Best Propane Torch (Review & Buying Guide) in 2018

Our first model is this beauty, from Bernzomatic and, lets go in early; it is a very well designed tool packing a lot of useful features.

First up is that extremely handy automatic ignition. As we’ll see as we go through the list, not as many propane torches as you would imagine come equipped with auto ignition, so it’s great to see it in place here. It basically just means that you don’t have to search around for your spark lighter all the time – just pull out your torch, click a button to light it up and away you go.

The flame this model can generate is also extremely impressive. This torch uses a swirl flame technique, something only really seen on premium models. This type of flame gets extremely hot, around 3,000 Fahrenheit, helping to make the most of the propane propellant.

So this item here is actually manufactured by a company called Red Dragon, and it is still not painted or decorated to look like one (seriously, they should let us do the marketing for these tools).

What we have here is the first of several multi-use style propane torches that we will have on the list. That long handle makes it perfect for burning out weeds and other ground levels applications. It generates a heat of 2,000 Fahrenheit, so it’s toward the lower end of the heat scale – but still a useful amount, and could be used for the usual vehicle related functions like soldering and light welding.

It’s also a complete propane torch kit, including a striker lighter. That is actually pretty useful, as it can be an item many people forget to pick up when they buy their first torch.

A price tag of over 50 bucks does make this one of the more expensive items on the list – however, it certainly is well a well-equipped tool.

This is another multiuse torch, and one of the larger on the list, with a weight of over 7 pounds. Whilst it does come with a very well designed and ergonomic handle, that weight is perhaps going to make accurate burns that little bit harder after a while.

Hot Max have, in common with some other manufacturers on this list, decided to give the heat output for this torch in BTU. This stands for British Thermal Units, and very simply, one BTU is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one Fahrenheit.

Suffice to say this is a pretty powerful torch. It has two burn levels too, which is useful. A standard burn will generate a good flame, whilst a small trigger on the handle can be depressed for the very cool sounding “Turbo Flame” which will knock the torch into overdrive.

All in all then, one of the heavier torches on the list, but if pure power is your main consideration it may be worth a look.

This small propane torch from Worthington has quite a few interesting points of note. First off, as we said, it’s pretty small, being about 10 inches tall and weighing in at less than 3 ounces. In addition to that it’s also the cheapest item on the list.

So it’s small and cheap. In addition, it has a auto trigger lighter built in, so it’s easy to ignite, whilst the small dial controls propane flow, so it’s easy to use. That small size also makes accurate burns nice and easy, and this torch would be perfect for small soldering jobs for example.

On the downside, it’s an overall pretty basic model, with less than premium level construction and build materials – it’s not a high end hand held torch such as the one found at the top of the list.

That being said, it is a well-designed little tool, and frankly you are getting a lot for a relatively small amount of money.

Our next model is another representative from the Multi-Use section of propane blowtorch. What we have here is one of the long necked variations of torch, though this one is a little smaller than some of the others, with a total weight of about 3 pounds.

Don’t let that fool you into thinking it is going to be underpowered however, with the neat little tool able to generate a heat as high as 3,000 Fahrenheit. It hits those heights with the help of a flame booster, activated by the large trigger built into the insulated, and fairly comfortable, handle.

The torch head is a little on the wide side, meaning that the flame itself is consequently a little wider than some that can be found on the list. That makes it well suited to jobs where you need to apply heat over a wider area, but you may struggle with smaller, intricate welds and solders.

Our second entry from Red Dragon, and this is a propane torch that will appeal to some, and put off others. The main reason for this is that it is a very simple, straightforward design. No trigger for boost mode, no auto ignition, and no swirl flame. Just hook it up to a 20-pound (or bigger) tank, light it up with the bundled striker device and away you go.

In operation, it produces a very powerful flame, and the well-designed 3-inch head does a good job of keeping the burn area nice and tight – though just as with any of the larger Multi-Use models, it will be tougher to achieve accuracy for smaller jobs.

Very well made (right here in the USA) of good quality stainless steel, this is clearly a well put together, very solid tool. It is however one of the more basic models on the list, whilst also boasting one of the highest prices.

This is our second entry from Bernzomatic and it is, to say the least, something of a quirky design. It isn’t, as it might seem at first glance, a modern update of Charlie Chaplin’s walking stick.

Instead, what we have here is a cool mixture of the Multi-Use and hand held models, with a smaller propane torch head at the end of an extended pipe that feeds directly into a smaller propane bottle connected directly to the device.

In one sense that gives this model a kind of “best of both words” design aspect. You have the smaller flame for more accurate burns as typically seen on hand held models, with the large size for easier use in a variety of applications as seen on Multi-use.

It’s certainly an interesting, if slightly underpowered, design.

The fact a model lacks auto ignition will make more or less difference to different people when they are selecting their model of propane gas torch. Whatever you feel about this however, if a torch is being sold as a kit and comes bundled with a striker style lighter, then you want that lighter to be good quality. 

No such joy here, so do anticipate picking up a new striker sooner rather than later – though in truth, they’re not so expensive or hard to find.

Apart from that issue though, this is all in all a pretty decent torch from the Multi-Use end of the design spectrum. It’s very simple, another of the plug and play varieties with no controls – including for a booster trigger – mounted on the device. Simply plug in, light it up and adjust the flow directly via the small valve on the torch bottom.

What it may lack in refined features however it more than makes up for in raw power.

Our penultimate model is a bit of a mixture of torches that have come before on the list. So, on the one hand we have a nice wide, steel constructed nozzle that is connected to a very thin flow valve/pipe – also of steel construction.

That is the kind of design we’ve seen on the more basic versions of these models. However, we also have a really well designed, ergonomic handle, with flow control. That is a very good feature to see, as it places flow – and so flame power – control right into the palm of your hand.

This gas torch is also capable of generating a flame with a temperature of up to 3,000 Fahrenheit, making it one of the more powerful on the list. Without beating the same drum, just bare in mind these types of torch may not be the most accurate with that heat.

Also note this model lack a built in auto ignition, and also does not come bundled with an external, striker style lighter.

Our final model and it’s another product from Red Dragon, still happily ignoring their own company name. This model is another variation on Chaplin’s walking stick. Just like the version we saw earlier then, this makes for a model with a wide range of uses and functions.

This model is a bit more of premium design than the one we looked at earlier however. Whilst that does mean we have a higher price point, we also have a number of useful features built in.

The flame in particular is a step up. Not only is it more powerful, it is also easily adjustable and also remarkably accurate. The torch comes bundled with a decent quality striker to get it started, and it runs off of 1 pound canisters that are easy to attach.

Those canisters do keep the overall weight down, meaning this really is a true hand held model, but do bear in mind that 1 pound of propane is not going to give a particularly long burn time.