gas and an oxycon, I'd love to get one just because.
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  #12  
Old 2008-10-24, 3:39am
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Irene, 8 months ago, when the idea of going for hotter torch than my minor kept coming up, I was considering a betta (I don't recall why I wasn't thinking about a lynx then). But after reading quite a bit about the cricket, it feels like they are similar but the betta costs much more...

And after the answers I've got here and reading some more about the lynx and the cheetah, it's really going to be one of the two... but which?
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  #13  
Old 2008-10-24, 8:17am
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I love my cricket, but I really want a Lynx
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  #14  
Old 2008-10-27, 7:08am
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What is the difference between the Lynx and the Mega minor?
I have 2 DeVilbiss oxycons and am on a Mega right now and i'm missing something, maybe a tiny bit more of everything?
Squid, why would you rather have the Lynx instead of the Cricket?
Isn't it more difficult to reduce or strike with a triple mix?
Now my head is spinning again from all this reading about torches
Sorry, lot of questions.........
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Old 2008-10-27, 7:28am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beadzz View Post
What is the difference between the Lynx and the Mega minor?
I have 2 DeVilbiss oxycons and am on a Mega right now and i'm missing something, maybe a tiny bit more of everything?
Squid, why would you rather have the Lynx instead of the Cricket?
Isn't it more difficult to reduce or strike with a triple mix?
Now my head is spinning again from all this reading about torches
Sorry, lot of questions.........
The Lynx is hotter than the Cricket (and the Mega Minor), but also requires a lot more oxy.
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  #16  
Old 2008-10-27, 7:30am
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Is it doable with these 2 oxy's? Cause i don't wanna get tanked and 3 oxy's seems a bit much.
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Old 2008-10-27, 7:40am
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Beadzz did you read Kimberly's post?
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  #18  
Old 2008-10-27, 8:05am
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I'm very happy with my Midrange (just to add another possibility). I upgraded from a Minor several years ago. It's a larger flame, which makes it easier to maintain heat in larger pieces, and it's a very un-fussy torch. It works best on natural gas, IMO. See my sigline below for my full configuration.
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Old 2008-10-27, 8:15am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowbird View Post
Beadzz did you read Kimberly's post?
Yes i did but not good enough with all these torches etc. flying around in my head, sorry and thanks!!
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Old 2008-10-27, 9:33am
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If I recall correctly, two 3 lpms will power a lynx, but it would only be adequate. You need more pressure and more oxy to get the full benefit of a lynx.
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  #21  
Old 2008-10-27, 9:44am
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On two 5 LPM oxycons a Lynx will still outpower all the other six and seven jet torches on the market.
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Old 2008-10-27, 10:18am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kbinkster View Post
On two 5 LPM oxycons a Lynx will still outpower all the other six and seven jet torches on the market.
That is good to know, thanks.
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  #23  
Old 2008-10-27, 11:25am
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It can get kind of confusing to read that one torch will perform at x% of its capacity and another torch will perform at y% of its capacity when you don't know exactly what that torch's full capacity really is.

If, say, torch A performs at 100% on a 5 LPM concentrator and torch B performs at 80% on a 5 LPM concentrator (these are hypothetical numbers), at first glance, you might think that torch A would be the hotter torch. Well, you would have to know what torch B could really do at 100% to understand what 80% would be and that 80% performance of torch B may very well exceed the 100% performance of torch A. And indeed, that is the case with the Lynx.
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