Tools & Fabrication - Kobalt 60gal Air Compressor at Lowes?

I am thinking about getting this.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this model.
I think Kobalt may be new to building compressors or either they by it from someone else and slap their name on it.

It's the $429 model, I believe is flows 12.xx cfm at 90 psi.
Belt driven, oil type, 6.5hp, 135psi max, 220v
It only puts out 79db too, thought that was cool they listed that.

I have a 10% off coupon so it's seems like a decent deal.

Opinions/suggestions anyone?

The Kobalt compressor is a great value, it is made by Coleman, you can not find a better warranty for the price. Use your 10% off and run with it. Good choice for any shop.

i work at a lowes (but not for lowes, lol) and i see what people bring back on a daily basis and since they have been available i havent seen one brought back yet and i know they are selling a crap load of them at my store. So i would say thier pretty good and worth the money.

Matt

I have been thinking of getting this one also. but my Lowes is charging over 500.00 for it!!!! WTF!!

Just checked thier website. Before you can look at the tools it asks you to input a zip code. I hope this isnt because the prices vary between regions. But anyways, 547 for the kobalt 60 gallon.

NOW AINT THIS SOME BULLSHIT!

Cost for the 60 gal in Mill Creek WA is: 547.00
Cost for the SAME FUCKING THING in Boise ID:427.00

Thats a savings of OVER 100.00. Can someone explain this shit to me? Or is it just because I happen to live in one of the highest cost of living areas in the damn nation, vendors figure they can dip into my pocket even further.

NOW AINT THIS SOME BULLSHIT!

Cost for the 60 gal in Mill Creek WA is: 547.00
Cost for the SAME FUCKING THING in Boise ID:427.00

Thats a savings of OVER 100.00. Can someone explain this shit to me? Or is it just because I happen to live in one of the highest cost of living areas in the damn nation, vendors figure they can dip into my pocket even further.
You guys crack me up! Their website clearly shows (2) 60 gallon 7 h.p. air compressors.
Item # 134819 puts out 13.3 scfm @ 90 psi $547.00
Item #3692 puts out 10.8 scfm @ 90 psi $427.00


A better choice might be the one from Home Depot: Model VT6314 Husky all cast iron pump 60 gallon 10.8 scfm @ 90 psi sku#710098 for $429.00 which has a 3 year warrantee. http://www.homedepot.com/prel80HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&pos=n24&MID=9876&com.broadvision.session.new=Yes&N=2984+3966&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp

Don't be confused by their other model also priced at $429 that has an aluminum compressor head. Cast iron would be the better choice for durability.

I payed 289.99 about 3 years ago for my husky 60 gal 7 hp, and its been great. Never a problem. I prefer the Husky brand over the Colbalt, but thats just me.. I love mine espically with my hose reel :)

We bought our kobalt air compressor at Lowe's in Ft. Smith Ark, last night and asked for the paper work for it. The Lowe's associate remarked "what's on the tank is your paper work". Did anyone else get paper work or is this for real?

I bought the Kobalt 30-gallon last month. It has the LED electronically controlled pressure stuff that I hadnt seen on a compressor before.

After taking it home and starting it up, the electronic pressure wouldn't work right and it sat there and made this ticking noise and it wouldnt let any pressure out....bad electronics or something..

So I took it back and exchanged it for another. This one charged up and pressure worked fine (kinda neat how its electronically controlled pressure and you push a button to change it). After using it for the last week, it has been not holding constant pressure and going up and down randomly not being consistant. Also sometimes it'll let the hose pressure goto 0 then i have to unplug the hose for it to charge up and work again.... THEN after all that, im having problems with it shutting off completely (i think its overheating because its too hot to touch) and wont come back on for an hour or so...

I returned the 2nd one and bought a Husky for the same price at Home Depot and it works great!

They're building us a lowes where I live. Guess I'm going to have to check out what they have when they open.

I bought the Kobalt 30-gallon last month. It has the LED electronically controlled pressure stuff that I hadnt seen on a compressor before.

(edit of a ridiculous amount of trouble)

I returned the 2nd one and bought a Husky for the same price at Home Depot and it works great!

Sometimes you can't beat the old school pressure switch and regulator, eh? Wow, I wasn't aware that they'd started putting electronic displays on them. Guess it's certainly possible, but I don't really see a need for it. I thought they were getting fancy with putting the regulator, gauges, and hose connector all on a panel on some of the units... Bling bling electric tho. ;)

a friend of mine finally gave up on the POS craftsman compressor hes had for awhile..

he has a Kobalt air compressor now, much quieter with more CFM, and its been troublefree...

We bought our kobalt air compressor at Lowe's in Ft. Smith Ark, last night and asked for the paper work for it. The Lowe's associate remarked "what's on the tank is your paper work". Did anyone else get paper work or is this for real?
I got basically the same story last night in Conroe Texas. Bought the 80 Gallon for $649. I asked if they had one in the box in the back and was informed that the only ones they have are the ones on display. Well of course the paperwork is missing from the display model. However, the associate did take my name and address and told me that he would attempt to obtain the paperwork from the company and see if they could send it to me. I don't hold high hopes for that though.

I'm thinking about going to the 60 gallon Kobalt as well. It will replace my 30 gallon Craftsman upright that is just too noisy, especially with a 13 month old and another one on the way. The footprint shouldn't that much larger than my current compressor, which is a nice thing when garage space is a premium. The extra capacity will also come in handy.

I bought the Kobalt item# 137603. Its a 80 gal. vertical stationary air compressor. Its for heavy-duty use. 14.0 scfm @ 90 psi and 16.1 @ 40 psi. max pressure is 155 psi. I like it fine, I use air tools and a sand blast cabinet. This model is a single stage compressor. By the way the owner's manual and warranty papers were wire-tied to the compressor. I forgot to add it has 4.5 running horse power enough for painting.

I bought the Kobalt item# 137603. Its a 80 gal. vertical stationary air compressor. Its for heavy-duty use. 14.0 scfm @ 90 psi and 16.1 @ 40 psi. max pressure is 155 psi. I like it fine, I use air tools and a sand blast cabinet. This model is a single stage compressor. By the way the owner's manual and warranty papers were wire-tied to the compressor. I forgot to add it has 4.5 running horse power enough for painting.

I bought the 60 gallon 135psi. I wish I had stepped up to the 80 155 psi though. I have had the 60 for about 3 years now, with no problems.

I think the current 60 gallon is a 155psi unit if I remember correctly. I can't wait to replace my craftsman 30 gallon oilless compressor. That thing wakes the dead when it turns on. Forget about working around it for more than 20 seconds.

I bought the Kobalt item# 137603. Its a 80 gal. vertical stationary air compressor. Its for heavy-duty use. 14.0 scfm @ 90 psi and 16.1 @ 40 psi. max pressure is 155 psi. I like it fine, I use air tools and a sand blast cabinet. This model is a single stage compressor. By the way the owner's manual and warranty papers were wire-tied to the compressor. I forgot to add it has 4.5 running horse power enough for painting.I might be getting one of these to paint little things on cars. Such as hoods and other little things. Should this compressor be good for that?

thats what i was wondering, will this compressor meet the min requirment to shoot paint on a car?

Granted, I've never painted a car, but if anything you might need to be patient. I used my 30 gallon craftsman to paint all of the cabinets in our kitchen and it worked ok. I kept the pressure constant at the gun, but the compressor ran continually it seemed. So going with a bigger compressor and a more powerful one can only help.

The Kobalt compressors have tags on them stating what they are good for and only marginal for. You probably could find that info on there webpage too.

I wired this compressor up and it got up to 150 lbs and I shut it down. I don't know where it will cut off at what pressure. The book doesn't say.

I wired this compressor up and it got up to 150 lbs and I shut it down. I don't know where it will cut off at what pressure. The book doesn't say.

Mine shuts off at about 140-145psi. It should state in the specs what the operating pressure is.

I wired this compressor up and it got up to 150 lbs and I shut it down. I don't know where it will cut off at what pressure. The book doesn't say.

new 60 gal Kobalt shuts off at 175psi. It did at least the first few times I used it. [Very little use and 3 days B4 warranty ran out, 1 yr]
Then, it was downhill from there.
1. Motor took a shit. Thier "warranty" is bullshit. Read the fine print. Then, try to deal w/ the "warranty center". On hold for 1/2 hr! Never did get a live pickup.:mad:
2. Pressure switch contacts went south.
3. Store mgr gave me a ration of BS, as I was going to take it back. NOPE!
We rewired the system to use low amp draw on the pressure switch. [Installed a relay]
Ended up getting a GE 7HP motor from Tractor Supply. It started 1 time, and blew up. No replacement. "we don't handle that anymore. Too many problems".
Went back to the original motor, took it apart, and wired the power directly to bypass the shitty little push on connector board.:barf:
Been working fine, since that fiasco.
Bottom line: Compressors are no different that other tools..Cheap shit doesn't last.

I must have a different model, since mine only goes to 145psi. So far I haven't had any problems. I purchased it about 4 years ago.

Yeah, I got rid of my 60gal Kobalt after it died. Got about 2 years of hard use out of it though. Paid 445$ and sold it with a blown pump in a garage sale for 175$. :) Picked up an 80gal Ingersoll-Rand T30 single phase 2 stage and it can't do any wrong! You get what you pay for in some situations.

I ended up getting an older Craftsman 2-stage, 60 gallon, 175psi unit that was in pristine condition. It had been sitting for 2-3 years after a dealership shutdown. I brought my bro-in-law with me who has worked as a mechanic at dealerships for 20+ years and has serviced quite a few compressors. He was impressed with it. Considering I got it for $250, I was quite happy. It's now been running trouble free for well over a year without a hiccup. It kicks on at 150psi, and shuts off at 175psi and takes about 30-40 seconds to do that.

I have my reguator turned down to 100psi, and the extra capacity and psi is nice. I actually mounted the compressor in the basement, adjacent to the garage and ran the line up into the garage. So now the compressor is actually quieter than the furnace in the basement, and I gained floor space.

bought a 60gal campbell at tractor supply for $399 about a year ago. havnt had any problems yet.

thats what i was wondering, will this compressor meet the min requirment to shoot paint on a car?

We paint airplanes with that same size. Yes, it is a pain at times and we beat it to death. I really suprised it still runs after 3 years. To answer your question, yes it'll shoot paint for a car just fine.

Looks like a couple of the Kobalt compressors are on sale for fathers day. The 80gal is 20% off at Lowes: $639. Plus what should be 5% off with a Lowes credit card. Is this a great deal? I've got my eye out for something of that size, but I'm not quite to the stage of wiring up my new garage for electricity. So I don't need it yet, but if it's well worth it I may want to grab it now. But I don't really want to burn 8 months or maybe even a year of the warranty if I'm just storing it until I get the electricity finished (yes, I'm busy and slow and doing it mostly myself). Plus I'd HATE to find a better deal later. Any opinions?

Looks like a couple of the Kobalt compressors are on sale for fathers day. The 80gal is 20% off at Lowes: $639. Plus what should be 5% off with a Lowes credit card. Is this a great deal? I've got my eye out for something of that size, but I'm not quite to the stage of wiring up my new garage for electricity. So I don't need it yet, but if it's well worth it I may want to grab it now. But I don't really want to burn 8 months or maybe even a year of the warranty if I'm just storing it until I get the electricity finished (yes, I'm busy and slow and doing it mostly myself). Plus I'd HATE to find a better deal later. Any opinions?

thats not such an outstanding deal that you wont find it again...
Since you're not ready for it yet, I would just wait.. thats just more time to find a great deal.

Sounds good. Great deal in the future, here I come!

Saw the 60gal air compressor for $379 at my local lowes!

I picked up the 80 gallon the other day. It is not the exact compressor that I want, but for the price it is a good value. I really wanted to buy an IR unit, but could not justify ~$300 more dollars. Not to mention the IR has a 60 gallon tank. Now the dilemma is to sell my 26 gallon Coleman that is 9 years old or use it for the tank. I am going to be doing lots of sand blasting and repainting my trailer. The kobalt should be able to keep up longer than I want to sand blast in the hot sun. It will be nice though to not have to wait for the compressor to catch up every few minutes like I did with the poor Coleman.

What compressor oil and filters/water separators does everyone use? I think I am just going to pick up some no name synthetic oil and an IR filter from TSC.

I bought the older 60 gallon unit that Lowes had on sale last year, snagged it for 429. It's been in my garage for a year now. Only issues I had, was when I got it home it had a faulty check valve at the compressor to tank line, guy came out and had it fixed in about a week. Kind of sucked that it was bad right from the factory, but knock on wood, it's good now.

Other issue I had was the water drain on mine was under the tank, which was a pita to get to, and when the oring on that went to hell and it was leaking, I put a couple fittings on there and a 1/4 turn 1/4 inch ball valve, and now I can easily drain the water out of it my reaching in with the toe of a shoe, which is nice. if you don't have that ability I would highly recommend putting an elbow on , an extension pipe and a small ball valve. About 20 bucks in hardware total if I remember right.

The compressor, runs alot when I'm using air tools, but it never gets to the point that the tool actually starts losing power. I have the tools regulated to 90 psi, and I plumbed an air system in my garage, 2 hose reels, a filter with a cheap dryer on it @ the start of the system. 1st hose reel has an auto oiler on it, that one gets all the use with the air tools. 2nd hose reel, gets used for tires, the "air broom" for the garage/cleaning stuff off, etc.

Came out pretty good, and so far, I'm happy with everything.

I don't know if it would support painting a car... it might, but you better be quick about the coats and let it sit and rebuild pressure between coats. FYI the older one I bought is a 10.2 cfm unit @ 90psi. The newer ones are a little more then that and probably will do even better then what I have.

we have the Kobalt 80 gallon unit and it works well BUT when it come's time to get them to work on it you will get the run around before it gets fixed if you are lucky .we had to fix it with out them.We got it from LOWs

My Kobalt experience: NOT GOOD>>
5hp/80 gal, 2 stage.
1. 6 mo's in.. Pressure sw fried, took out the contact tips, fried the connectors in the motor.
2. No motors available. Found the same motor[GE], at Tractor Supply. It lasted exactly 1 start and puked. Took it back.. "Sorry, that was the last 1. We've had so many problems, we quit selling them".SOL..
3. Rewired the orig motor,[Cut the cheap assed push on lugs off and used wire nuts], added a remote relay, controlled by the NEW psi switch.[Low amp draw on the psi sw.] That worked OK...For a while.
4. 1 mo B4 the warranty expired, the compressor took a dump. Company, [once I got a live body on the line], sent me a new compressor. Unit has worked ok, for about 10 mo's.

READ what the warranty REALLY covers. That 3yr BS on the tank, may be
misleading...:nod:
This is a hobby shop operation, 1 man show, compressor used MAYBE 2 hrs/month.

I discussed compressors w/ a REAL compressor builder/repair shop:
A. Cheapos don't usually have the advertized output.
B. Look at the motor rpm...
C. The cheapos won't last long on a sand blaster of any volume.
D. And the best advice he gave me>>>>Buy a quality unit, and buy it once...

[My prior shop had a $1500 unit from Grainger.. Ran it for nearly 20 yrs...Changed the belt and the oil, cleaned the intake filter...]

NUF said!

we have the Kobalt 80 gallon unit and it works well BUT when it come's time to get them to work on it you will get the run around before it gets fixed if you are lucky .we had to fix it with out them.We got it from LOWs

same bull$hit...Told me to call the "warranty dept" fone # in the op manual...
I guess that's what one can expect, when dealing with the constant turn over in such places...

The store mgr, once I found him actually working, got an ear full.:mad:

In the FWIW dept>>> Tractor Supply sells a good compressor w/ remote relay start, etc.

I agree 100% that they're not up to the standard of an ingersoll or the like... if you're buying it for your home, depending on how much you use it, I think it will work o.k. But, if the price is not the driving factor, I would go with a better one.

In my case I always wanted, and needed a compressor to run in the garage, and when I saw the 60 gallon job go on sale for 429 I figured what the hell.

Fwiw, the repair guy told me when he came out that he generally doesn't go look at the 60 gallon ones very often, he said it usualyl is the 80 gallon ones that have issues...

And, he also told me that a different compressor and motor can go on very easily if either die on me.. it's nothing more then a mounting plate away from being doable. Still only have a 60 gallon tank, but like the service guy told me, I could replace the pump, and the motor and the pressure switch for less money then it would cost me to do another one so ya still really didn't go wrong.

Tank, as long as you keep the water drained, should last for a very long time.

I bought my Compressor in 1986 and payed $2800.00 for it , at the time my Snap-on dealer tried to sell me one of there mexico made big red compressors but I insisted on a Emglo or nothing . Its a 5 horse Industrial model that makes the dime store 5-7 horse models look like toys. I change the oil every few years , change the air filter when dirty and spray some Kroil in the intake every now and again to lube and clean the valves and thats about it . After 25 years I finally changed the belts only because they were starting to glaze and slip at start up. 25 years !!. The motor is rated at 5 hp @ 1750 rpm that is like 15 ft pounds of torque. 21 SCFM air at 175 PSI. This has been the best piece of equipment that I ever had, and still going strong. Its a shame that quality means nothing anymore only price. But an expensive quality piece of equipment is the best value in the long run so far this compressor has only cost me a little over $100 per year. Stan

Stan I hear what you're saying... hard to beat any piece of equipment that lasts 25 years.

But, in the same instance, if a 450 dollar compressor lasts 5 to 6 years you're well under the 100 a year in cost.

Chances are though... that you'll be @ about 10 dollars a year on that beast you have... you'll pass that down to someone else before it dies. I'd have done that but the $ just wasn't in the budget to do it. I had 800 bucks to spend on the compressor, filter, air system, 2 hose reels, regulator and the auto oiler.

If it does kick the bucket.. I'll change the pump or motor on it and keep it going...... hopefully I won't have to worry about it any time soon.

Hey JL, you missed the part where he said 21 cfm at 175 pounds. So his $100 a year isn't the same thing as your example above. 21 cfm @ 175psi puts most/all home air compressors to shame :nod:

thats an incredible performance for a compressor ! you dont find that now a days , the contractor series quincy 60 gal 2 stage 5hp commercial grade is 15cfm@175psi model 2v41c60vc and thants even impressive ! price is $1399 but you can get a 5yr warranty and it will last over 25 years so you may pay more up front but its well worth it in the long run , but for the 80 gallon one the best they reccomend is the ingersoll rand 80 gal 2 stage 7.5hp model 2475n7.5 commercial grade 24cfm@175psi !!! sells for $2099 but again its an investment youll never regret in the long run , i also beleive in getting the best value for the best price but ive learned that you just cant cut corners on certain things because will will regret it and be dissapointed when they start breaking down. and after using my friends 30 gal sears compressor it was junk could not keep up with mini grinder i was using to grind a small tweeter cover i have to keep waiting for it to refill ! so annoying...... they have them at aircompressorsdirect.com with free shipping and not tax. and they have a specialist who you can call and according to your needs can set you up with the right one for you.

Fwiw, I've had the 60 gallon lowes one now for a year. I do find, that when using the air grinder for extended periods I will get a pressure drop down to about 85 psi, but that's as low as it ever goes, and the compressor will run constantly.

I have the pressure set up to shut off at 120, on at 90. I think if I get it to turn on sooner it would probably maintain a little more then 85, but I haven't messed with it.

I've changed the oil in it 4 times, once after probably an hour or 2 of running, 2nd time after about 30 hours of running,and I've been trying to maintain the 30 to 40 hour schedule ever since.. it's probably about due again.

I've been happy with it, it's getting the job done pretty well and isn't giving me any headaches. I do use it quite a bit... if I get 5 years out of it before the pump or motor dies with the amount of use I'm giving it I think that's pretty good. At that point, I will look into buying another pump/motor for it vs buying another compressor. I have a welder, and can always modify the top bracket (not weld on the tank I know better) if I had to in order to adapt something else, when and if the time comes.


I do wish I had the money to buy a bigger one when I did.. next time around, if I end up doing another entire unit I will go to an 80 gallon. But, if I get 8 or more years out of this one, I think it will have served me well. 1 year down so far, no issues.