Found out the hard way my knee kicker was garbage

After fighting with stretch marks on a 12x15 living room in Phoenix last week, I finally swapped my old cheap knee kicker for a Roberts 10-45. The difference was night and day - no more re-stretching the same spot three times. Why do we skimp on the one tool that actually makes or breaks a clean install? Anybody else notice how much smoother a good kicker works on berber?

2 comments

2 Comments

simon_wood721mo ago

Man, I feel you on that. "Found out the hard way" is the perfect way to put it. I did the same thing two years ago, fought with a cheap kicker on a cut pile job and it just wouldn't grab the backing right. Swapped it out for a better one and it was like a whole different trade. A good kicker just bites into the carpet and holds it, no wrestling match. On berber especially, that smooth action is everything. Why do we put up with bad tools for so long?

willowroberts1mo ago

Oh man, the berber thing is so real. I had a job last year with a tight loop berber and my old kicker just skated across it like it was ice. Spent a whole afternoon redoing seams because I couldn't get the stretch right. Finally borrowed a buddy's Crain 500 and it grabbed like a pit bull. The secret I found is to check the pins on the kick pad too, if they're worn down even a little it won't bite into berber worth a damn. Swapped mine out for a new pad and it was night and day, no more fighting the backing.