TIL my old boss was right about power stretchers vs knee kickers

I've been installing carpet for about 4 years now and always used a knee kicker for residential rooms under 12x12. My first boss told me I was wasting time and should just use a power stretcher every time. I ignored him because the knee kicker felt faster. Then last month I did a 10x10 bedroom and the customer found a wrinkle after 2 days. Had to go back and redo the whole thing with a power stretcher. Took me twice as long as if I'd just done it right the first time. Anyone else have a bad habit they had to unlearn?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva90818d ago

Nope, but I have seen guys burn through knee pads so fast it’s ridiculous. My old coworker would buy the cheap foam ones from the hardware store and replace them every 2 weeks. I showed him the gel ones with straps and he stopped complaining about sore knees. Sometimes the obvious answer is just spending a few extra bucks on the right tool from the start.

johnson.jesse18d ago

My neighbor spent an hour adjusting his knee kicker before realizing he had it on the wrong carpet pile setting.