Buddy vs. Big Buddy

[Flatlander]

I haven't been ice fishing for the past 2 winters, due to a couple vacations to Afghanistan. I'll be heading home in a few months, and would like to change a few things up for next winter.

Currently I use a sunflower on my 11 lb tank to heat my portable. I'd like to switch over to a Buddy heater this winter. My shack is an Otter Cabin w/ an insulated Canvas Craft skin. She warms up nicely in there.

My question is whether the smaller Buddy would do an adequate job. I like it warm in my shack. I'd prefer the smaller guy to save space, but as I said, I like to be warm, so I'd have no problem doing a few mods to my porty to fit the big guy.

What do you think?

Thanks

[Eric Wettschreck]

A little premature but welcome home.

I also have an Otter Cabin. I use the big buddy (when it feels like working) but rarely do I have it on any setting besides low. Personally, I'd stick with the tried and true sunflower but if you want to make the switch I'd say the Buddy will work just fine for you. The problems with the Big Buddy are well documented and many owners have taken a splitting maul or shotgun to them.

Now if it's -30 with gale force winds you'll be wishing you still had your sunflower.

[nubote]

I have the otter cabin with CC insulated tent. I've always been warm enough with the buddy;even on Lake Winnipeg in January.

[CaptainMusky]

Big buddy works just fine if you use the low pressure hose. NEVER had an issue. If you run all the gas out of the line when you turn the tank off it can be a bit difficult to light the next time, but i just turn the tank on and push in the little valve in the end of the coupler, release some gas, hook it up and it lights instantly.

This thing bounces around in my sled, back of my truck had shovels full of snow thrown on it and never once a problem.

For your house though I think the regular buddy would be more than adequate since its smaller than mine and insulated.

[Knoc]

Im with Eric. Id stay with the sunflower heater. I too had bad luck with the buddy heater as well as the big buddy. And when they do work right, they dont hold a candle to the sunflower heater's heat.

[CaptainMusky]

they dont hold a candle to the sunflower heater's heat.

Or carbon monoxide.

[BartmanMN]

I love my Big buddy. If you like it warm and your looking at the buddy series, that is what I recommend. Watch for sales though as they do come down as low as 89.99 at different points of the season.

[EBass]

Just a lil google action and came up with this:

Buddy BTU's = 9,000

Big Buddy BTU's = 18,000

Mr Heater Cooker BTU's= 14,000

I love my Big Buddy heater as well and had it for years now.

[sunniewally]

after using just about every type of heater out there in the last few decades, i just love the big buddy. wide range of heat settings little fan works great for me, use the quick disconnect hose with the regulator, very nice safe heater to use, no getting burned cloths when you get too close like you do with the sunflower or cooker style. made a rack on mine to heat water in a coffee pot, or warm soup or warm up dogs or brats.

[Nisswaguy]

Plus with either Buddy heater, you don't have to listen to the heater all day long! I've had a little buddy for 10 years and I still love it. Works every time!

[tsande00]

Or carbon monoxide.

My Sunflower doesn't put out any CO...or at least not any that is detectable by my meter. Fire up the auger on the other hand....look out.

These Buddy vs. Sunflower debates are always enjoyable though...carry on!

[CaptainMusky]

Plus with either Buddy heater, you don't have to listen to the heater all day long!

+100 on this. You wont believe how pleasant it is to fish without the constant noise!

THe fan is great, the ONLY bummer is the switch gets turned on and the fan is so quiet you dont hear it so the batteries die.

[CaptainMusky]

Well, not sure how precise your CO detector is, but I spent back to back days in the same house. One day using the big buddy, the other a heater/cooker sunflower. The day with a sunflower me and my buddy both had tremendous headaches and ended up opening the door and then spent some time outside. We didnt have a guage to read, but I have had CO issues before and recognize the symptoms and that is exactly what we had happen.

[sunniewally]

capt. u r absolutely right about the sunflower heaters. they will do that. I have spent a week inn my zack shack and all i used was the big buddy, all tho it was either on low or pilot. don't take much to heat it. same in my tent most of the time on low or med.

[headcheese]

i have a buddy i use in my otter cabin. not insulated. it has worked well for me but when its not big enough when its really cold and windy.

[KG243]

i would go with a big buddy.

[Rick G]

Flatlander, welcome home and thanks . Between myself and my friends we have around a dozen Big Buddies, not one of us has ever had an isue with them. I fish around a hundred days each winter too, that should say something for the buddies.

[Flatlander]

Thanks Rick. Not home quite yet, still have a few months to go.

Thanks for the replies comparing the 2 sizes. It's not a question of going with a Buddy or sunflower. I have a sunflower that I've used for lots of years. I'm more interested if the smaller buddy will be adequate for my insulated CC shack while it's -20 on LOTW.

[Eric Wettschreck]

-20 on LOTW you'll be wanting the Big Buddy.

The size difference isn't really that much. Yeah, the Big Buddy is bigger but when it's that cold out you'll want twice the heat. You can always turn it down it it's too much.

[BigFish1]

I just bought an otter insulated lodge last year. My little buddy heater cannot keep up when it is cold and windy. Go with the big one. Again, thanks for your service!

[lispeej]

after using just about every type of heater out there in the last few decades, i just love the big buddy. wide range of heat settings little fan works great for me, use the quick disconnect hose with the regulator, very nice safe heater to use, no getting burned cloths when you get too close like you do with the sunflower or cooker style. made a rack on mine to heat water in a coffee pot, or warm soup or warm up dogs or brats.

Can we see pics of your rack?

[lispeej]

I have a heater cooker and a big buddy. The big buddy seems to burn cleaner and no headaches as what others have said. I use the heater cooker only to cook and/or as a backup incase my big buddy wants to give me a hard time.

So, I would either go with the buddy or big buddy. The difference in prices isn't drastically huge. My brother has a buddy, and for some reason when we go out, we always seem to use my big buddy......

Go with the bigger one and you'll never look back.

[pike79]

flatlander, this winter I was out in the morning when it was -10, when the wind picked up it got cold. I have a 2 person not insulated,was wishing I had the Big buddy.Thanks for your service.

[sunniewally]

here is a link to the idea i used. http://www.iceleaders.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=132730.msg2100557#msg2100557

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg22/bart607/P1010008.jpg if the link is not found try copy and paste http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy341/Rain-H2O/Ice%20Fishing/MrBuddyHeater-Cook2.jpg

http://www.iceleaders.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=132730.msg1800903#msg1800903

http://www.iceleaders.com

[McGurk]

Here's a pic of the rack he is talking about; pretty slick:

I have a both a Big Buddy(4k/9k/18k) and a Buddy X(4k/9k, folding handle), and frankly I like the Buddy X better the more I use it. I also have an Otter Cabin, in which I put in a reflectix cap and back, and I use the Buddy now and leave the Big Buddy at home. It heats up my house quite well, and is very compact for travel between setups. I haven't been out in any crazy cold, though, but if I did I would take the Big Buddy just in case.

If you were in a "20 below on L.O.W." scenario you can always pull out the sunflower, but CRACK THOSE VENTS!!! I got the dreaded CO headache and almost passed out once from a sunflower in my garage, and since then I am very leary about using them in enclosed areas now. I used to use it in a fishhouse too, and hated the noise, that it could burn things up on all sides, and the fact that I had to have a big draft for ventilation.

Good Luck, and thanks for your service!