Pro tip: Tried a new knee kicker vs my old one on a big Berber job

I was doing a 1500 square foot install in a new build over in Springfield, and my regular knee kicker just wasn't gripping the Berber backing right, kept leaving little ripples. Grabbed a newer model with the dual-pivot head from the truck as a test. The difference was night and day, it stretched the carpet way tighter on the first hit and saved me probably an hour of fussing. Anyone else have a favorite tool for tricky carpets like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kim20d ago

Got to disagree on the knee kicker being the fix here. A power stretcher is the right tool for a job that big, especially with Berber. Knee kickers are for small spots and repairs, not getting a tight stretch over a whole room. Using one on 1500 square feet is just asking for callbacks when the carpet relaxes.

spencer_sanchez6720d ago

Honestly, my buddy had the same issue with a big loop pile job last year. He fought it for a day with his old kicker, then switched to one with a gripper head. Said it was like the carpet finally decided to listen.

hugo_cooper23h ago

Wait, he used a knee kicker on 1500 square feet of Berber? That's crazy. No wonder it was a fight, that's way too much area for that tool. A power stretcher is the only thing that's gonna get a proper stretch on that much carpet, especially a tight loop. Using a kicker for that whole job is just setting yourself up for wrinkles in a month.