A double discharge TEA CO2 laser of simple design has been tested. The linearly polarized beam delivers a total energy of 14 Joules in 25 ns. The influence of the different gas mixtures on the problem of arcing, delay between pumping and lasing, and evolution of the light pulse, has been investigated. Using 0.1% xylene in the gas mixture, 200 Joules per liter were fed in the glow discharge without arcing. The maximum efficiency is 6.5%.