Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater MH9BX 4,000-9,000 BTU Indoor-Safe Propane Radiant Heater For Campers, Workshops, Job Sites, Patios & More – Red, Black

A must for cold nights
This camping heater has been a total game-changer for our outdoor adventures. It’s so compact and lightweight, making it easy to toss in our camping tote without taking up too much space. The heat output is impressive, and it’s been a lifesaver on those chilly nights. It’s also really easy to set up and use, which is a big plus. We’ve had nights where the temperature dropped significantly, but this heater kept our tent cozy and warm. Safety features are also a big plus, giving us peace of mind while we’re camping. Overall, it’s a fantastic piece of gear that I’d highly recommend to any camper or outdoor enthusiast. I recommend the extension hose for the bigger propane tank.

Love my Portable Buddy!
I bought this “Portable Buddy” as an emergency replacement for the Mr. Heater “Tough Buddy” my son gave me 4 or 5 years ago — the only non-breathing entity for which I’ve ever developed a deep fondness! (The man on the Mr. Heater hotline says it can be fixed, so I’m keeping it.) But I needed heat immediately! I’ve never been happier to see a package at the Post Office!Amazon had a better price than local stores AND could get it to me in 2 days! (No local store had it in stock and it would have taken them at least a week to have it ready for pickup.) That’s far too long for an old lady to be cold.I bought the fuel filter, too — I believe — after some research — that not having one while using a 5-6 ft. hose and a 20# propane tank led to the malfunctioning of my Tough Buddy. (I was able to clean the pilot light tube to get it to light, but — alas — it wouldn’t stay lit for more than 10-15 minutes.)The new Buddy portable heater gives GREAT heat! I live in the mountains in the southwest… in a partly-historic adobe house. I have a furnace, but I hate the blowing air (allergies) and the noise. And I guess I’m just tired of tending fires, though my fireplace has a firebox in it the blows heat throughout the “beehive” exterior. After being in this house for more than a dozen winters, I decided that it was stupid and expensive to try to heat the house, as I live alone… with my companion dog; my objective these days is to heat myself. The altitude hasn’t been an issue.The portable Buddy lights easily and gives the direct warmth of a toasty fire while the vents at the top warm the surrounding area. I love this kind of instantly-warming heat. There is no comparison in my mind to a warm heater (or fire) with fresh air in the house and the stuffiness of a centrally-heated house. I use the heater only in the evenings, for reading and tv watching; I warm up on “high”, but soon find myself switching to “low” and moving the heater farther away. I would never let it run unattended. I enjoyed using my fireplace for years, but you just can’t get a good fire going as quickly as you can fire up this little heater!Compared to my old Tough Buddy, there have been some improvements made to this heater: The attachment (to the 1# propane tank pictured, or to the hose connecting to a 20# tank) now swivels — which would make attaching the 1# tank infinitely easier. And there is a new pilot-lighting mechanism, now part of the main switch. I’m not sure how I feel about this change: It’s worked fine so far, but I’m wondering if it will stand the time test, as I consider this a long-term purchase. The handle on top now swivels back, and there is now an oxygen-depletion sensor in addition to the tip-over sensor. The tip-sensor (in my old model) only went off once; the heater can be slid carefully, just not bumped. My dog treats it with respect, but I’d be careful around small children.The Mr. Heater hotline man told me the Buddy was exactly the same as the Tough Buddy. It may be, mechanically, but the new heater is lighter in weight and a bit smaller; the pad that lights up and gets hot is vertically oriented (TB was horizontal.) However, it’s quite sturdy, and the really important part — its heating ability — is the same. I love it, and I’d recommend it for campers, people working in shops or garages, sports people and to anyone who can safely use a 20# propane tank, which is so much more economical than the 1# tanks. Terrific for emergencies! The caveat is that it shouldn’t be left unattended, including while sleeping.P.S. Buy the fuel filter. I don’t know enough about these things to review it, but I can attest to the fact that impurities (including added odorrants) in propane and the plasticizers in some propane hoses can lead to the untimely demise of this heater without a filter.Also, save the box for off-season storage of the heater; dust and spider webs would have to be cleaned out before re-use. And I’d suggest actually reading the user manual.

Easy to use, works great for taking the humidity out of the tent as well as providing perfect heat in an enclosed space. I used it mainly evenings andand in the mornings. If left on even for a short time this really can heat a place up in a hurry so with all the mesh in the tents these days which works well to provide the ventilation required the heat obviously goes through the mesh and heats up the outer part of the tent as well so you won’t have to pack up the tent damp. It also works fantastic when left on all night on those below zero nights. At first I worried about oxygen deprivation or carbon monoxide build up, that was unnecessary the unit performed flawlessly and now I view it as I would a dishwasher, a necessary luxury to be sure. I built a carry case out of 3/4 inch plywood to set the unit on in the tent giving it height and and enough weight to provide a solid base and alleviate the chance of a knock down. It also raises the unit above the height of most mattresses etc and when the unit is in use extra propane cylinders can be kept inside. The carry case is open on the top and approximately 18″ square. This works extremely well and for those really concerned about the chance of a spill weights could be stacked into the case. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on sleeping bags over the years some rating to -40 C and still felt chilled winter camping, this could have been avoided had I known…

The heat is instant and really well made in the US, not a Chinese imitation. I actually think it is the same company as Dewalt.The site offered me a hose connection kit ‘as if they are bought together’ that was supposed to be made by Mr Heater (which I don’t know if that is true) and was about 1m long and looked like a silver shower hose and had various different connectors so that you can connect it to virtually anything, but it didn’t have the connector in the kit to connect it to the heater itself and I thought, I’ll just order an adapter but no such thing existed. I had to return that and bought another hose by Mr Heater which is about 5m long for around the same price. Be careful with the hoses as the cheap ones get destroyed by the oil and the corrosion/breakdown of the rubber goes into the heater and damages the heater and remember you are inhaling the toxins.I also bought the oil filter from another site and got them imported from the US, it fits perfectly on the heater end of the attachment chain of things. Still means the oil went down the pipe if it is a cheap nasty pipe or the mr heater pipe (which is graded and promise not to break down the rubber) and gets to the oil filter which prevents oil getting into the heater. I say all this because propane is oil based gas… The little 1lb cannisters do not need the oil filter as they don’t have the oil problem in the cannisters but the big red propane bottles do have the oil.I got a bag for it which is actually a cooler/thermal rucksack and it fit the heater inside with the 1lb cannister laid on top and the front pocket with the hose etc. Half the price of the real branded Mr Heater bag. Found here.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09FDR567Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Great heater , compact for camping , easy to use and safe , very warm and economical to use with separately supplied hoes for big propane cylinder , great gear would highly recommend this item