which heater should i get

[coombia21]

my buddy heater bounced out of my truck while coming back from medicine today and i was wondering which heater should i get now i liked the buddy but it needs to produce more heat because i get cold easily

[mrfish1991]

get a sunflower heater...they throw plenty of heat and are much more reliable than the buddy

i had both out on the lake today and wanted to fix my buddy perminently....with a hammer

[JoeMPLS]

i just bought a buddy heater today... are they really that bad? it was recommended by quite a few people, but if there are better units out there, i could still return it and get something else.

[Northlander]

Get a good Mr. Heater Cooker. Keep your door or vent open a bit. I havent had a buddy heater out of many that actually worked right.

[mrfish1991]

they are a mixed bag...sometimes they work...sometimes they dont

a lot of the guys on here will tell you the same thing

mine will light up for a minute or two, emit an extremely hi pitched noise...and then shut off

so i switched to the sunflower on a 20# tank this evening...fired right up, didnt shut off, and i had to open the door of my portie half way just to keep it the right tempature...ya she throws some heat

[coombia21]

my buddy worked just great i had it for deer hunting and now i got into ice fishing and it wasnt as warm as i would like now i have a reason to get a warmer one

[terryt]

BIG buddy heater. I've had one for 3 years and haven't had a problem

[mnguy152]

heater cooker is the way to go. Lots of heat and can cook too like beans and dogs lol

[Sandmannd]

Heater cooker is the only wa to go.

[stifler51]

BIG buddy heater. I've had one for 3 years and haven't had a problem

agree, ive had mine about the same length of time and still no problems, i do suggest to get the BIG buddy not the little one, i had the reg buddy heater and it felt like i had that thing on high the whole time even on a so-so day and knew it wouldnt keep up on a cold day. Big Buddy is nice to throw that thing on high heat the house then leave it on lo-med the rest of the time cept when u get a chill or two from time to time or in my case have a girlfriend who i got into fishing but gets cold super quick. I took her out yesterday and it was what -25 wind chill or something and she never got cold with it.

[eric29]

I have the buddy heater and it works fine but not nearly hot enough for what i need it to be. I never use it anymore tho. I have one of those old milk house heaters now and that is the way to go

[&JAG]

Sunflower more heat and reliable. Just be safe C02 is a _itch!

[croixflats]

I think it depends on what you are fishing out of. A flip over a cooker would be better but a suitcase style shanty the big budy would be better IMO.

I have the Big buddy in my Northlander and it cooks me out on high. I ran out of propane in mine ounce so we brought my buddies cooker in, to lazy to switch taks, and man my eves were burning from the fumes gotta have lots more ventilation for the cooker.

I had mine since they first come out with the Big Buddy and still going strong. The new ones now look like they are having quality problems with them now.

[harvey lee]

Mr Heater Cooker for me. I also have a small Mr Buddy but I believe my Mr heater is a bit wrmer.

[NWBuck]

I hate to say it, but I think the perfect heater is TWO heaters. I have a Mr. Heater that works great and is really convenient to use with the one pounders, but on the coldest days (like this past Saturday), it just isn't warm enough. That's when I use the sunflower heater on a propane tank. It was perfect, but on days when it is say 15 degrees or warmer, it is just too much...even on low. Anyway, that's my take...good luck.

[jigging-matt]

I would get a sunflower or a cooker/heater. Especially if you have a flip over.

[KG243]

Get a bigg buddy, if that doesnt keep you warm nothing will. I used mine on a -35 day and was fishing in jeans and a hoodie with the heater on med. 90% of the time. The high setting is way too hot unless you want to fish in shorts!

[Ed Carlson]

The heater/cooker is a good unit for it's flexibility of use for the sportsman, as well as heat generated.

But...is it just me... or could it be updated a bit?

I think it is time they look at updating the support frame so it is still cooker friendly, but more shack, storage, and transport friendly.

I see room for improvement there.

[fisherman-andy]

I had the bad experienced of purchasing a Buddy Heater and not being able to get it to work this past Saturday ice fishing in the Chisago area. It would start and the pilot would light up but almost impossible to get it to fire up to start heating.

I got it to work a few times at home to test it out. But when we brought to use this past Sat it was horrible. I was able to fire it up once to heat, picking it up and moving it around would cause the heater to go out easily. The pilot lights up, but thats about it. After fiddling around with it for a good 30 minutes we gave up because the heater wouldnt fire up anymore. Luckily my buddy brought his handy sunflower heater powered and we were saved from the blistering cold -20+ windchills.

I returned the buddy heater the next day and got me the Mr Heater cooker/heater unit instead. That unit fires up and heats very well and only takes up small space. As with propane heaters, just make sure you have some ventilation when using it.

[bak2MN]

See my post above int the flexible hose.

[can-man]

I have a Buddy Heater for the last 4 years never a problem. This year I bought the Big Buddy with 12 foot hose and filter hooked up to a 20# tank works great. Don't like sunflower because of the CO

[hondarider550]

I just bought a single sunflower heater this weekend and wow what a great little heater... Kept our shack toasty... And very reliable. I have a double burner sunflower and they are great too but mine just needs some tender loving care... Should be able to get that running again and still have some use for it somewhere...

[Tripleplay]

They all heat but sunflowers like to burn things like canvas walls and my sons snow pants, etc.. I have a Buddy I use in my FT Guide that is just fine on low on most days (usually fishing in bibs with the coat on the back of the seat---cold days I wear the coat). Use a Big Buddy in my 4' x 8' deer stand and with the fan running it really did a pretty good job this last fall with the wind a ripping through the windows. The Buddy sits in another deer stand with less window openings and a bit smaller and definitely stood up to the cold as well. I run the Buddy with the pounders most of the time ice fishing as I hate dragging around the bigger tanks (I have a 10# pancake tank if needed) but in the deer stands both are on 12' hoses and 20# tanks. Plus I have to load my house alone quite a bit and like everybody else I have way too much stuff already so a bigger propane tank is something I want to avoid.

I've seen the heater/cookers in action and they work very well. Good luck.

[FishGUY]

The Big Buddy, I have had one 3-4 yrs and it works great. I also have the cooker/heater and don't like the CO2 and how much room it takes up, you have to keep it away from the walls and equipment.

[tmvikings]

pearson