Big Buddy Heater Junk!!

[jltimm]

I recently used my Big Buddy heater on 2 seperate outings,and today the pilot light would go out ,then the unit would shut off!It did this about 10 times and it was REALLY ANNOYING!I have a 5ft hose from a 20lb tank and had it on high the whole time.Maybe I'll have to go back to the heater cooker,something I can trust!!Also I noticed the heat from this unit didn't have as much as the sunflower type heater?I used it in my Eskimo QF 3,and it wasn't as warm as when I've used the suflower heater!I had the house banked good to with no drafts coming in.

[Dano2]

oh ya, sportsman warehouse, I always forget about that one, still haven't even been there. I thought about printing something out for the guy, butdecided its not worth my time.

I will get another one once the bugs are worked out, if they are, but will buy it somewhere else.

thanks

[Stradic]

Frank,

Yes I know they always leak a little when you first put them on. But mine leaks really bad, and continually. I'm lucky I had my glove on or my hand would have been seriously frozen! I couldn't get it to stop leaking, so I grabbed another new tank and the same thing happened. My other buddy from two years ago was just fine, but not this new red one.

[Ed Carlson]

I stopped visiting that chain too after a fishing department manager explained to me that "Backwater Eddy" recomended using only Dip Baits (just like this dump here) on the Red and to use quick strike treble rigs (just like these here) for cats.

I said...Oh...Really...Gee...thats Kewl?

I never use trebles for cats and dip baits are on the bottom of my list for cats...if ya were wondering.

Can you say...BoooooooGus service Eh!!!!

[iffwalleyes]

But "Backwater Eddy said" I can just hear them saying something like that. Ed did you ever let them know who you where or did you just leave? The kicker for me was when I was an employee in their hardware store I went to get a new shotgun. Part of the perk of working there was a discount I ask one of the guys in the gun depart what I could get on of the guns for, he said "I have to go in back and look it up." He must have had to go way in the back because he STILL HAS NEVER come back and told what it would cost. I saw him a little later (about 15 mins of waiting later) I asked how much it would be and he I would have to wait till he was done helping the "Paying Customer". So I guess I wasn't a paying customer could have fooled me. It was really too bad for their store especially now that there are other options in town because I spend just a little bit of money on sporting goods. I think I have been there 1 time since last fall and that was for something less than 10 bucks.

[The Chemist]

Ed: I can't believe you didn't say something like: Oh really? That's what he (you) recommends. I don't recall ever stating that those were in my list of recommended lures. By the way I am Backwater Eddy.

It is funny how some people use tidbits like those to sell certain types of baits to someone that doesn't know much except the names af a few of the "popular" anglers.

I try to stay away from salespeople 'cause I have found that they try to push stuff on me that I don't need/want. If I do talk to them it is only to find the location of specific items.

If I'm looking for knowledge/advice I get it here.

[Ed Carlson]

Don't get me wrong, there are lots of great sales folks in the sporting retail biz. I feel them out and see if they are just trying to sell me something or trying to help me find what I need.

Those folks who say well, we do not have that but so & so down the street does gets my vote too. If they have other options that may work better along the same lines I am always interested in seeing them and I appreciate the effort.

I do some sales so I know the feeling you are trying to help where you can. Yet if a customer comes up to me and asks for info on a "THX-1418 2005 model WPL Whoola Hoop" and I do not have a clue what it is or what it does I'll say so, and try to find a sales person that may be of help....and not try to bluff my way through it.

Some stores hire people who have specialized experience in the departments, and others hire them to fill the opening. You can easily see who is who when you visit a few sporting stores. The guys and galls that live the outdoors lifestyle really make the customers shopping experience a better one.

iffwalleyes- You asked if I ever told him. I was trying to order Gamakatsu 8 O/T circle hooks and after a long time of trying to convince him that was indeed what I wanted he said he would "try". Then offered him my info so he could call me when they came in. I gave him my "Backwater Guiding" biz card, and left. Still waiting for that call Eh. It has been 16 months now. I wonder if he lost my card?

[iffwalleyes]

Nice I like that...

[reddogadventures]

I'm glad I checked in to see these reports. I've been shopping for a different heater and was up on Red Lake this past weekend with a friend who owns a Big Buddy. It was my first exposure to a Big Buddy. We were in his Otter Resort. Temps were in the 20's...and so were the winds! His heater worked great on all temp. settings and would cook us out when set on high. No problems lighting it or keeping it lit. I don't know what the causes some of the problems that I'm reading about but my friend used a 20# tank, a threaded hose connection(verses the quick couple option), and kept his tank outside the house, inside a five gal. bucket. I'm not a gas expert but my past experiences with other gas heaters has taught me to start out with full tanks, open the tank valve wide open and control the gas flow with the heater's controller. Again, I'm not a gas expert but I believe pressure is key so I would stay away from the one lbs. tanks and use either the 20 or 25 lbers.

God bless America and our troops!

[marine_man]

reddog...

The root of many of these problems were directly related to the recall that Mr Heater issued early last year (2005)...

I haven't heard of too many people, if any, that are having problems with their big buddy this year...

marine_man

[iffwalleyes]

Reddog they appear to have to problem fixed. I had problems last year but after the recall the one they sent to me has been working flawlessley. So I wouldn't hesitate to pick one up now. As always one should wait to buy till the second year of production. It always seems like it takes the first year to get the bugs out. As you can look back at my post last year I was less then happy with the big buddy. But this year they have really impressed me I can't say anything bad about them. I think they way they handled the recall was great so there customer service gets a A+++++++++++++++++++++++ from me.

[Surface Tension]

Correct, that was last years problem. I haven't heard any complaints with this years models.

[reddogadventures]

Thanks guys for the update. I'll be shopping for one today.