The days of tack strip and knee kickers

I started installing carpet back in 1998 in Houston, and we used to cut every seam with a straight edge and a utility knife. Now it's all power stretchers and seam irons, but I swear my old knee kicker gave me better tension. Anyone else miss the workout you got from hand stretching every room?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jana1mo ago

Man that brings back memories! My dad was an installer in the 80s and he had those old knee kickers with the metal teeth that would just shred your pants if you slipped. But here's what gets me - are you saying the power stretchers actually give you LESS tension overall, or is it more about how you can feel the stretch differently with your knee? Because I've seen guys who still use both and swear by the knee kicker for tight spots like closets. What kind of carpet were you mostly working with back then, like the thick plush stuff or the low pile commercial?

piperb931mo ago

Wait... you're telling me your dad actually wore pants that survived more than one installation with those old metal kickers? I've heard stories about guys whose pants looked like they went through a paper shredder after just one job with those things. That's wild, man. My uncle had a pair of jeans he called his "lucky ones" that lasted through maybe three whole rooms before the teeth finally got him. But to answer your question, I always felt like the power stretcher gives you more even tension across the whole room, but the knee kicker lets you feel the little bumps and textures better in tight spots like closets or under radiators. It's like, the knee kicker is more about touch than force if that makes sense. I was mostly working with that thick, plush stuff back then, the kind that would leave marks if you even looked at it wrong.

xena_fox397d ago

it's more about touch than force" - yeah that's exactly it, you can feel the little dips and seams way better with a knee kicker. Power stretcher is smoother for big rooms but in a weird tight closet the knee kicker just works.