Coleman SportCat PerfecTemp Catalytic Heater

I had bought the larger version of this heater before. The Coleman Black Cat. However, it gave off such great heat that I wanted something less powerful. I read a lot of poor reviews regarding this heater, the Coleman Sport Cat. Regardless I just could not believe why there where so many complainers. Looking at the BTU output of this heater, it is close to the output on the larger Coleman Black Cat when you turn the Black Cat setting knob to low. However this heater was listed with a longer run time on one 16.4 Oz Coleman Propane Cylinder or the Worthington 16.4 Oz Propane Cylinder which is almost exactly like the Coleman one and attaches perfectly to everything the Coleman cylinder attaches to also. I was very pleasantly surprised with this heater. It came in very fast, was excellently packaged, and took me less then 5 minutes to set up. It has a base support to hold it upright that comes with 4 large swing out "fins" that once they are extended makes this heater so stable that even bumping into the table I had it set up on by mistake did not move it at all. The heat it gives off is very strong. Much stronger then you would expect. We have no heat or gas in our building for the last ten days due to a Con Ed emergency pipe repair out in the street, and it has been cold almost every night. Temperatures outside dropped to 35 degrees F. I set up this little heater, using very adequate ventilation of course, and it kept the two rooms in the front of the apartment nice and warm. You can't go wrong with this excellent product. It lasts for at least 15 hours or so on only one 16.4 Oz Propane Cylinder. Which is a really amazing runtime. It can heat up to 300 Sq. Feet nicely. It is the best heater I have ever bought. I highly recommend this item. If anyone is complaining about it, then they are generally trying to take this heater outdoors with them to golf courses with low temperatures and wind as well, and of course, nothing short of a blazing campfire could ever possibly make the slightest difference to their highly sensitive needs for additional warmth. I liked this heater so much I ordered a second one. I already had two of the larger Black Cats but one got dropped while carrying it ( empty of course ) and started leaking Propane. I must have cracked the catalytic heating plate when it fell. So no way was I going to use it again. When I went on Amazon to order another one the prices on the Black Cat by Coleman had gone crazy! I had paid $50 each for my two Black Cats, and now I was seeing them being sold for $90, and one guy selling the version that has the insta-light built in was actually asking $359.00 for 1 Coleman Black cat heater! Absolute price gauging in my opinion. So that's when I opted for the smaller sport cat. I love it, I am using much less Propane, and it works great! I can pick up Coleman 16.4 Oz Propane Cylinders at any Target store for only $5.49 for a PAIR of bottles. Less then $2.50 per bottle. It works out great!

Okay, so I paid $25 three years ago for this catalytic heater. It worked great for two seasons, keeping my boat warm even when temperatures dipped to below freezing. In my salon/galley, I placed the heater under the dinette and the heat rising to waist height was perfection indeed. The whole cabin/pilothouse did get and stay warm. And I'm vintage, so by warm I mean comfortable with just a long-sleeved shirt on; I do not wear sweaters or sweat shirts inside, as I'm too old for that nonsense. Anyway, this year (#3) I again pulled out my trusted heater and inserted a new propane tank into the very stable base. Incidentally, the feet don't even have to be opened for stability on my boat though if yours rocks more you'll want to open the legs out. They fold under the unit, so storage is very small. BUT, back to my story. This year when I lit the unit it would not stay lit. Yes, I was careful to light the entire top, but nothing I did would make the unit stay lit. I did take it apart but wasn't able to find or fix the issue. So, for two years I sang it's praises (and indeed at $25 it was a good bargain) though now, when I come back to buy another at almost $50? Well, I've decided to to spend the money. Heading for the equator (at least until I warm up) seems a better alternative. Would I buy this again? Maybe, if there was no alternative to staying warm (and truly, having read over the review for similar items, this one is TOPS!) but instead, we are going south. I'll make do for a bit. Would I suggest you buy this item? Yes, with the suggestion that at the beginning of each season you verify that it works properly. Mine (this product) burns for 14 hours on one canister of fuel and kept the pilothouse/galley warm. Good product, BUT..... :) ADDENDUM: I bought another Coleman Catalytic heater and this time read the warranty. It's for five years. ARGH. So, if I'd been smarter (like opened the stinking paperwork that came with the original) I'd have not had to purchase a second one. It works. It works well, and when it fails -- as long as you're within a five year time frame, you're good to go. I am currently using my newly purchased heater and will continue to recommend it. Still, you'll want to make sure each season that it remains lit. Nothing to it.

I am glad I bought this before our camping trip in September. Nights were already getting cold and this was a good added warmth to the tent. The first night, I was worried about leaving it on as we went to sleep and kept waking up to check on it. The rest of the trip - no worries, slept like a baby. It's great if you don't have kids who might tip it over. Even though the instructions say not to leave it on through the night, I did and I was fine. I did use the tip of others to first light it and let it burn out in the open air for 30-60 minutes before you light it in an enclosed area as the factory fumes are quite nasty. Also, be careful with it inside your tent as I by accident let a flap of the tent touch it and it made a hole instantly. Nothing serious that a patch couldn't fix, but I will be careful next time. In general - great product, maybe my next one will be the more expensive version that you can point in various directions, but for now this will do.