Kobalt vs Palmer Stabilizer

[Zippster]

Read the title


Okay

My parents have promised me a CO2 system for Christmas, so I gotta get my story straight when I tell them what regulator to get. As the title which I have reminded you to read indicates, the two regulators in question are the Kobalt reg from Lowes for $50 and the beloved Palmer Stabilizer. Being a newbie to this whole CO2 business I've got a few questions before I finally make my decision, so sit back and prepare yourselves for some of that chronic geekiness which we all crave and relish.




#1) Given that both regulators are designed for distinctly different tasks - the Kobalt for air tools and the Palmer for paintball - how would the flow rate compare between the two regs? I'm not worried so much about my cannons as it will irregardless take longer for me to load the dang thing, but moreso about the regulator's ability to run a bbmg. I recall an old thread in which someone mentioned that a Kobalt could only fire bbmg bursts due to the tank cooling, but wouldn't this problem still affect the Palmer? I'd prefer to spend less and opt for the Kobalt if both have the same problem, but if the Palmer performs better than I might just as well get that.


#2) Safety! Its very likely that any chambers I'll use will have PVC in it (I'm a tightwad) so anti-siphon and built-in pop-offs would be a godsend. I know that the reg on my air compressor is designed to automatically vent any pressure exceeding the set value on the output side - do these CO2 regs do the same thing? Chances are this reg will take a beating and maybe a fall or two, is the Kobalt strong enough to take it?


More questions may follow, but thats all I've got for now.

cya L8R

[jitup]

I say neither. Go for a Evil Detonator. It only costs like $14 and is less then $20 with shipping. It is probably the best reg I have used, and the only one I will take on the field. It gose from 100 psi to 550 psi. if you want lower than 100psi, set the reg as low as it will go, take a trip to harbor frieght and by the $6 reg, attach the $6 reg to the out put of the Evil and now you can take it all the way down to 10 psi.

This reg is tuff and has taken years of abuse from me, and only needed a new O ring when it got ripped out of my gun after falling when climbing down from a tree.

[Gippeto]

Opinion...the spice of life!

Without question, the Palmer Stabilizer. It will do everything the Kobalt will do, and more.

It's even on sale right now, which makes it less expensive than a kobalt type unit for me. (Kobalt type unit locally is ~$100 for a half decent one.) Ordered one yesterday, 0-900psi outlet.

Can you say "Field portable"?

[judgment_arms]

This reg is tuff and has taken years of abuse from me, and only needed a new O ring when it got ripped out of my gun after falling when climbing down from a tree.

Come again?



PPS Stab.
Can't go wrong, better quality, better company, better costumer support.

Good 'ol Glenn Palmer's name is good enough to swear by!


The Stab. is one of the few Reg's that has a built in overpressure relief.

Good with HPA or Co2, can eliminate 99% of liquid Co2, unless you're running a siphon tank or have the tank inverted.


In layman's terms:
PPS Stab. FTW!!

[scianiac]

I'm also considering buying a regulator. Palmers regs are known to be good but their so expense. However palmers have models that allow for 1/8 inputs. Which may be useful if one wanted to use fire extinguishers for tanks. However, one could also just put in one of these in a fire extinguisher tank to allow for quick tank exchange. Personally I wouldn't go with the Kobalt look at the reviews

cursed Lowe's and their weird pages that don't link properly!!!!

[jonnyboy]

Anybody else no seeing scianiac's post?

Definitely the palmers regulator.I think the kobalt one has a 100 psi max outlet becuase it's meant for air tools.even though you have pvc chambers now eventually if you get an iron one or something you'll regret your decision.

I have heard good things from the evil detonator as well and it's only 15 dollars.

[Zippster]

W00t for a responsive community!

So will the Palmer act as its own blow-off valve enough to be safe with PVC? Of all safety issues thats the biggest one for me, as with the anti-siphon. Also, are those anti-siphon kits on eBay effective? They look easy enough to make myself out of hardware store parts - or am I mistaken somehow?

scianiac what exactly were you trying to link?


I'm thinking right now that I'd get a low-pressure female stabilizer, set it to 120 PSI, and put a compressor regulator on the output for the gauge, the additional back-pressure relief, and the ease of adjusting pressure - or is that an unnecessary step?


Thanks for putting up with the barrage of questions - I want to order this thing asap so I can come home to it after vacation.

Peace

[marpat]

palmers regs are what i would reach for first.
i have one installed on my tippmann 98c and it is most excellent

[scianiac]

I was trying to link to the reviews part of that page.
I don't know how easy it is to adjust the pressure on a Palmers reg but as long as you don't tip both the reg and the tank upside down you shouldn't have any liquid problems. And unless you want more precise pressure you can just order the reg with a gauge for 12 bucks more.

[jitup]

jitup wrote:

This reg is tuff and has taken years of abuse from me, and only needed a new O ring when it got ripped out of my gun after falling when climbing down from a tree.


Come again?

I was playing paintball and was tethered in a tree stand, some one foundme, unloaded on me, which took me from suprise because it was from the back and I dropped my gun.

[PVC Arsenal 17]

I just got my Palmer Reg yesterday. This thing is great. I already adjusted it down to 120psi and put on a nice gauge I bought from McMaster. I've never used the Kobalt, but the Palmer's small size plus the quality of their products I've used in the past, the Palmer seems like the way to go.

[daberno123]

Got my Palmers today. Its great, not too mention how small it is.

[btrettel]

I can't say I've tried both mentioned brands, but my Palmer Stabilizer has been great. At first I was angry to have spent so much money, but I only ever will need one and it might as well be one that's reliable, indestructible, and has a good warranty on top of that.

The one problem is that for precision and safety I bought the low pressure model, but I'm planning on eventually using higher pressures. The upgrade kit isn't too expensive, but I'll probably end up buying a second Stabilizer just for the convenience of not disassembling it so often.

Initially I went for a cheaper Centerflag female regulator, but Centerflag seemed to go out of business right about when I started looking. I spent months waiting for the regulator. I tried calling the support number but it went to someone's house. Eventually I found a former employee who gave me the cell phone number of the owner... I left a message on his voicemail and am still waiting for a response. Luckily I used PayPal and got all my money back.

[Gippeto]

@ daberno;

Jeez, seems like everyone and their dog is buying one lately.

Too bad you're not getting commission.

Thanks for the heads up re: the sale. :thumbup: :thumbup:

[VH_man]

I have the Kobalt Regulator.

It has a good enough flow, And With some internal modifications can EASILY reach more than 125 PSI max.

with some external Modifications, I can attach a 1/8 NTP airline to it, Directly to an ASA adapter, Plug some holes, And mount the Reggy right inside my gun, No problems.

Not to mention, It has a Built in Saftey vavle... I found this out when I inverted my CO2 and got liquid in the thing.

Works much better with HPA... Not gonna lie. Spend the extra money and buy a tank.