Overpriced ARB CKMTP12 900 dollar portable Air compressor alternative

[athous]

So been looking into a better air system for my rig up from my VIAIR 450c which has been slow and failed after 3 months (warrantying it, but prefer something dependable) Was going to go with an onboard system, but how I have my rig setup doesnt afford me the luxury of having it mounted in the cab and didnt want to go through the hassle of mounting it under the body. So I found ARB makes this really cool hard case compressor with a little air tank. However it is also 900 clams + Tax which to me is pretty insane cost wise. DId some searching and discovered that alibaba has them for about half the price. Chatted with the folks there and they bumped the price down to 300 for me for one. Well Ive had it a few days and my buddy who has an actual CKMTP12 brought his over to compare. And aside from some mild astetic changes they are exactly the same. Inside the compressor has the same aluminum pistons/fans/rings/shroud/etc. I was under the impression that this would be a clone (which Im fine with) but I think its actually just a rebranded one direct from china which really shocked me. And your thoughts might vary, but if ARB can charge 900 bucks for something and the factory where they have them built can sell them for 300 with shipping and still make a profit leads me to believe these things are incredibly overpriced from the get go. I understand this is capitalism, but to me it is a gross and egregious markup for something that probably cost them well under a 100 to make. And before anyone goes on a rant about how much time & money they spent into developing this than you're in for a surprise as they are actually using open patents from a defunct company that originally made these compressors. That last reason is truly the motivation for seeking out an alternative as ARB didnt actually do any real research or development for any of their compressors and they just slap their name on them and increase the price 10 fold. See below for pics of "HF" compressor and no sadly that doesnt stand for harbor freight......

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[microboby]

Have a link where I can order one ?

I have a viair that works great up to 33” tires but now with the JT on 37”s its just to much . Was thinking a Smittybilt which could get for cheap too but yours looks great and I care less for the name brand stuff

 

[pbrevo64]

Impressive, I would be curious to see how it holds up after some use. Definitely going to have to keep this in mind down the road when I am ready to pull the trigger on one. I wonder if they sell it not in the case?

 

[BaileyW7]

I would defiantly give that a shot. Link?

 

[pbrevo64]

Found it on Alibaba, not sure on the rules of posting from non-sponsor sites, but it looks like you can buy just the compressor for $180, might be a good option if you are looking to permanently mount the compressor. If it is as identical to the ARB as it seems, you should be able to use any of the ARB mounting solutions that are out there.

 

[athous]

yea its just on alibaba, its 450 on there, but I whatsapp chatted with them and got it for 300.

Just search HF or CKMTP12 and itll come up

Im very confident its the same everything as the ARB setup for just a lot less moola! And for 300 I was willing to take the risk!

 

[microboby]

Small Little detail missed on the Original Post after reaching out to Manufacturer :

Price-
CKMTP:$300
shipping cost ;$200
paypal bank fee:$22

Total Fee shipped to Ca. $522.00

The ARB Kit without the case and Tank is $556 Retail

https://www.quadratec.com/products/16104_900X_PG.htm

Prob you can get it lower than that so not sure the Chinese is a great deal . For $300 I would order one today but final price is different story

 

[pbrevo64]

Small Little detail missed on the Original Post after reaching out to Manufacturer :

Price-
CKMTP:$300
shipping cost ;$200
paypal bank fee:$22

Total Fee shipped to Ca. $522.00

The ARB Kit without the case and Tank is $556 Retail

https://www.quadratec.com/products/16104_900X_PG.htm

Prob you can get it lower than that so not sure the Chinese is a great deal . For $300 I would order one today but final price is different story

Ouch. That is pretty steep, I wonder if there would be a possibility of a group buy?

 

[athous]

Ouch. That is pretty steep, I wonder if there would be a possibility of a group buy?

I paid 300 out the door. I am in Southern California. I what’s app’d with them to get the price down. Basically told them even at half price it wasn’t worth the risk. They than offered otd 300. They did offper UPS 3 day for 160 though. I got it via DHL took about 3 weeks. Most of that time it was sitting in customs in LA.

 

[microboby]

Manufacturer is Interested on a Group buy and will be able to sell including shipping for $350 if we can get this put together . Should we make a new post about it to see ?

 

[BaileyW7]

Manufacturer is Interested on a Group buy and will be able to sell including shipping for $350 if we can get this put together . Should we make a new post about it to see ?

I’d probably get on board with that if we can get some initial reviews from the ones that have been ordered.

 

[Frogwopp]

How many do you need for the group buy? I'd give one a shot for $350

 

[WK2JT]

I’d be in... was already to buy one anyway.

 

[microboby]

They asked me to tell them how many , I’d say about 5 prob to get it going . Should we make a new post or what for the review from @athous ?

 

[Code 3]

@athous - please give us an update. I’d join the gb too if his feedback is positive.

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