Kobalt 286 Piece Tool Set $99

[OldSchoolSS]

Hey guys,

I was slowly putting together a second craftsman tool set out of garage sale and thrift store finds. The appeal of that process wore off and I just decided to buy a complete tool set for my basement work area. I found this set at lowes and it seems to be in line with black friday deals. I wish it had more extensions and deep sockets, but for what I'm going to use it for it will be fine.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-286-Piece-Mechanic-s-Hand-Tool-Set-in-4-Drawer-Chest/1003095532

When I checked out it changed the price to $145 when I had it shipped to my house. I had to call Lowes and they adjusted it. In store pickup price stayed at $99. I'm not sure what is with the glitch.

-Scott

 

[Zephyr]

Looks like they expanded their 3 drawer set which regularly went on sale for $99. Great set especially with the torx and hex bit sockets. The drawers sag over time especially if exposed to really warm temperatures - in the sun

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[OldSchoolSS]

Looks like they expanded their 3 drawer set which regularly went on sale for $99. Great set especially with the torx and hex bit sockets. The drawers sag over time especially if exposed to really warm temperatures - in the sun

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Yeah, it seems like a decent deal. A bit less fluff than some of the other ones they have out. I thought the same thing about the torx and hex bit sockets. It should be here a few days, I'm not too bothered by the drawers. It will live in my basement workshop.

 

[joey1320]

I have the 232 piece version of that kit that I got off eBay for $10.99 (shipped ) due to a typing error. The kit is now sold for about $99 also. Good kit and wouldn't be mad at paying $99 for it so I'm sure I wouldn't be mad at paying the same for the 286 piece one.

 

[OldSchoolSS]

My set is getting delivered tomorrow. I did pick up some clearance 118 piece sets that my old man grabbed for me a couple weeks ago tonight. I would not buy Kobalt as a primary tool set and I might just take this one back if a different deal pops up. The 90 tooth ratchet is a stubby clunker even compared to an old school craftsman. It's about 3/4'' shorter and 1/4" thicker at the head. The fine teeth feel nice though. The sockets have the nice colored lines, but the sizes are only laser etched and with as shiny as the chrome is, it was hard to read unless I had it turned just right.

 

[OldSchoolSS]

I have the 232 piece version of that kit that I got off eBay for $10.99 (shipped ) due to a typing error. The kit is now sold for about $99 also. Good kit and wouldn't be mad at paying $99 for it so I'm sure I wouldn't be mad at paying the same for the 286 piece one.

That's a deal.

 

[OldSchoolSS]

Little update. Set came today via Fedex. It's going back to lowes. The 90t ratchets are all shorter and fatter than other brands and every single one has cosmetic defects. The wrenches are nice along with the allen wrenches. I could go without all the 1/4 driver bits, but the real deal killer is the sockets. The laser etchings are too small, the socket selection doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and it the drawer layout makes even less sense than the selection. They even screwed up the torx and hex sockets. They have doubles and triples of some of the torx sizes, but they don't have full hex socket sets. I guess I should have looked at the list closer.

I miss the old made in the USA craftsman sets. Great selection, great value, great layout, and pretty good quality.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Kobalt stuff is nice for the most part. Especially the sockets they are Taiwan made. Ratchets yeah I’m not a fan the selector switch moves around if you ratchet it fast. They have those one kits both the Kobalt version and Craftsman version it’s the exact same set with a different name and different manufacturer of course that regularly goes for $99. When I was in school they donated a bunch of them. I do wish they would engrave the sockets though as the laser etching wears off fast. Hope you can get it returned since you aren’t happy with it. In my area they have signs up saying no returns due to everything going on until further notice and I’ve verified they won’t take returns at my location so I hope yours will if you are going in person.


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[toored]

Hope you can get it returned since you aren’t happy with it. In my area they have signs up saying no returns due to everything going on until further notice and I’ve verified they won’t take returns at my location so I hope yours will if you are going in person.

P&L is more imporatnt than customer service at Lowes. Home Depot has a 180 return window.

As for the warranty of Kobalt, good luck. It's the run around as they have shrunk the in-store Kobalt inventory to about 1/4 of what it was. Last time I tried to warranty a socket that was in-stock, three managers told me, they only warranty the Kobalt tools through an 800 number. The socket magically got warrantied when I asked for the district managers contact information.

 

[OldSchoolSS]

Kobalt stuff is nice for the most part. Especially the sockets they are Taiwan made. Ratchets yeah I’m not a fan the selector switch moves around if you ratchet it fast. They have those one kits both the Kobalt version and Craftsman version it’s the exact same set with a different name and different manufacturer of course that regularly goes for $99. When I was in school they donated a bunch of them. I do wish they would engrave the sockets though as the laser etching wears off fast. Hope you can get it returned since you aren’t happy with it. In my area they have signs up saying no returns due to everything going on until further notice and I’ve verified they won’t take returns at my location so I hope yours will if you are going in person.


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I think they switched suppliers for the kobalt stuff just recently. I noticed the engravings/stampings on the tools looked a bit rougher than the smaller sets I picked up on clearance and the ratchets actually were a bit lighter and longer than the clearance set which was nice, but the finishing looked a bit more crude on them as well. Then I noticed the cardboard box it shipped in had Vietnam as the country of origin, and it also had that on the kobalt packaging as well. The clearance set I have says Taiwan.

The newer Quinn line at Harbor Freight looks to be a copy of Kobalt as well. But they have nicer markings on the sockets instead of the light laser etching.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I think they switched suppliers for the kobalt stuff just recently. I noticed the engravings/stampings on the tools looked a bit rougher than the smaller sets I picked up on clearance and the ratchets actually were a bit lighter and longer than the clearance set which was nice, but the finishing looked a bit more crude on them as well. Then I noticed the cardboard box it shipped in had Vietnam as the country of origin, and it also had that on the kobalt packaging as well. The clearance set I have says Taiwan.



The newer Quinn line at Harbor Freight looks to be a copy of Kobalt as well. But they have nicer markings on the sockets instead of the light laser etching.

The Quinn stuff and the Kobalt stuff used to be made in the same factory in Taiwan. That is a disappointment if they are being made elsewhere besides Taiwan or the good ole USA. I’ve never had anything made in Vietnam I know their wrenches were made in India for the longest time as were the Pittsburgh from Harbor Freight and the Hyper Tough from Walmart.


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[BlakeTheCarGuy]

P&L is more imporatnt than customer service at Lowes. Home Depot has a 180 return window.



As for the warranty of Kobalt, good luck. It's the run around as they have shrunk the in-store Kobalt inventory to about 1/4 of what it was. Last time I tried to warranty a socket that was in-stock, three managers told me, they only warranty the Kobalt tools through an 800 number. The socket magically got warrantied when I asked for the district managers contact information.

Yeah I haven’t ever had any luck getting anything warrantied from them. Never have broke their sockets but I had some wrenches and they are like just call the 800 number since you don’t have your receipt.


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[toored]

Yeah I haven’t ever had any luck getting anything warrantied from them. Never have broke their sockets but I had some wrenches and they are like just call the 800 number since you don’t have your receipt.

When they try to lie and say you need a receipt, drivers license, etc, show them the warranty contract that says "NO QUESTIONS ASKED"

That means no receipt or drivers license is needed! But for Lowes, their P&L is more important than customer service and written contracts.

"LIFETIME HASSLE FREE GUARANTEE
You should never have a problem with your Kobalt Tool. However, if you do, return the item to the place of purchase for a free replacement. No questions asked. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary from state to state."

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

When they try to lie and say you need a receipt, drivers license, etc, show them the warranty contract that says "NO QUESTIONS ASKED"



That means no receipt or drivers license is needed! But for Lowes, their P&L is more important than customer service and written contracts.



"LIFETIME HASSLE FREE GUARANTEE

You should never have a problem with your Kobalt Tool. However, if you do, return the item to the place of purchase for a free replacement. No questions asked. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary from state to state."

Yeah I know. Most of their employees don’t know the policy or are just lazy. I took a Craftsman back and they told me oh we can only do that if it was bought here so I called the customer service for Craftsman they told me that was false and they would send me a new socket so Lowe’s is bad on both Kobalt and Craftsman warranty.


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[joey1320]

Sorry the kit was not worth the $99

Regarding the wrenches clunkiness, yes, mine were the same. I opened them up and added some synthetic grease and now they are super smooth.

 

[unslow1]

They are back up to $159 with the same 6 they had in stock at $99. I got the earlier 314pc version of the kit and liked enough to buy a second one for the house. The only thing I've had to warranty/exchange was two of the same socket in one of the kits. They did it without question but I'm sure like anyplace else it depends on who you get.

 

[scirocco16v]

I just got mine. I can confirm that the one they sent me is from Vietnam. Did anyone get a set that's from Taiwan?

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[OldSchoolSS]

Sorry the kit was not worth the $99

Regarding the wrenches clunkiness, yes, mine were the same. I opened them up and added some synthetic grease and now they are super smooth.

The clunkiness was in reference to their physical dimensions. They are shorter and thicker than most other brands I have. I decided to order a 120xp gearwrench socket set, the 1/4" ratchet blows away the kobalt both in feel and dimensions.

It's $99 worth of tools for sure, just not a great fit for my needs. Honestly if the organization were different and they made a few changes to the socket selection I'd probably keep the set. I like how on my older craftsman set I can pull our a single tray (1/4, 3/8, or 1/2) that works for the project I'm working on and take it to where I'm working. With this set you need to take the whole dang cube because it's so mixed up.

 

[joey1320]

The clunkiness was in reference to their physical dimensions. They are shorter and thicker than most other brands I have. I decided to order a 120xp gearwrench socket set, the 1/4" ratchet blows away the kobalt both in feel and dimensions.

It's $99 worth of tools for sure, just not a great fit for my needs. Honestly if the organization were different and they made a few changes to the socket selection I'd probably keep the set. I like how on my older craftsman set I can pull our a single tray (1/4, 3/8, or 1/2) that works for the project I'm working on and take it to where I'm working. With this set you need to take the whole dang cube because it's so mixed up.

Gotcha!
The GW 120xp is a phenomenal ratchet.

I plan on taking the set off the trays and using them on my soon-to-buy toolbox with the socket holders.

 

[muibubbles]

i bought this a few months back, tried putting storing them with my peg style socket holders and couldnt stand the gaps and missing sockets. too incomplete for me and ended up returning them (this was bought as my spare set). Im gonna get a tekton set instead. I think theres more value in that.