Regular Buddy vs. Big Buddy?

[Brad B]

remember the regular buddy heater is designed to heat up to a 200 SQ FT area and the big buddy 400 SQ FT. so 6'X6'X6'= 216 SQ FT. so I would say go with a big buddy but just keep it set on low. this way if low was not enough then you could go higher if needed.

[mnguy152]

Tried my big buddy tonight for the first time it was great love it.

[wolfman-k]

With the low-oxygen detector for safety & the built-in fan plus the ability to crank it up if needed, the Big Buddy is hard to beat. I would not hesitate to sleep in a fish-house with it as the primary heat source. There may be a couple of small quirks, but easily figured out and corrected, such as the pilot blowing out if the sides of your house aren't banked good enough. I built a small platform for mine to sit on, thus eliminating the pool of melted water under it when it was directly on the ice surface.

[Northlander]

I just got a Big Buddy at Marine General for $109. I would go Big Buddy. Get the quick adapter hose.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I just got a Big Buddy at Marine General for $109. I would go Big Buddy. Get the quick adapter hose.

I think **** might have just froze over!

[mnguy152]

Airjer thanks for the help on getting me setup right with my big buddy. Kept the ice house nice and warm last night had the fan going and my jacket was off.

[MuskieJunkie]

remember the regular buddy heater is designed to heat up to a 200 SQ FT area and the big buddy 400 SQ FT. so 6'X6'X6'= 216 SQ FT. so I would say go with a big buddy but just keep it set on low. this way if low was not enough then you could go higher if needed.

That's not exactely right, 6x6x6 is 216 Cubic Feet (not a comparable measurement to what the heaters are rated for). 200 sqft is about the size of a large bedroom, about 14x14. 400 sqft is the size of a 2 car garage, 20x20.

A 6x6 ice house is 36 sq ft so in theory a regular buddy could heat 6 houses. Of course that's not the case.

The sqft rating on the heaters are WAY over rated. If I use my big buddy in my 500 sgft insulated garage you barely know it's on.

I'm not trying to nit pick your post, just trying to get info out there, hope this helps.

[Northlander]

Originally Posted By: Northlander

I just got a Big Buddy at Marine General for $109. I would go Big Buddy. Get the quick adapter hose.

I think **** might have just froze over!

Ya I know. This will be my 3rd and they say all the bugs are worked out. If not it goes back and Ill never mess with them again.

[DrSwiftwater]

I was at Fleet Farm this morning, and they had 50-60 Buddy Heaters on the shelves, and not one single Big Buddy...completely sold out.

I've used a Buddy heater for the last few years, and I agree with others, they work fine until the temps drop below 10F. Below this, and they just don't keep up. However, I lined the ceiling of my Clam 5600 with Reflectix just this year, and it's amazing how much warmer it is. Then again...if I had to buy a new heater, I would go with the Big Buddy.

[Brad B]

Originally Posted By: Brad B

remember the regular buddy heater is designed to heat up to a 200 SQ FT area and the big buddy 400 SQ FT. so 6'X6'X6'= 216 SQ FT. so I would say go with a big buddy but just keep it set on low. this way if low was not enough then you could go higher if needed.

That's not exactely right, 6x6x6 is 216 Cubic Feet (not a comparable measurement to what the heaters are rated for). 200 sqft is about the size of a large bedroom, about 14x14. 400 sqft is the size of a 2 car garage, 20x20.

A 6x6 ice house is 36 sq ft so in theory a regular buddy could heat 6 houses. Of course that's not the case.

The sqft rating on the heaters are WAY over rated. If I use my big buddy in my 500 sgft insulated garage you barely know it's on.

I'm not trying to nit pick your post, just trying to get info out there, hope this helps.

my bad I did figure that wrong. thanks for the correction.

[PurpleHaZe]

Ok ive been reading about this big buddy, small buddy post. question? I have a flip over style house and was thinking of putting the big buddy behind me in the sled will this work? i use a mr. heater cooker and I cant put it behind me. Thanks i hope this made sence?

[zamboni]

I don't know. I have a Scout, and I don't think I ever put it behind me. You have enough room to put it between the holes and the front bottom support bar, makes adjusting it and keeping an eye on it easier. Put it behind you and you might smell your suit burning before you know it.

[Big Tom]

I have a fish trap Guide and put the regular Buddy behind me sideways. A Big Buddy wouldn't fit sideways and would start melting stuff.

[daylate]

I use a big buddy with a quick disconnect and a 20 lb tank out side. The key to staying comfortable is to have a small fan up by the ceiling circulating the hot air downward. I use a clam with LED lights that I found at gander. for 10 bucks you will be suprised by the difference it makes.

[walleyvoyager]

I can second that. The fan makes a big dif. But you still need the big guy for good heat.

[LoonASea]

Does every one use the filter required/suggested when running them off a 20# tank ,,,I just picked up a big buddy but coundnt find any filters and im not sure I should use it without the filter (I will not use the 1lb tanks)

LAS

[bikeoutback]

I ran without the filter the last couple years till reading about using a filter this year and picked one up. It should run fine they just say they just say you may get contaminants in the heater which would shorten it's life span. If it were me I'd go out use it have a good time and keep an eye out for a filter in the meantime and pick one up as soon as you find one but I'd rather be on the ice shortening the lifespan of my heater than sitting at home if I can help it.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I ran my big buddy for a couple years without a filter as well. Then I bought the RV quick connect hose with a regulator and still don't have to mess with a filter!

Filters where not an option when I purchased my little buddy and I ran that for a couple years as well.

I think having a new hose might have had something to do with it. I also turn off the propane and let the heater burn off the gas in the hose until it goes out.

[daylate]

Lowes has both filters and the quick disconnect hoses.

[Got A Byte?]

I have a big buddy and it works well unless its really cold. I was using it in a Eskimo Grand Caravan. Its a pretty big flip over.

When the sun went down and it was below zero I would get a little cold.

I now have a mr. heater double burner for those really cold days.

[Bassinbob84]

I have reg buddy, big buddy, and sunflower. The reg buddy sits in the garage unused, the big buddy is my day to day heater, and if it's really cold I hook up the sunflower to my 20# and run the big buddy in the sled with 1# bottles.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Owned a sunflower/lil buddy/big buddy/heater/cooker. I will never ever ever buy another buddy heater, all I ever had was problems with the dang things. Between trying to light the things & keeping them from blowing out/going out I don't know if you'd ever get any fishing in. A heater cooker is $45-$60 a big buddy is like $100. Save yourself the money & the problems.

[thehawk]

big buddy all the way. I had a lil buddy and it didnt heat my shack at all, actually returned it. Bought the big buddy at FF for $90, this was marked down to that from $130. I dont have a filter on mine and she fires up everytime. This is funny...so i got a new porty this year and got it all set up and put together and the wife comes out to the garage for a smoke, we are smokers, but never in our house. so she is like this is cool, turn the heater on lets see how warm it gets in here. so i threw my new heater in there and fired it up. well being the freeze baby she is, she loved the heater and the house, so now we smoke in my porty with the heater on. she has gone thru more propane than I have fishin this winter...go figure!!

[wildmanp]

one gives you "five" and the other one gives you a "slap". My daddy can beat your dadday!

[hamms-scooter]

If you run the big buddy on a 20lb tank do you need to have a splitter hose go to each side of the htr?