Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater Review

Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater
Retail Price: $144.40
Amazon Price: $88.66
Winters are cold in my area, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to work outside.  The Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy 4,000-9,000 BTU Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater has made it possible for me to comfortably work in my garage on even the coldest days.  It can heat spaces up to 200 square feet, which is enough for my small garage.  It’s clean burning and is approved for indoor use.  The reason it can be used indoors is all its safety features.  The machine shuts off if tipped over, if the pilot light goes out, or if the oxygen in the room gets low.  I’ve brought it inside a few times when the power has gone out and have had no trouble at all. There’s a push knob that makes the pilot simple to light that also lets you choose between low and high settings. A fold down handle and swivel out regulator are a couple of welcomed conveniences that have been added on.  For efficient, portable heat, I don’t think you can do much better.

Pros:

  • Safety Features: The F232000 has some great safety features built in that make me comfortable using it in the house.  If the heater gets tipped over or if the pilot light goes out it will shut itself off.  The same goes for if it detects low oxygen levels in the room. It’s a bit of a relief to have something on hand if the power goes out, especially if I’m not home and my wife and daughter need to set it up themselves.

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  • Push Knob: Sometimes the power goes out when I’m not home, so my wife sets it up for a bit of heat.  The push knob makes it very easy for her to light the machine.  The knob also lets her choose between low and high heat, which is useful if the power is out for a while.  Once the house gets warmed up a bit we just switch it down to low.

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  • Heats A Big Area: The F232000 can take on a reasonably large area even on cold days.  It heats up my garage quickly, as well as my back porch. I’ve had friends who have an RV that use the same model when they’re traveling in the winter.  They say it has no problem keeping the entire vehicle nice and cozy.

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  • Heats Quickly: Another nice thing about this heater is that it gets into gear very quickly.  I don’t have to leave it on very long at all until the garage is comfortable enough to work in. If the house is cool and we have it on in the kitchen it usually heats things up before the furnace does.

Cons:

  • Knob is Finicky: This is just a minor complaint, but the temperature control knob is a little bit difficult to move.  You have to jiggle it a bit to make it go where you want it to.  The push-in lighting function works fine, though.

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  • Wind Can Blow out Pilot: When I’ve used this heater on my back deck I have noticed that the wind can knock the pilot light out pretty easily.  When that happens the machine shuts off and you have to start over.  While I don’t mind too much because it’s a good safety feature, I would recommend setting up some sort of wind screen if you plan on using outside very often.

I’ve trusted Mr. Heater products for years, both at work and at home.  The Mr. Heater Double Tank-Top Propane Heater – 8,000-28,000 BTU, Model# MH24T and the Mr. Heater MH18B Portable “Big Buddy” Heater are two other models I use quite frequently.  The MH24T is kind of ugly, but it puts out a lot of heat for work areas.  The MH18B is great for inside the home and comes with mounting holes to keep it on the wall.  The F23200 is sort of a happy medium between the two.  It’s rugged enough to use in a work area, but it’s also safe to use inside the home.  It doesn’t have the mounting feature that the MH19B has, but it definitely looks much nicer that the MH24T!

Having a space heater like the Mr. Heater F232000 is a blessing when the weather gets cold.  Whether I’m in the garage or in the middle of a power outage, I know I can count on it.  It has some good safety features for use inside the home, it’s easy to move and to turn on, and it’s very efficient.  If you’re looking to keep your deck, your RV, or even your kitchen warm when the weather cools down, I think you’ll be really happy with this machine.

Price Alert: Right now Amazon.com is offering free shipping and a 36% discount for the Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater. This means their current price is $51.40 cheaper than the usual retail price.

Click here to buy Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater from Amazon.com