Warning about that cheap seam roller from the big box store

I grabbed one of those off-brand seam rollers for like $12 last month thinking I'd save a few bucks. Figured a roller is a roller, right? Wrong. The handle was plastic and felt cheap, but the real problem was the roller itself. It had zero weight to it, just this hollow, lightweight cylinder. On a job over in the Brookfield area, I was working with a dense berber and this thing did nothing to set the seam adhesive. I must have gone over the same seam ten times, pressing down hard, and it still wasn't bonding right. Ended up having to go back the next day because the seam started to lift. Cost me a full day's pay, about $350, plus gas. What do you guys use for a good, heavy-duty seam roller that actually works?

4 comments

4 Comments

wyatt13515d ago

The one I grabbed was that yellow-handled plastic model from the hardware chain, and I figured the same thing. A roller is a roller. After a bad seam lift on a customer's living room rug I had to agree with @wendy820 that cheap materials just aren't worth it. Now I only use a solid steel roller that actually has heft, and it sets the adhesive in two passes instead of ten. Cost me about 40 bucks but saved me a return trip and 350 in lost pay.

the_hayden2mo ago

Honestly the real cost is your rep when a seam fails later. That cheap tool can make your work look bad for years. I just bite the bullet and get the heavy metal ones now.

wendy8202mo ago

I learned that the hard way with a plastic seam ripper. It snapped halfway through a project and left a mess. Now I only buy the ones with a metal handle.

roberts.leo2mo ago

Ever try those ones with the rubber grip? I got one thinking it would be more comfortable, but the metal part inside was still flimsy and bent on thick denim. What do you look for in a good seam ripper besides the metal handle?