Mr. Heater Buddy vs. Coleman Black Cat

[nepa old man]

I'am gonna get a portable heater for the trap scout, whoever has either, what would you guys recommend ? 

[FishDeepCreek]

Go for the Mr heater, everyone that I know that got the blackcat heater from coleman claims it does not put out enought heat. There are now 2 models Mr Heater buddy heaters out now, the new one is called mega buddy or something like that, it is a bigger version. I use the regular old Mr Heater Buddy heater, in my Scout, heats plenty, and has 2 heat setting. The back of the buddy heaters stay cool, so it wont burn your tent either.

[Cook078]

I agree 100 %...I have the BlackCat but it just was not cutting it!!  Picked up the Mr. Buddy (Regular one, not the mega) last year and I am very happy with it.

The BlackCat puts out 3000 btu
Mr Buddy is 3000 or 4000 and 8000 on high..

Mike

[2 dogs]

Go with Mr Heater, I have one and is great for heating or cooking over. My buddy has a Black cat and we leave it home.

[BJ]

I picked up a Black cat and used it only twice. My coleman lantern throws off more heat so thats what I have been using the past couple of years.

[bud]

i have both.....the buddy throws way more heat.  depends on if you are getting alot of flags and need constant rewarming.  the b/c works well if you just jig in a small shack.  the b/c is a pain to light in the cold too the buddy is just a snap of the switch!

[smitty]

I brought the Mr. heater buddy last winter. It worked great in the shanty kept it warm on those wicked colds days last year.

smitty

[hwangler001(formerly icey)]

go to Ebay and buy a Coleman Focus 5 heater,,$50 -$100 bucks, They are not made anymore but plenty on ebay, they are the best. They are almost all used ones on ebay thats ok but make sure the element is not damaged , elements are hard to find. I have four of them.

Icey

[MeadowPikeman]

the black cat works if you have a very small shack like my one man suitcase shack, it actually gets too warm.

[killitandgrillit]

I say this every time the topic comes up...make SURE you have adequate ventilation if you are using a buddy heater. They are NOT, I repeat, NOT monixide free. The black cats, because of the slow, hot, and not open flame burn, have a much lower monoxide release rate. I've fished a few times using buddy heaters, and I always have a headache after. My two cents.

[FishDaddy09]

I have the buddy and I love it!  Mine has a oxygen sensor built in so it will shut off if it gets low. It will also shut off if it's tipped over. I've had mine for 2 years I've used it in the shanty and in the tent while camping. Not while your sleeping though (never use a heater while your sleeping).  I started with a black cat in my opinion they are junk, it's a b***h to screw on the propane bottle and a b***h to light. You also have to wait for the black cat to cool down to change the propane bottle.

[killitandgrillit]

I've never waited for it to cool down to screw on another bottle. You just grab it by the plastic. Maybe you have an older model..I dont know.

The buddy heater will go out if a breeze harder than a fart hits it, that's true, but not good. Oftentimes just opening a door or moving around in the shack will do it. Time to re-light. The oxygen sensor, however, is a PITA if it gets carbon built up on it. It'll go out continually. Being a electrical/computer engineer, I can tell you exactly how much I trust sensors.

[killitandgrillit]

Maybe the bottom line is, just user whatever works for you. No matter how you heat, get a battery powered carbon monixide detector!!!!

[baginwal]

I have both.  If I could only buy one, it would have to be the Mr. Buddy Heater.  It definitely warms the shanty alot quicker than the blackcat. 

[wny angler]

i use a black cat in a one man fish trap - cant even tell its on when the temps drop below 15 degrees or if its a breezy day. the only thing its good for is thawing out my finger tips-i coldnt even cook a hotdog on it 

[fozsey]

I also have the buddy heater and last season I bought a Mr. Heater sunflower heater and an 11 lb propane tank to mount it on. I will use the sunflower when the temp is below 10 degrees F. My buddy doesn't like extreme cold temps. It seems like it puts out significantly less heat. The sunflower with the 11lber doesn't seem to care what the temp is outside. It will keep me at tshirt weather inside at 40 below.