DeWalt DXH12B Propane Mr. Buddy Heater Review

You

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Don't waste your money. I've never returned something so quickly. The fan is LOUD and with only an on setting there's no way to slow/quiet it down. DeWalt should have put the fan on a rheostat style switch or at least a toggle where you can pick high or low or off.

The noise alone made it a deal breaker for me but there are other issues worth noting.

As for the light, same thing, only an on or off setting. It's darn bright (is that good or bad?) and at the perfect angle to blind you if you're sitting facing it or sitting sideways to it. It shoots the light more upwards than down and you can only go higher with the light as you tilt the handle back, so don't plan on lighting up your ice holes very well if at all.

There's high heat and low heat and no medium setting unfortunately.

It's pretty heavy for what it is. The metal is significantly thicker (for what purpose, do grates break?) but the plastic seems to be on par with the Big Buddy heater I currently own. I had hoped that the plastic would be noticeably beefier but I didn't notice that it was. On the topic of plastic, the USB and starter battery compartment's plastic is of the thin, shiny, cheap, black type not unlike what you find under an RC car.

Fortunately DeWalt is all about upgrades, version 2.0, etc.
Beyond the items I've already mentioned, I'd like to see two circular LEDs on each vertical portion of the handle, to the left of the light bar and to the right. The type you can individually articulate any direction.

Ideally while fishing, I'd have the heater at the front center of my flip house, pointing towards me, with the circulating fan on but turned down, the heat on medium, and the top light bar off while the side articulating lights are on and pointing directly towards my ice holes. :)

I'm sticking with my Mr. Heater Big Buddy.
 
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CatDaddy

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Thanks for the review! I feel like taking your suggestions and engineering one you'd buy!
 

shorthairsrus

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Isn't the DeWalt more money. Just some boomer pasting a name on a product made in China by the same dude that makes the buddy. In other words overrated
 

You

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Isn't the DeWalt more money. Just some boomer pasting a name on a product made in China by the same dude that makes the buddy. In other words overrated

Yes, it's something like 159+ tax on up while the Big Buddy can be had for 115+/- or even less if you find a refurb.
 


revolutionz

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I got one. I'm gonna run it this season and see how I like it. You can run 2 1lb tanks in it, which is nice vs the regular buddy. The knob says low/high, but you can turn it slowly and get the panel in between the 2. The light in the handle I only plan on using for tear down when I don't have the lightbar in the house on. The fan I'm not sure how much I use, I don't think I'd ever use it in the flip over, but I could see a good use for it moving the heat around in the hub house. It isn't the quietest thing, but can't be any more annoying than someone running one of those noisy ass vexilars.

I kept my big buddy, and sold my regular buddy. Maybe I'll hate it, but I think it was a decent idea, just not the best execution. I doubt I'll ever use the USB ports, but I like that it has electric ignition.
 

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