Mr Heater MH18B Portable "Big Buddy" Heater
by Mr. Heater
 |
List Price: Our Price: $99.99 You Save: $84.89 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $98.99 (click here) Category: Home See more product details |
Product Details
Manufacturer: Mr. HeaterBrand: Mr. Heater
Edition: Kitchen
Model: F274800
Color: Multicolored
Publisher: Mr. Heater
Studio: Mr. Heater
Music Label: Mr. Heater
Product features:
- Swivel regulators and single control
- Automatic low oxygen shutoff system
- Accidental tip-over safety shutoff
- California approved
- Heats up to 400 square feet
- Battery or A/C powered blower fan for versatility
- Built-in Piezo starter for easy starts
- Key-shaped rear mounting holes for wall mounting
- Large four-position heat level control knob for controlling with gloved hands
- Low, medium, and high heat level control knob for steady temperatures
- Mr. Heater 75,000 BTU 12-Foot Propane Hose Assembly #F273702
- Ironclad Cold Condition Gloves CCG-04-L, Large, Black
- Mr Heater 9,000 BTU 5-Foot Propane Hose Assembly #F273701
- Stansport High Output Propane Stove with Piezo Igniter
- Stansport 2 Burner Stove And Propane Lantern Set
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Mr Heater MH18B Portable "Big Buddy" Heater
Customer Review: A Great Heater.....CONDITIONALLY
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had my Big Buddy for over a week now, having bought it on sale as a supplementary heat source for my recently purchased new doublewide. Said doublewide has an electric furnace (read:convenient, but very expensive and inefficient heat source). It does not have a heat pump which would be somewhat more efficient, and does have a fireplace, which is all but worthless. Said fireplace cannot safely be left unattended with a fire still burning, doesn't put out much heat for the amout of wood used, and I also question the long term fire safety of something of that nature completely enclosed with trim work. Fortunately, Tennessee winters are not that severe, but next summer, a masonry chimney and either a wood stove or vented LP gas stove will be installed. My goal in buying my Big Buddy was finding an inexpensive, efficient heat source to help get me through the winter without an outrageously expensive electric bill, and frequent use of high wattage electric heaters would not save much on electrical usage. I can't use kerosene heaters because my wife is allergic to them and they do stink. I can't make the needed changes regarding primary heat source in the middle of winter, without complications, so........
The reasons above are why I got a Big Buddy. First, this heater rocks and heat output for it's size is amazing, trouncing any similarly sized, and even bigger, portable electric heater. But as I alluded to, there are conditions. First, on high setting, this heater sucks down two one pound bottles of propane in about three hours. Run time is considerably more on low or medium settings. The run times listed in the owner's manual, and available in pdf format at [...], are pretty accurate. So, using this heater with new one pound bottles for anything more than occasional use is neither cheap or earth friendly. As a aside, I am not a "tree hugger", and detest the hypocrisy of environmentalists and man-made global warming alarmists, but I believe we should use our limited natural resources as wisely and as efficiently as possible. I dislike waste and tree-huggers about equally, which is a lot.
Now for one of my conditions. For best portability and efficiency, a potential owner of this heater should be capable of and willing to refill the one pound containers. There is a controversy regarding refilling these. Follow the money! Who is stirring up the controversy and what are their financial motives for doing so? Since these bottles refilled are a fraction of the cost of new ones, it's not hard to see who is keeping this controversy going and their motives for doing so. But be advised that it IS ILLEGAL to transport refilled disposable propane bottles. Yes, there is a small element of risk to refilling them. I accept this risk and I do refill them. My local propane supplier refills twenty pound grill gas bottles for $10 and the mac coupler costs $20, plus the cost of the tanks themselves, so these are upfront costs which will be recouped with much use, but must be considered. About $2.20/gal for bulk propane or $2.73 for a one pound disposable bottle, do the math.
More refilling info is available at these websites, among others:
[...]
If refilling instructions are followed exactly and a little common sense is used, there should be no problems. Anyway, back to the heater. It is American made, and well made at that, so that is a plus as well.
Reviews here and at other websites indicate problems with contamination of the burners and regulators, but those reviewers problems seem to be due more to improper use and not following instructions. If you will fuel your heater with a 20# or 40# tank, you MUST use a fuel line filter, which is designed to prevent said contamination by removing dirt and oily residue. Furthermore, use with one of these tanks would hamper portability, since the heater must be plumbed to the tank in a location outdoors. For safety sake, one of those tanks should NEVER be stored or used indoors indoors for any reason, as a leak would likely have disastrous and tragic consequences.
I have noticed one minor glitch with my Big Buddy. When on high heat setting with only one propane bottle attached, it often shuts down. When two bottles are connected, even if only one has fuel, it doesn't seem to do this. Not sure what causes it, but it is not a big problem so I don't care. As for icing of the fuel containers, this is normal for high fuel flow, and is nothing to be concerned about. After all, we are talking about a fuel gas that could be used as a refrigerant if not for safety concerns.
I do have one gripe: use of this heater with disposable batteries adds to the expense and potential eco-unfriendliness. Batteries aren't cheap, and with high current, high drain applications such as this, they don't last long. So, if I use batteries, they will be rechargeable. I generally try to avoid excessive use of disposable batteries, but that is just my personal preference. I will get a power supply for it though when I come across the right deal, since there is a jack to connect an external power source. I haven't used the fan on mine, so I can't rate the heater on this aspect. I have not, and likely won't use my heater outdoors, so I can't rate it on this point either.
On balance, this is a very well made, well engineered heater with all the necessary safety equipment. It can be a very efficient, earth-friendly, economical heat source, or not, depending on whether batteries are used and how it is fueled. Hopefully I have presented info in this review that potential buyers of this heater need to make an informed buying decision. I generally do my homework before a purchase of this sort and I am sure I am not alone in this tendency.
The following comments were added 12/22/09:
This heater definitely earned its keep this past weekend due to a power outage lasting over two days because of an unusually strong winter snowstorm and temps ranging from mid 20's to mid 30's. We got the western edge of the winter storm that hammered the east coast and mid-Atlantic area over the weekend. The heater was our main heat source in the master bath and bedroom. The fireplace referred to in my previous review proved itself to be about as worthless as ever, not managing to get the temperature in my living room and kitchen out of the upper fifties. My Big Buddy kept 300+ square feet of living space toasty warm overnight on low or medium settings on 2 full (refilled) 16.4 ounce bottles of propane. My only annoyance, which isn't a major problem, is that it shuts down sometimes when running on high settings, with some propane remaining in one or both bottles. So basically, the gist of my review hasn't changed. This is a well engineered little heater with all the needful safety gadgets and awesome heat output for its size, though it's not necessarily economical, depending on frequency of use and fueling method, as referred to in my previous review. My fuel cost rings in at around $1.00 to $1.50 per two full bottles. I cannot really accurately quantify the electric power savings versus cost of propane, other than to say that electricity in my area is around nine cents per kilowatt hour. I was mildly criticized in a comment on my review, and perhaps the criticism has some merit, but I just don't want anyone to purchase this heater with the assumption that it will be cheap to operate if that is not necessarily the case.
Description of Mr Heater MH18B Portable "Big Buddy" Heater
Portable propane heater. Features one button ignition, a tip over safety feature and an oxygen depletion sensor that will automatically shut unit off to keep you safe when using it in confined spaces. Heats up to 400sq. Ft. CSA certifiedHeaters Tools
Tools and Hardware
Bestsellers in Heaters Tools
King WHFC1215 1500-Watt 120-Volt Ceiling Mount Heater, Bright WhiteKing Electrical Mfg. Company; Tools
Best price: $173.46
Price in other shops:
Baseboard Electric Heater, 40" 240V/ 750 WattTPI Corporation; Tools
Best price: $47.99
Pelpro Pellet Stove - 300-Lb. Hopper, Model# HHPP32BDPelpro; Tools
Best price: $2,199.99
Kozy World KWP122 10,000-BTU Vent-Free LP-Gas Infrared Wall Heater with ThermostatWorld Marketing of America, Inc; World; World Marketing of America, Inc; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $143.99
Price in other shops:
US Stove BKAD500 Cast Iron Double Barrell Stove AdaptorUS Stove; US Stove; US Stove; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $35.61
CADET 67532 Com-Pak Twin Plus Wall Heater Assembly Only with Stat 240 Volts/ 4000 Watts 208 Volts/ 3000 Watts (CT402T)CADET; Cadet; CADET; Lawn & Patio
Best price: $173.33
JAMES PHELPS - Cadet Electric Baseboard Heater - 120 Volt, 1000 Watt, White, Model# 4F1000W-1WCadet; Cadet; Cadet; Vinyl; Home
Best price: $37.14
Price in other shops:
Com Pak Twin Plus Replacement Grill Kit in AlmondCadet; Cadet; Cadet; Lawn & Patio
Best price: $27.99
Mr. Heater 90° Low Pressure Propane Regulator Soft Nose POL X 3/ 8 Inch Female Pipe Thread #F273759Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $8.90
Price in other shops:
Mr. Heater 5 Foot Propane Appliance Extension Hose Assembly 1/ 4 Inch Female Pipe Thread X 1/ 4 Male Pipe Thread F273717Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $10.75
Price in other shops:
Similar Tools and Hardware Products
Worthington 303955 20-Pound Steel Propane Cylinder With Type 1 With Overflow Prevention Device ValveWorthington Industries; Worthington; Worthington Industries; Lawn & Patio; Lawn & Patio
Best price: $29.99
Price in other shops:
Mac Coupler Propane Bottle Cap MacCapsK-M Products; Mac Coupler; Sports
Best price: $7.99
Mr. Heater F273704 Plasticizer-Free Green Hose for Portable Buddy and Big BuddyMr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $21.99
Price in other shops:
Raider BCS-26 Black Portable Heater Storage CaseRaider; Raider; Raider; Automotive; Automotive Parts and Accessories
Best price: $21.33
Price in other shops:
Mr. Heater Fuel Filter for Buddy Heaters, Model# F273699Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Kitchen; Lawn & Patio
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops:
Mr. Heater Optional 6Volt Power Adapter for Big Buddy Heater #F276127Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $13.73
Price in other shops:
Mr. Heater F276172 Propane One Pound Tank Refill AdapterMr. Heater; Mr Heater; Mr. Heater; Release date: 2012-01-27; Lawn & Patio; Lawn & Patio
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Mr. Heater 75,000 BTU 12-Foot Propane Hose Assembly #F273702Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $24.97
Price in other shops:
Mr. Heater Hose with Regulator and Quick Disconnect for Big Buddy Heater #F271803Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $29.99
Price in other shops:
Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant HeaterMr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Mr. Heater; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $88.66
Price in other shops: