Switched from a knee kicker to a power stretcher on my last living room job

I used a knee kicker for years on all my installs, but I tried a power stretcher last week on a 20x15 foot room with tricky corners. It made the seams way tighter and saved me about an hour of re-stretching. Has anyone else made that switch and seen a big difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

park.miles1mo ago

I got 15 years using a knee kicker on everything from 10x10 bedrooms to full basements. I borrowed a power stretcher from a buddy last spring for a 18x14 living room with a bay window and a closet bump out. Honestly, I went back to my knee kicker after that job. The power stretcher kept putting too much tension on the carpet near the drywall corners and I had to go back with a knee kicker to fix a couple of spots anyway. For me, it just adds an extra step and I still need the knee kicker for the edges and tight spaces. I can get just as tight a seam with my knee kicker if I take an extra pass and let the carpet rest a few minutes. Not saying it's wrong for everyone, but I didn't see enough benefit to switch full time.

blakestone1mo ago

So the power stretcher gave you extra work and made you miss your old knee kicker, real upgrade there buddy.

phoenix_bailey1mo ago

That "saved me about an hour" part hits home. I made the same switch on a tricky 16x12 with a fireplace hearth and it cut my re-stretching time in half. Power stretcher is just way more consistent, especially on those weird corner cuts.