In this case you should compare "kind of like that" and "something like that". So, really, its just comparing "something" to "kind of". "Something" is less specific. "Kind of" is not very specific, but at least it indicates the same nature or category. "Something" could be anything. When you add "like that" to these two, you get similar results. "Something like that" would be less specific than "kind of like that". Obviously both are still indicating similarity between two things. In practice, "Something like that" is more dismissive. It is less likely to be a clear statement and less likely to be followed by an explanation.