You may remember a while back we were fortunate enough to take a trip to Vegas and learn about the new Kobalt 24V line of power tools. If you shop at Lowes, you are familiar with Kobalt tools since they are the house brand for Lowes. I have to admit that when I heard Kobalt was coming out with new tools, I didn’t have high expectations. Not that Kobalt was bad, it just wasn’t at the top of my list with their older version. Awhile back they came out with some power tools, but then you never really heard from them again. For me, I don’t need a ton of tools in a line, but I do like to see a line that is supported and will grow over time. However, this 24V might be a little different. For me, it seems like Kobalt took time and wanted to, not brand a tool, but create a great power tool line. So who are these tools designed for? I am not 100% sure, but I really feel this fits the place of hardcore DIY people. The DIY people who do more than just hanging curtains. I believe this is a really nice fit for the DIY mechanic who loves to work on his cars on the weekend. The person who will be gutting a room in their house or building a shed.
The Kobalt 24V tools are definitely a beefier power tool and seem more professional then their older line. So with this new release they came out with a drill, impact driver, (2) impact wrenches, circular saw, reciprocating saw, light and (2) battery options. They have also included a 5 year warranty on the tools and 3 year on the batteries. I am not going to get into all the stats of these tools because you can read all about them on Lowes. For this article I really just want to give you my impressions of them and what I like and don’t like about them. As of this article, you can see these tools have feedback and most of it has been positive on Lowes website.
Before we dive into the tool, I want to talk about the batteries. The Kobalt 24V line has two different battery options available, a 2 Ah and a 4 Ah battery. I know some will get down on these two options since most manufacturers have a 3 Ah and 6 Ah available. But as for the homeowner and type of tools, this seems to be sufficient. Since most of the tools are not high demand tools, these batteries seem like a good fit. The charger is a 30 minute charge which means it take 50% less time to charge these batteries than other power tool manufacturers batteries.
Kobalt 24V Drill
The Kobalt 24V drill is a beefier 1/2″ drill that seems to be a beast. Picking this drill up, you can tell it is designed to be a workhorse. Kobalt designed this with a brushless motor which means more power, great efficiency and longer run times. There are 23 clutch settings along with a drill mode. Personally I like a two collar drill where one is designated for clutch settings and the other for drill, screwing mode. I understand that having a one collar system makes the drill shorter, so that can be a plus for some. The drill puts out 650 in-lbs of torque, so not top in the class, but definitely more than enough to do a ton of jobs around the house. I have to admit, that I really like this drill overall. I think they did a great design with the drill.
Kobalt 24V Impact Driver
Next on the list is the Kobalt 24V brushless impact driver. This is probably my favorite tool in the line up, well I also love the circular saw. Again, the impact has plenty of power with 1,800 in-lbs of torque and a speed of 0-2,700 rpm with 3,500 impact per minute. The impact has three different speed selections which allows you to match the tool to your application. This impact also has a very nice finish function. Overall the tool is pretty light and compact. I prefer to use the 2 Ah battery with this tool as it just feels much nicer and does a great job.
Kobalt 24V Circular Saw
The Kobalt brushless circular saw has a very nice design. As you know there are really two main cordless saws available. You can get a 6-1/2″ blade or a saw with a 7-1/4″ blade. The 6-1/2″ is great because it’s smaller and lighter, but the downside is you lose depth of cut. Well Kobalt figured out a way to give you the best of both worlds. This is a 6-1/2″ saw, but because of how they designed the saw with a more streamed line motor, you can still get the depth of a cut as you would from a 7-1/4″ saw. Pretty cool and innovative isn’t it? Besides the key benefit of depth of cut, you also get an electronic brake.
Kobalt 24V Reciprocating Saw
Next on the line is the Kobalt 24V reciprocating saw. In regards to power, it’s a great saw. The saw has a 1-1/8″ stroke length which is on the long side, so a plus with the stroke length. While some manufacturers don’t have an adjustable shoe, I am glad the Kobalt decided to make theirs adjustable. One aspect of the tool I would like to see fixed in future generations is the rubber grip on the front of the tool. The grip is smooth. I would like to see some texture to the grip as it will be easier to hold when dusty or even wet. In regards to performance of this saw, it will match the power and speed of most reciprocating saws on the market.
Kobalt 24V Impact Wrenches
Kobalt offers two different brushless versions of their impact wrench. A 1/2″ and a 3/8″ Both are great and have power to put on or take off rusty nuts. The 1/2″ is a beast. The tool is big and powerful, so no worries for the garage mechanic. The 3/8″ comes with 3 speed settings which includes a finishing setting for fine tuning.
Kobalt 24V LED Light
The last item on the list is their LED work light. Not that it’s a bad light as it has 200 lumens, but it would be nice to see a little bit better light. Again, it’s still a good light and maybe I am just saying that because I am spoiled with all the Milwaukee lighting options. The head on this light swivels 135°. The light will stand up or you can opt to hang it from higher above.
Overall I think Kobalt did a great job with their 24V line of tools. With that said, I hope they continue this line and support it. I would love to see new tools available, which they will have two new tools available in Dec 2106. I am really interested in your thoughts on these tools. Not just from a brand stand point, but also from someone who has used them or picked them up at Lowes.
I have several of these tools-Very happy with them
Like the tools