Buddy Heaters.. Not impressed.

[Knoc]

The other day I was in scheels looking at heaters and figured Id pick up a portable Buddy heater for in my portable fish house. My portable is a 2 seat fold over with a door. That night I decided to try it out in 26 degree weather and I can tell you, I wasnt impressed by any means. I knew I would be losing some heat since I wasnt able to bank my house, but this thing just didnt heat. I even tried it in a room thats off of my garage that is all insulated and finished off and it still didnt heat up worth a darn. So the next day I returned it.

I had read on here about how people are so happy with them and their big buddy heaters. I was mentioning to a friend a couple days later on how I had bad luck with it and he said he had the same thing with his Big Buddy. The next day we were going fishing so I told him to bring it along. With that too I wasnt impressed. This day was in the low 30's both in the flip over and still were cold. We werent freezing but definitly wasnt the "Take off your jacket and relax" heat like my original Mr.Heater on the 20lb tank throws out.

Looks like Im gonna stick with my ol' trusty Mr. Heater on the tank.

Anyone else have bad luck with these "buddies"?

[RumRiverRat]

Sunflower heater > Big Buddy

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Yea, join the club.

[mattpaumen]

I have been using the buddy heaters for a few years now and have no complaints. I originally bought the big buddy when my son started coming with as a safer alternative to the sunflower heaters I had used for many years prior to this. I heat a Clam Yukon and normally get by on a low setting. My 5 year old is normally stripping off his jacket and bibs within 10 minutes. This year, I purchased the buddy heater to heat my one man shack. No complaints so far with this one either. It doesn't get quite as warm, but for me, safety is my #1 priority, especially when my kids are with.

[shizzy]

Huh, I find I rarely bank my shack when I'm using mine unless its down around or below zero. no complaints on mine. Each to his own I guess.

[JediTrav]

It works for those who don't want it to be 100 degrees, but yea if you want your fish house cooking a sunflower is the better option.

[low277]

I have both a buddy heater and a mr heater cooker, I decide which to use depending on temp/wind conditions.

[pulleye16]

If a fish farts, my buddy heater shuts off, way too sensitive. I agree on the heat but they are safer and cause less damage to your shelter during accidents.

[mn_al]

I bought a Coleman Propane catalytic heater. No open flame, quiet, and heats great. Think I paid about $50.

[DaSwede]

I have been using the buddy heaters for a few years now and have no complaints. I originally bought the big buddy when my son started coming with as a safer alternative to the sunflower heaters I had used for many years prior to this. I heat a Clam Yukon and normally get by on a low setting. My 5 year old is normally stripping off his jacket and bibs within 10 minutes. This year, I purchased the buddy heater to heat my one man shack. No complaints so far with this one either. It doesn't get quite as warm, but for me, safety is my #1 priority, especially when my kids are with.

Me too. I can sit in my Yukon on very cold days in just a sweatshirt. The jacket almost always comes off. Now that I put reflectix in it, I'll probably be in a t-shirt!

[amateurfishing]

luv mine, but then dont expect my 2 man portable to be 100 degrees either, for me 35-40 would be a heat wave & prefer staying just warm enuff to not have to take my gear off, otherwise im better of staying home if i want it 70 degrees.

[otis]

X2 and little buddy heater along with reflectix. Warm as can be.

[Jmeyers]

The only problem I've run into with my big buddy heater is when I put it on double heat it seems to looses it's "heating power" and instead of both pads being bright red when it's hot, it's more of a dull color and doesn't give off a lot of heat.

I use a big 5 pound tank to fuel it that I leave sitting out side the tent... My guess is that it has something to do with the cold or frozen propane?? any other thoughts?

[WallEYES]

KNOC

Stay off the blood thinners and you will be fine

[Chris Barlage]

Sorry to hear about that. I personly feel the same way about the smaller buddy heater. Just not enough heat. I have been using a big buddy for going on my 5th year and love it. I have an otter lodge and stay nice and warm. I use it in my perm shack also. When it is in the perm it is off mst of the time after I get the place to temp. Not sure how warm you want it in your porty but mine stays warm enough to just sit in there in my bibs and a hoodie. It is not shorts and t-shirt wather my otter but in the perm it sure is with the big buddy.

[OnAFly]

My buddy heater keeps my denali warm enough for me, but I like it about 35F, so that doesn't take much.

[Neiko]

I had the Mr. Heater/Cooker and little buddy until I switched to the Big Buddy. The Big Buddy kicks out more BTU then the Heater/Cooker so I don't know why you don't like it. I know after almost getting CO2 poisoning I will only use a Big Buddy in my X2. I have it hooked upto a 11# propane on the real cold trips and it works great. I rarely have it on full boar. I do have a 10x10 insulated work shop that I use it in and it heats that up very nicely. If you use a tank make sure you have a inline filter for it.

[pathogen]

No problems with my Buddy heater unless it is very cold and windy. I'm happy with it and don't miss the headaches I always got with the old sunflower heater.

[nate larson]

I think it is nice to have both. I use the heater/cooker on the really cold days. The cooker is also nice for boiling water or heating up a can of soup. If it is in the 20's or above I use the buddy. It is also nice to have the buddy if you plan on sleeping overnight or are going to take a nap and don't want to worry about the CO2.

[fishersofmen]

My experience so far is the total opposite. I had used a sunflower for 15 years prior to this year but decided to try out a Big Buddy when I saw them for 100 bucks. I had been reluctant to this point but based on other guys on the forum saying all the bugs have been worked out I figured why not. I have used mine in the garage and now twice in the portable including last night when it was rather cold out. I am very impressed with this unit. It puts out more heat than a sunflower, doesn't sound like a jet engine, and didn't come home with a headache last night like I normally have in the past. The fan will be great when I need it as well, last night didn't go past medium and didn't need the fan. Sat in a sweatshirt with the window open.

[401TE]

For those who have had issues with their Big Buddy heaters are you running the hoses and filters recommended in the manual? I used a friend's Big Buddy on one of the coldest days of the year last year and it kept my Voyager much warmer than the Mr. Cooker was able to. Not sure if that means my Mr. Cooker isn't working right or what, but I'm switching to a Big Buddy after seeing that. It was also nice not to have the noise or end of day headache, too!

[Eastwind]

I was not impressed with my first Big Buddy at all when I was trying to run it off of two one pound propane tanks. They would always freeze up when I tried to run the heater on high when it got very cold. I eventually started to use a ten pound propane tank and now am happy with it's performance. Sunflowers always made me nervous about getting a nasty burn from them of them starting the d**** portable on fire. I will warn you though that the porcelain heat conductor will shatter if the heater bounces around too much in a tub sled while traveling across the ice behind a snowmobile. My new one always gets bungied down for transport in the fish house sled.

[Summett]

I would imagine it might also depend on the type of portable your using...is it insulated in any way or not. I have a predator w/ R2-Tec and my Big Buddy heated it on the low setting very easily on some of the colder days last year. Wore a T & sweatshirt with no problems.

[Duckslayer29]

Knoc you must be a freeze baby, cause with my Big Buddy in a Frabill Ranger XL 20 deg days it is on low and I'm sweatshirt with my sleeves rolled up. Around zero on high I am still down to my sweatshirt.

[gwiff100]

I first purchased a buddy heater and wasn't impressed with the output. So i returned it and purchased a Big Buddy Heater.... I absolutely love it... safer, Way more than enough heat, most of the time we have to open the doors to our clam voyager b/c its too warm..