About Mr. Heater
Mr. Heater is a brand of Enerco Group, a Cleveland, Ohio company that has worked in infrared combustion heating technology since 1957 and launched the Mr. Heater name in 1984. The brand built its reputation on portable propane and natural gas heating equipment for garages, job sites, and outdoor spaces where a standard electric heater cannot run, whether because there is no outlet nearby or because the circuit is already loaded with power tools.
In 2000, Mr. Heater introduced the original patented Buddy Heater line, which became the reference point for portable radiant propane heat in the indoor/outdoor category. The Buddy Series is built around an Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS) and automatic tip-over and pilot-out shutoffs, and is CSA certified for both indoor and outdoor use in the US and Canada. Every Mr. Heater product carries a 1-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects.
Brand website: mrheater.com
What Mr. Heater makes
Mr. Heater's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Buddy Series Portable Propane Heaters
the Little Buddy, Portable Buddy, and Big Buddy radiant heaters — the Portable Buddy MH9BX is featured on DIYRated — featured on DIYRated
Forced-Air Construction Heaters
propane and kerosene forced-air heaters for job sites and large unheated structures
Contractor Series Heaters
convection and radiant heaters built for jobsite and workshop duty cycles
BaseCamp Camping Heaters
compact propane heaters and cordless forced-air heaters aimed at camping and outdoor recreation
Portable Propane Cylinders & Accessories
refill adapters, hose kits, and propane cylinders that support the Buddy Series lineup
Why we recognized Mr. Heater
The DIYRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. Mr. Heater earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, put to work on real jobs, and judged on merit.
Mr. Heater products we rated highly
Mr. Heater Portable Buddy MH9BX Propane Heater
In our reviews it carries the highest rating of any heater in the roundup, sustained across tens of thousands of verified buyers over more than a decade of continuous production. It runs on radiant propane with no fan, so it works completely silently in garages, job sites, and power-outage scenarios where electricity is not available. The CSA indoor-safe certification, Oxygen Depletion Sensor, and tip-over and pilot-out shutoffs are engineered specifically for unvented indoor use, and the 4,000/9,000 BTU dual-setting knob gives a documented runtime on a single 1-pound propane canister.
Read the Best Space Heaters of 2026: Jake's Picks After 20+ Years of Cold Job Sites guide →What earned Mr. Heater the recognition
- Enerco Group has worked in infrared combustion heating technology since 1957 and has built the Mr. Heater brand since 1984 from its Cleveland, Ohio headquarters.
- The patented Buddy Heater line, introduced in 2000, established portable radiant propane heat as a mainstream category for garages, job sites, and outdoor spaces without reliable electrical service.
- The Portable Buddy MH9BX is CSA certified for indoor and outdoor use, built around an Oxygen Depletion Sensor plus automatic tip-over and pilot-out shutoffs designed specifically for unvented indoor combustion.
- In our testing it carries the highest star rating of any heater in our space heater roundup, backed by tens of thousands of verified buyer reviews accumulated over more than a decade of continuous production.
- Radiant propane operation means no fan and no electrical draw, making it one of our top picks for the specific case where a 1500W electric heater cannot run at all: garages on a shared 15-amp circuit, job sites, ice shacks, and power-outage backup heat.