Lets see, I have a M-F #9, a Stanley Defiance #4, and a Wood River#4 V3 as my #4 sized smoothers. Do have some in the #3 size as well. These are my "keepers", and what I compare others that pass through the shop with.
The Kobalt seems to be a copy of a Bailey style plane, from what I have actually seen of it, in the store. It does have a flat sole(straight edge was just down the aisle) and there is a frog adjust screw. Chip breaker looked a little thin, about like most vintage Stanley ones. Made the iron look thick, too. It also has a lever cap, instead of the Buck Brothers screwcap. Yes, I've had a BB#4 come through the shop, and sold it at a profit, thank you. So, if it came down to a sharpening of the iron to get a trail run, not a big deal to me. From what I could see, fit and finish look quite good.
Might be a diamond in the rough, might not. One way to tell, isn't there? While I doubt that LN or Veritas have anything to worry about from this plane, it does have a no questions asked guarantee......