Kobalt CO2 Regulator Setup

[williamfeldmann]

So a few months ago, while I was still working at Lowes I saw these come in.

Kopalt Portable Compressed CO2 Regulator

They will only charge to ~120 psi MAX output, but they are recomended for running big framing nailers which will fire at 90 psi 40 times a minute. The air hose system is compatible with standard air compressor quick connects. It will accept 9 oz and 20 oz bottles and you can get them at lowes or get refillable bottles I believe. They look like a regular paintball tank.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this system in use, or had one. It is one option in my decision tree of regulator systems.

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

looks like they're cheaper now

[EGOed]

Yes , Ive seen them also and they would work great for charging cannons from CO2 paintball tanks .

[pyrogeek]

That's not a bad deal. But, another option would be to go to firstcallpaintball.com and pick up an Evil Detonator. These are running about $25. I'm sure you could find all the other parts you need pretty cheap, or free off an old gun or two. Just a couple duck bills, and a hose.

[experament-u2]

you can get them at bunnings i saw one the otherday, but they are pretty deep in pocket going for 145 or something close to that without a co2 tank on them

[Killjoy]

I have one, works great. Perfect for filling cannons in the field.

They will only charge to ~120 psi MAX output

More like 150psi, the needle pegs way past the gauge limit when you crank the nob all the down.

[williamfeldmann]

So, since some of you guys have used these, I guess my questions are more practical.

Will normal paintball tanks work with this? The setup comes with an empty bottle and Lowes has a return/trade-in policy. It appears that the prices for new bottles are compable with local co2 refills.

If I went with a lower priced Palmer regulator, will I get better refill flow/speed compared to something built for flow/speed?

@killjoy
Thanks for 150 psi info, thats about the max I would be running and really was looking forward to that pressure.

[agentsmithbob]

experament-u2, are you talking about the azito brand co2 kits?

If you are I think the prices at bunnings were $150 for the reg, hose and back-pack, $75 for the first canister, but it only ends up being $15 for each refilled canister you get. They operate on a swap basis, so you get a new filled canister for $15 when you bring in your old empty one.

I've been looking at these as an option for the semi auto bb gun I'm about to start building, but wasn't sure what kind of performance I'd get with 8mm beads (I'm in Australia) at 150psi, and if it would be worth the initial outlay, which is a lot.

Oh, and hi all, I've been lurking this site for about a month now, finally a topic I can offer some useful info on . Hopefully I'll have my first gun up soon.

[cwazy1]

hmm this setup is definitly a nice one for cleaness. but wouldnt a bulk settup be more worth it? i just bought a 5# tank for 50$ and a regulator for 40$ and thats around how much this thing is. plug the small co2 tanks are more pricy in the long run anyways. so why would you go with a small tank?

[experament-u2]

experament-u2, are you talking about the azito brand co2 kits?

If you are I think the prices at bunnings were $150 for the reg, hose and back-pack, $75 for the first canister, but it only ends up being $15 for each refilled canister you get. They operate on a swap basis, so you get a new filled canister for $15 when you bring in your old empty one.

I've been looking at these as an option for the semi auto bb gun I'm about to start building, but wasn't sure what kind of performance I'd get with 8mm beads (I'm in Australia) at 150psi, and if it would be worth the initial outlay, which is a lot.

Oh, and hi all, I've been lurking this site for about a month now, finally a topic I can offer some useful info on . Hopefully I'll have my first gun up soon.

yea i think thats the one but over 200 to get started its a bit much

[williamfeldmann]

Well, this would give a lot more portability than the big 5 pound tank. A bunch of us are starting up a timber-paintball game and we have a lot of hills and tight spaces that would awful hard to get into with a backpack on. This can attach basically anywhere and mounts on a belt etc. Most of our guns don't require the massive amount of air and a 20 tank will ore than suffice for a game.

The tanks at Lowes are also on a rotating basis. The setup comes with a 9 oz tank. You then return the empty tanks to lowes and get a new filled tank. 20 oz fills are 6 dollars.

[Tweetybird]

I have a Kobalt CO2 assembly which comes with a tire guage, safety glasses, connections, a spare tank which is redeemable at time of purchase, and the adapter/regulator/guage and attached it to my new T-Shirt cannon I am working on. I am using it in place of the fill tank on my current cannon. There are a few things I want to clear up. One, the whole thing costs 89 dollars. Second, it only costs 5 dollars to do a refill. I have done it several times.

I use a 3" pipe at 10" long for my chamber. At 50PSI from a 9oz canister I was able to get 40 shots

Problems and Pluses:
1.) Rapid fire causes the connections to freeze from the rapid expansion of the gas into the chamber.
2.) As a result, the seals freeze thus shrinking them causing leakage.
3.) The Schedule 40 freezes and becomes brittle.
4.) The diaphragm valve works well with this application.
5.) With the same pressure as I use compressed air, the t-shirt travels farther. Why I do not know. (More efficient?)

I am going to try to insulate the hoses and connections to see if this helps and post the progress. If anyone has any suggestions, I am willing to listen. CO2 is new to me, and I do not want to offer anything to my potential customers which could be harmful. I have a ton of disclaimers due to misuse, However, I do not want to add one for just use if I can help it. If anyone has an idea on how to direct feed the CO2 with out a fill chamber, I would be more than willing to offer some type of compensation and give them the credit when I start offering it for sale on my site.

You can see my air chamber t-shirt cannon at
http://www.spudgunextreme.com/catalog.htm

[Tweetybird]

Oh,

Normal paintball tanks will work. However, in some cases you will need to buy an adapter which you can find at your local WalMart for around 25 dollars. However, Most tanks will work.

[williamfeldmann]

When you metnion the tank refill, is that the cost for returning the tank to lowes for a new one or your local fill station?

How rapid was the rapid fire that caused the freezing? I am looking at maybe 4-5 shots a minute with my smallest paintballer. The bigger cannons I was thinking of using actual air mixes to prevent the freezing due to extended filling times.

The CO2 isn't more efficient, it is still expanding. The gas is, unlike air, still expanding and giving you a higher psi after a charge off the tanks. You are filing it to say 50 psi but are firing at maybe more like 60 psi if you wait a bit.

[Tweetybird]

What LOWES does is have a little book. When you bring back the old one, they then will issue you a card by scanning the book for around 19 dollars as a credit for the bottle. Then the cost of the 9 oz bottle is around 24 dollars. They apply the card to the amount for the new one with a difference of around 5 dollars and give the bottle to you right off the shelf. I was the first one to do it at my local Lowes, so it was a learning experience for them.

I was firing blanks pretty rapidly in the testing phase which was around 11 per minute. I am sure that it will be less then that in actual use as you have to load the T-Shirt. I like my things to fe fail safe. So I am a little cautios as to its performance in the field. Thank you for the information on the expansion of the CO2.