Heater buddy vs. Sunflower

[TubaDr]

I have the heater buddy Jr. that I used in a 5'X8' suitcase shelter last year. I now have a 6'X6' Hub style shelter. My question is do I need a bigger aka more heat heater? I'm looking at the sunflower/cooker type heater. Just woundering if I'm thinking right or am I over thinking.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[fishersofmen]

I love my sunflower but would think your buddy would still work just fine.

[eyeguy 54]

Sunflowers get mighty hot and are noisy. I'll put up with a few shivers for no noise. Buddy should work fine unless it's really cold and windy.

[Nordern]

With the 6 X 6 you may want to upsize the to the Big Buddy. ($99 @ Menards last time I looked). The fan works great to move around the heat and keep the condensation down. Using the hose kit with a 20# tank outside the shack is also very nice.

[icekid10]

You should be just fine with the buddy heater. I use that heater in my buddies 12x8 perm and it keeps us nice and cozy

[tsande00]

You are going from 40SF to 36SF. I doubt you'll need a bigger heater, unless you ceiling is much taller in your 6x6 which is unlikely since the suitcase styles typically have pretty tall ceilings.

That said I love my Sunflower. Never lets me down.

[LightningBG]

I think its a good idea to have both.

the heater cooker would only be needed if its really cold or windy, but its always a good idea to have a backup in case something happens to your main heater. Especially if your walking or on a sled/atv, where you cant hop into a warm truck if something happens.

[fishwater]

I always carry both too. The sunflower usually makes me sick after a couple of days of using it, so I like the buddy. I can't rely on the buddy though, so I need the backup a sunflower affords.

[Northlander]

After 5 buddy heaters, none of wich worked right, I stay with my base camp model or a cooker. I need reliable heat and the buddies just were not reliable!

[shizzy]

I have a Quick Fish III and use a buddy heater. unless its stupid cold out it works fine.

[NCLaker]

Big buddy heater with sunflower as a backup. If I am not taking the 11# tank, then I have a cooker as a backup. If temps are warmer, then the little buddy is fine.

[opsirc]

I like the mr heater/cooker. I can always laid it on it's back and cook with it.

[pulleye16]

I've had my buddy heater for about 3 years now and at first I thought it was great with the low O2 shut off, don't feel as "sick", and doesn't burn holes or have to wait an hour before packing but....I like reliability also and nothing beats the sunflower heater cooker. Way warmer, doesn't randomly shut off when bumped or when the door closes, sometimes it takes forever to light.

[hamms-scooter]

Like what was said earlier, if using my scout or temps are warm and using my guide I use the buddy.If anywhere near 0 degrees or even 10 with a wind ....I bust out the heater cooker which is the most reliable out there.

[IceCrappie]

I always carry both too. The sunflower usually makes me sick after a couple of days of using it, so I like the buddy. I can't rely on the buddy though, so I need the backup a sunflower affords.

With the sunflower make sure to unzip the door a little bit to get air flow through the house. it'll take care of the sickness, thats actually carbon monoxide poisoning your getting there. Believe me, doc told me that last year.

[tonkapat]

Before getting the sunflower make sure and figure the price of all the stuff you will burn a hole in and wreck. Most sunflowers get quite expensive over the years. Easy to tell sunflower users by the burn holes in there fishhouse. Don't fall asleep with that thing running either.

[fishwater]

With the sunflower make sure to unzip the door a little bit to get air flow through the house. it'll take care of the sickness, thats actually carbon monoxide poisoning your getting there. Believe me, doc told me that last year.

Yeah, I here ya there. I try and only use the sunflower when I need it, seems I get a sore throat pretty quick even with a stiff breeze flowing through my shack. I'm a sensitive guy.

[shorefisher]

Sunflower all the way and you don't have to have a back up. If you are getting sick and are letting in a little fresh air you should make sure your sunflower is burning clean.

[Ed Carlson]

Mr. Heaters are good units, both styles.

The Buddy Series with more features, also bring more potential for user related complications. Adding the filter when running off a bulk tank hose is a wise addition, and heads off most known complications.

The Heater Cooker is fairly reliable and proven and safe if well maintained and you fallow good venting procedures.

I do wish they would upgrade the Heater Cooker Sunflower Series. Build them up and make them a bit more durable. They are overdue for a upgrade.

The unprotected thermocouple has been it weakest point over the years and prone to damage and failure when you least need it to fail. The mixing chambers tends to wiggle loose too after while and cause poor performance if you do not watch to keep things tight. They could beef it up, and improve it's performance I think. Keeping a spare thermocouple on hand and ready in the field, is always smart.

[cabin]

Had a Buddy Heater. Would not stay lit. Very sensitive to any movement.

[Esox_Magnum]

Before getting the sunflower make sure and figure the price of all the stuff you will burn a hole in and wreck. Most sunflowers get quite expensive over the years. Easy to tell sunflower users by the burn holes in there fishhouse. Don't fall asleep with that thing running either.

25 years nothing burned yet.

[osok]

I have the "buddy portable" (smaller red buddy heater) and I love it for heating. For safety reasons I switched from a sunflower heater/cooker when my daughter was old enough to join me on the ice. I also converted it to run off a large tank b/c I hated filling the landfills w/ 1# cylinders (instead of leaving them on the ice like some other do).

Last year we ended up using it to heat a fairly good size perm when the main heater failed to fire. And it worked great, didn't get it tee shirt and shorts hot in there, but made it comfortable enough. So heating your hub shouldn't be any issue.

You definitely want a fan up high to circulate the heat and air. There are so many options out there and they all work so I'm not going brand specific.

[tsande00]

I've never burned anything either. Seems you'd have to be pretty careless, but then again I've also been using a sunflower heater for 20 years and maybe I'm just used to it.

It's painfully obvious that these Buddy Heaters are plagued with problems. Not just on here but from guys I've spoken with and family members too. Now, I'm not against owning one, but you dang well better have a Sunflower with too as a backup.

I wonder what TrapperDirk uses out in the bush?

[Surreal Deal]

Just an observation, but it seems like the anti-buddy people are also died in the wool sunflower users. Maybe there isn't a third option that comes close, who knows.

I have been using a sunflower (Mounted horizontally on an 11# tank) since practically forever. Over the years the only mishaps that I have had were an occasional melted line here or there. Sunflowers are safe enough to use, IF you use your common sense and exercise caution. Plus the freestanding ones do offer the option to use them for cooking.

I got a brand new flipover last year, and was a little nervous that I might burn a hole in the side of it or melt the door or something. I got through the season OK because, again, I used common sense and was careful. With reflectix installed I often cooked myself right out, even with the 'flower on the lowest setting.

However, like Osok, I do have a safety concern in the form of a kid, so this year I purchased a big buddy. I'll be running it with an external tank and a rechargeable 6v battery to power the blower. I have not been out on the ice with it yet but I am optimistic that it will do the trick for me.

A nice discussion to be having, anyway. Back in the day the only heat source I had was a red single mantle Coleman lantern.

[pureinsanity]

Would you like an opinion from someone who has used both and doesn't ice fish much? Well here it is.

I think either work great. They all have their pros and cons... Sunflowers can be dangerous, but they do do their job in heating a house up. Yes they are noisy, can be dangerous. Realistically any heater is dangerous.

The bigger mr buddy heaters have a fan in them. They do not push much air in my opinion. My friend also ran into a problem with using a larger tank in his double buddy heater. For some reason he needed to have the small tank attached to the one side of the heater just to keep both sides lit.

Want to push air around? Buy a fan. Coleman sells a battery operated fan for 19.99 at most places. I bought one for camping in the middle of summer. It runs off 4 D batteries and surprisingly works really well at pushing air around.

I guess what I am trying to say is keep what you got try it out. If its not working for you go buy the fan put it someplace that will push the warm air downward. If that doesn't work look at upgrading your heater, or buying an additional one.

Typically for me I do not like it hot. The people I fish with have the heaters working full blast and they are dressed for -20 degree weather. I myself have already taken off all my layers and are sitting in a fish house in jeans and a t-shirt.