keith_bennett•1d agoProlific Poster

Tried one of those cheap seam rollers from Harbor Freight

I figured a seam roller is just a seam roller, so I grabbed the $8 one instead of the brand name for $40. First two jobs went fine, but on the third one the wheel started wobbling and left a mark down a 12 foot seam in a beige Berber. Had to tear out 20 feet of carpet and redo it. Cost me $90 in materials and an extra 2 hours. Lesson learned, some tools you just don't cheap out on. Anyone else get burned by a budget tool like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_west1d ago

Nah, I've had that same roller for 3 years now and it's still going strong, maybe you just got a dud or pushed too hard on it lol.

wade25019h agoTop Commenter

Man I feel you hard on this one. You said "just a seam roller" and that's exactly what I thought too before I got burned. I bought a cheap carpet seaming iron from a hardware store clearance bin and it worked fine for like three small rooms. Then on a big living room job the sole plate started sticking and melting the backing. That ruined a whole 15 foot seam and I had to pull it up and redo it just like you did. Cost me way more than the cheap tool saved. It's like these budget tools are designed to last just long enough to trick you into thinking they're good. I've learned my lesson now, for carpet tools especially you gotta go with the brand name stuff even if it hurts the wallet upfront.

susan_adams1d ago

Did you press down REALLY hard or something? I ruined a seam setter the SAME way and regretted it BIG time.

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