mr heater blows ass

MR HEATER BLOWS ASS

I’ve mentioned this before, but I recently read an article recommending Mr. Heater brands and then noticed Canadian Prepper had a video out that seemed to also endorse them ( I was just browsing, so I didn’t watch the thing ), and I have to say that Mr. Heater blows ass.  It deep throats mule member.  It is a vile piece of crap.  As an emergency stove, it just might be the next best thing to sliced white bread.  As a heater you use regularly, day to day, it is not only worthless, it is a rip-off.

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Now, call me old fashion, but I kind of expect emergency, LIFE SAVING gear to actually work.  I expect a wee bit more than a disposable one time use.  Okay, fine, you wear a space blanket once.  You don’t expect it to not tear on the second or third time.  But a hundred dollar heater?  To me there seems to be an implicit agreement you will get your monies worth.  A Mylar blanket costs seventy cents ( buying in bulk ), so a one time use is a good deal.  Especially since it is supposed to save your life.

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And if an item is designed and built with an engineered shelf life, do you want to bet your life on it?  It is SUPPOSED to last 500 hours, say, but what if you end up needing it a smidge more?  Or, it fails a smidge before its due date?  You are playing with fire, as well as burning your money in it.  Long suffering minions might recall my jihad against Wal-Mart with their piece of crap camping stove. I’m going to tell the story again, so tough noogies.  While I’m currently SLIGHTLY forgiving of Wally right now due to their below cost commodities, that only buys them so much good will.

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My first Wally camping stove ( sheet metal, fold up, uses propane ) was their brand name ( Ozark Trail? ) for about $20, and it lasted an impressive five years.  That was using it every day for coffee and cooking and heating bathing water.  When that finally failed, hey, no big deal.  I got my monies worth.  I went back to Wally and got the exact same unit for near $30.  Okay, fine, times are tough after the ’08 near collapse.  I get it, inflation.

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That one lasted NOT five years but only five months.  There is really only one thing to fail on those, the pressure regulator.  I figured it was merely a lemon.  Nope. The next one also only lasted five months.  To say I was displeased would be an understatement.  Livid comes closer.  Those whoring pig humpers!  Those greedy twats!  Asswhores! I tried K-Marts unit but it only lasted about 8 months.  Just like their clothing.  Always about 50% more life than Wally’s products ( this was near ten years ago.  Since then, K-Mart stopped producing Less Worse and went to Just As Bad ).

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Thankfully, Sportsman’s Guide offers a cast iron rather than sheet metal camping stove that uses the new type of propane hose/connection that has the pressure regulator on the hose so that the appliance doesn’t need one ( beware only having one of these hoses.  Even if made to last a lifetime-and I don’t know if they are-you NEVER just have one of something ).  And, even with shipping, it is the same price near abouts as the crap Wally one.  How does this tie in with Mr. Heater? Planned obsolescent products. Mr. Heater USED to have good quality.  No longer.

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Mr. Heater used to last for years.  Now, the same unit at a higher price does NOT last through one winter.  And I’m not talking about running the thing all day long.  I’m talking about a single tank of propane a month, and the last two Mr. Heaters I had couldn’t survive the entire single winter.  I had a VERY strict budget.  X miles a month on the truck ( when I had one ).  Four hours a day on the heater ( 120 hours use was one 5 gallon tank of propane at the low 4k BTU setting ). 

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I did this from 2008 to 2012, living up in the RV.  Another propane tank made the percolated coffee.  That warmed us up in the morning.  Okay, not really.  Even bundled up it was usually always cold unless the sun was full ( we froze the first winter ).  The second winter I had added insulation to the interior walls and solar gain was quite impressive.  Like 50 degrees ( in American, not commie metric ) even if in the teens outside.  But hot liquid only made the bundles of wool comfortable.  It was still primitive living.

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The sun went down at 4pm, and the heater was budgeted to run from then to 8pm.  That was it.  Money was for the ex-wife, not staying alive in the winter.  This schedule was adhered to religiously ( making me few friends, especially with the then wife ).  What I am telling you is that there was a strict continuity across different Mr. Heater units.  The older ones lasted several winters.  The newer ones?  You couldn’t expect too much more than 500 hours of use from one.  And yes, that was WITH a fuel filter attached.

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If a propane stove lasts 1,000 hours and costs $100, that is ten cents an hour cost for the heater.  Propane was about the same cost.  Twenty cents an hour is NOT unreasonable ( again, this was the 4k BTU setting.  Only good for a small room, really ).  If the stove lost quality and now you spent twenty-five cents an hour, no big deal, right?  After all, it costs about the same to run one of those efficient oil filled radiator electric heaters.  And Mr. Heater works off grid. Perfect for emergencies, you grin in satisfaction as you believe you have bested me.

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Wrong!  Because here is the thing.  Mr. Heater went out of their way to screw over their customers ten years ago.  Quality reduction reduced the stoves use at least by a half.  As the price increased.  I honestly can’t remember how many hours an old Mr. Heater lasted for, but I don’t think 2k hours was an unreasonable guess as a minimum.  You lost 75% of its life and saw a 25% price increase.  I get that this is just inflation.  But here is the thing.  When are they going to make it even worse?

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They did it at LEAST one time.  They just got done operating three years under increased banker interest rates.  They should be hurting right about now.  If they haven’t further reduced quality already, don’t you think they will very soon?  After all, sales must be down.  As unemployment increases and wages stagnate, fewer people are prepping, ice fishing, camping or otherwise buying Mr. Heater’s.  Do you really want to gamble on them not humping you, again?  THAT is why you don’t buy one of their products.  Not because I’m a vengeful consumer.  Not because you want to boycott them.

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Because they betrayed the customers trust and WILL, I guarantee you a jelly filled donut, do it again.  If their little monkey molesting bean counters come back with research that the average buyer only uses Mr. Heater ten hours a year, they might reduce quality from a 500 hour to a mere 100 hour unit.  IF they haven’t already done so.  My bet is that they have, and use some of their increased profits sending sample units to all the prepper consumer reporter dudes, who unknowingly are deceived.  After all, how many hours do they REALLY test them?

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Once a company is untrustworthy, you don’t keep buying from them, even with lowered expectations.  Why would you?  If they screwed you after one economic contraction, they will again.  It is one thing to occasionally get a dud, like I do from Amazon or Sportsman’s Guide.  That is excusable, especially working with hateful Ornamentals who wish all Capitalist Running Dogs to die.  The companies do such a great job, you can excuse a small amount of mischief.  But when you offer ONE product?  And you screw that one up?  No one should do business with you.

( .Y. )

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