I remember seeing these images on the internet of these and now that I look back, I realized that I have never seen them on YouTube or in any other media format besides these images. Nobody has actually found one of these in real life.
The alarm in question has the same features as any other KN-COSM-B, however the interesting thing here is the fact that there is no embroidered lettering on the test button or on each LED; rather, it’s all printed. Notably, the test button is labeled with “PUSH TO RESET” for some odd reason.
Could it be that I found a very first generation KN-COSM-B? Please let me know what you think.
Oh yeah, hmm…
I wonder if that’s an original Nighthawk one (not sure I know the model number), before Kidde acquired them (especially given the “NIGHTHAWK” logo on the bottom-left there).
They purchased Nighthawk in '95. I am not so sure when they started selling the KN-COSM-B, but I do know they were produced before Y2K.
This link says that combined detectors were released in '96.
I think that refers to the KN-COSM-B.
Oh, yeah, maybe: then again though I believe Nighthawk-branded products kept being sold some years after Kidde’s acquistion of them, so perhaps that’s what those photos depict.
Regardless, that variant is probably from 1996, but no later than September 1999. The reason I say not any later than 09/1999 is because the label design is different then. BA&F Vintage’s video tells you that. However, it still retained the Nighthawk branding.
It kinda looked like the Kidde version except with a Nighthawk logo in place of the Kidde.
Yeah, could be. One other difference that I noticed in addition to the ones you did is the fact that the lettering below the logo reads “Carbon Monoxide + Smoke Alarm” instead of “SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM”.
I noticed that too. I didn’t want to go into too much detail cause the text was obviously different lol.
I kinda broadened it up a little bit tbh
Ah, yeah: every detail counts when it comes to potentially finding this seemingly really rare variant though! (including if it should be necessary to tell someone not as familar with life safety devices as we are what to look for)
Okay, I understand what you mean. Perhaps Steel City Alarms and @PhotoElev would know more about this alarm.
Hello. I can confirm that the image shown on the post is fake. No variant of the KN-COSM-B looked like that. The very first variant ever produced is from 1999. Oldest I have seen is the one that BA&F Vintage owns. He has the very first variant of the device. Has the old Nighthawk logo at the front, push and hold text on the button, etc. I actually have one of those Nighthawk units as y’all may know, but mine is slightly newer, which I call the “2nd gen.”, which was born at around mid or late 2000. Same thing, but a tamper-resist feature was added. Here is mine as an example.
Oh, really? Wonder if it would happen to be a pre-production/prototype variant then (since why wouldn’t Nighthawk/Kidde just take & use a photo of an actual production unit otherwise?).
Where’d you get 1999 from exactly? (since I seem to recall reading somewhere that someone thinks the KN-COSM-B came out in 1996 instead going by mention of supposedly the very first combination smoke/CO detector being released that year)
BA&F Vintage’s unit and the alarm’s package. No sign of it being from 1998 or older. No KN-COSM-B existed before 1999. Kidde was weird with alarm images back then to answer your other comment
I am aware of the 1999 one. However, I have confirmed that the first combination detector (most likely this model) was released in 1996, and a design change could have happened between them and '99. So either this variant is extinct, or it probably doesn’t exist at all like you say. Regardless, we will never truly know.
And I don’t even know why these images would even exist if they are “fake.” They look real to me, unless it was an actual alarm prototype with that particular labelling being used. I still believe the images have at least some authenticity in them, even if it’s a prototype or very shortly produced variant that doesn’t even exist anymore.
I’m not saying you’re wrong here, but not even I know for sure. What makes you think that the images are fake? They’re too low quality I can’t even tell for sure. But I know for a fact they’re not AI-generated.
My guess the fake image was for a potential prototype but it was never made. Or they could just be lying because I’ve seen Kidde lie with other alarm images before
Actually I was wrong about the release date but they for sure released it before 1999. First Alert came out with the first combo in 1996/97.
Going by that though wouldn’t that mean that the first combination smoke/CO detector was that First Alert & not the KN-COSM-B like you initially thought? (thus also possibly meaning that Steel might be right about the release year of it being 1999)
Someone said it could possibly be 1998. So that design is still possibly real. The oldest found was 1999, not necessarily the first year they were manufactured. I just figured out about First Alert from researching.
