Best portable propane space heaters

Top pick: Mr. Heater Portable Buddy (9,000 BTU). It's the one to buy if you want a single heater that does both jobs: radiant heat for a garage, tent, patio or job site, with an automatic shut-off and a strong track record across thousands of ratings. Small enough to carry one-handed, and it runs off a 1 lb cylinder or a hose to a bigger tank.

Who the others suit:

• Mr. Heater Big Buddy — you need real output: 4,000/9,000/18,000 BTU settings for a bigger room, garage or patio.
• Mr. Heater Little Buddy — you only need spot warmth: a tent, blind, ice-fishing shelter or a small work area.
• Flame King 10,000 BTU — you want a cheap, light indoor/outdoor radiant unit with push-button ignition.
• Flame King 20,000 BTU — you want more heat plus tilt and fuel shut-offs for outdoor use.
• ProCom ML100TBA-B — you'd rather have convection heat that warms the air in a room up to about 300 sq ft.
• Vevor / Master forced-air — you're heating a barn, shop or construction site, not a living space.
• Camco Olympian Wave-3 — you want quiet, low-output catalytic heat for a camper or cabin.

One rule that matters more than any spec: only the units rated for indoor use (the Buddy line, Flame King, ProCom) belong inside, and even then with ventilation; forced-air and patio heaters stay outdoors.