Mr. Heater Big Buddy vs. Cooker

[jigginjim]

I bought the double burner sunspot heater, Rigged up a platform to cook brats and dogs on.

[Sandmannd]

Heater/cooker for me. Have been with folks with the buddy and mine will run circles around the buddy for heat. And it's a lot cheaper to buy. I can cook out there as well.

[Iambjm]

I am headed into town today to buy the Mr. Buddy heater, L&M Fleet has them on sale for $69.99. I will then have the sunflower type on the 20 pound tank and this one. I very rarely used the 20 pound one.

[DTro]

I am headed into town today to buy the Mr. Buddy heater, L&M Fleet has them on sale for $69.99.

I'm guessing that must be the smaller Buddy Heater.

You will see a significant difference between that and the sunflower

[Iambjm]

We used the sunflower one in my tent at a couple of craft shows and ended up burning holes in the sides. I actually hate the thing cause it takes up too much room, this one will be better all around. Yes it is the smaller one, but I don't need to be roasting, just comfortable.

[7outof10]

the big buddy makes really good tost just set it right on the top of the grat and i love the big buddy

[Kodiak]

my cooker flamed out a couple times and about burnt down my portable, now use a BB

[Shawnny B]

OK, so noone braught up the fact that the big buddy heater has MORE BTU as the Mr Cooker, (big buddy has Multi-position heat settings of 4,000, 9,000 and 18,000 BTU/HR control comfort level. Built-in oxygen shutoff sensor and tip-over switch ensures indoor safe operation, the Mr Heater cooker has BTU’s - 8, 12 and 14,000 BTU/HR) I dont understand how one can think its got more heat.

The thing I like about the Buddy heater is that it has a LOWER setting than the cooker and a higher setting, it has the low O2 senser and I havent had any issus with it not running in a breazy condition. I had an older Clam with out the door so I had to open it up everytime i needed to go out of the portable, and I think it blew out maybe once, then I always put the portable back towards the wind.

As stated before I ran into an issue where my Cooker had FLAMMED up almost tourchin the inside of my portable, I ended up tossing the whole burning flameball out into the snow and quickly kicked snow on to it to put it out, I WILL NEVER have one of those in my house again. I have both the older budy and the big buddy and I LOVE THEM!

just my .02

[MUSKYMAN1011]

Sunflowers burn my eyes !

Buddy heaters do not seem to Burn my eyes nearly as bad.

[Jim Almquist]

The best thing about the Big Buddy's is that they produce very little noise. I just wish they would put out more BTU's.

[FISHINGURU]

the cooker puts out way more heat then the big buddy...i can't even sit in my portable with it on high...i run mine off a 20gal tank that i keep outside the portable and run the black hose under the shack before i pack snow around me...keeps it in perfect position and never gets close to my canvas.

i never worry about an oxygen censor cause i like fresh air coming in...mainly i keep the cooker on low and my air vents open up top and a window...or i don't zip the door totally shut....i really only like to stay as warm as it takes to keep my holes from freezing.

i don't know about you guys but i get hungry when i fish...its nice to be able to warm something up or totally cook things on the cooker.

[Coon]

i don't know about you guys but i get hungry when i fish...its nice to be able to warm something up or totally cook things on the cooker.

Me too and when it's below zero and windy you might need the extra heat these throw off.

[Shawnny B]

I was not guessing that they put out more heat, its a fact, the big buddys put out 4000 btu's more than the cookers, check Mr heaters HSOforum.

MH 12 t cooker/tank top

big buddy heater

I also second the fact that it burns my eyes when the Mr heater cooker or tank top models are running. I have not had any problems with the heater sitting in water, as its got ALOT of plastic on it and it raises the main parts by over an inch. I too run a 20 or 10 lb tank to run my heater, get ALOT of time out of it.

[MOBY RICHARD*]

My cooker would melt a bucket LOL I made a few adjustments to mine and eliminated the cheesy 3 position temp settings to an infinate valve I can adjust to taking the edge off to roasting in -20 temps in my 3 man Eskimo. Rough guess I can adjust from 1500-20,000, tweak the regulator a little I might get a little more. Been running like this for 20 years on that cooker and replaced the screens 4 years ago and a thermocouple once.

To reduce ponding I either turn the cooker to heat up or raise the front a little by placing the metal scoop under the front of the frame. I also run a ceiling fan to help circulate the heat and reduce condensation and frosting.

So how did you adjust it to be able to have unlimited settings???

Also you can make a little tray or wire support for the Buddys that hooks onto the wire grate for cooking, or just prop a small griddle between the wires...

[magicstix]

Yes I agree on the heat BTU outputs. I think they must use volume of L-P to calcalte BTU's cause the cooker puts out way more heat and it shouldn't be that way looking at the #'s. You can look at both ends of the range too. The cooker is 8K on low and buddy jr 9K on high, the cooker is hotter. Same going the other end 14K on the cooker, 18K on the BB, cooker is hotter again. It doesn't make sense but that the way it is.

[Jim Almquist]

It doesn't make sense but that the way it is.

I know exactly what you mean and wished it would put out even more BTUs so it would heat like the cooker and the noise and fumes like the Big Buddy.

[dan z]

love my cookers I run a 20# tank outside and just slide the hose under the frame and pack snow around it. I like the the feeling of if it breaks I'm not out $100.00. I have not ever brike ne thing on them except bending the copper piece that connects to the tip to light the darn thing but thier only a few ne ways so no biggy. I also like that I never have to worry bout carryin them dam 1 pound tanks and such get it over by a cooker and a 20lb tank and your set for most of the season.

[Jiggawhat]

I have used the tank top sunflower and the small buddy and wouldn't trade my sunflower for it any day. The buddies are quieter but just don't heat my house as well as the sunflower. Plus it lasts for a long time on just a 5 lb. propane tank.

[slipperybob]

Yes I agree on the heat BTU outputs. I think they must use volume of L-P to calcalte BTU's cause the cooker puts out way more heat and it shouldn't be that way looking at the #'s. You can look at both ends of the range too. The cooker is 8K on low and buddy jr 9K on high, the cooker is hotter. Same going the other end 14K on the cooker, 18K on the BB, cooker is hotter again. It doesn't make sense but that the way it is.

The BB can warm up the air faster than the cooker can, that's how BTU is calculated. Becuase a cooker disperses heat in a 360 radius, a person sitting close to it will feel like it's hotter. If someone were to take temperature, I'm sure the cooker would be hotter. The BB is kind of one sided. Last year hole hoping, it took the cooker about 10 minutes to heat up the Clam 1060 while the BB was about six minutes. The BB is more efficient at warming up the air. Thanks to cheating with that little fan.

[FISHINGURU]

personally i couldn't care less about BTU

the fact of the matter is if you put a big buddy heater in a portable and put the cooker in an identicle portable the cooker would get that thing way more hot regaurdless of what the BTU says.

i have friends with all sorts of different heaters and shack styles and the cooker can heat them the most....i think thats why they call it the cooker...it isnt cause you can cook on it.

[slipperybob]

That's why BTU has nothing to do with how hot it gets in the portable.

The BB will warm it up faster, but get you maybe only 90 degrees. The cooker is slower, but gets you maybe 99 degrees.

[Ferny]

One thing I've done with my old sunflower was to rotate it down beside the tank. In the normal up position above my 10lb. tank. it was too close to the fabric.

They all have they're place. I think my heater/cooker does more garage duty than anything else. I use my Buddy's big and small for ice fishing. I just don't like the airplane noise of the sunflower type for fishing. They do hold a flame in wind though. My little Buddy would blow out every time I flipped open my Eskimo. I remedied that by picking up an Otter Lodge with zipper door and a Tuff Buddy (like Big Buddy but heavy duty)

As far as stiff hoses check out your nearest LP dealer. I picked up a very flexible hose years ago and it has never gotten stiff in the cold.

I have seen a double catalytic type heater that attaches to a 20lber. I wonder if they blow out easily like a Buddy or not?

Ferny.