My power stretcher gave out halfway through a living room job yesterday

Was working on a 15x20 room in an old house near downtown, getting into the stretch on the third seam when the handle just snapped clean off. Cheap cast aluminum piece. Had to finish the whole room with a knee kicker and a lot of cussing. Took me almost 2 hours longer than it should have. What brand power stretcher are you guys running that actually holds up?

2 comments

2 Comments

knight.taylor23h agoRising Star

Oh man, that's rough! I read somewhere that Crain makes some pretty solid stretchers that don't have that cheap cast aluminum issue, they use steel or something stronger instead. Might be worth looking into if you don't want a repeat of that nightmare.

blake_black4722h ago

Hate to disagree but I've had a Crain handle crack on me too. Not saying they're junk but that cast aluminum thing isn't exclusive to cheaper brands. I've been running a Roberts for the last 3 years and it's held up way better than any Crain I've owned. Snapped a Crain handle right at the weld point on a tight stretch in a dining room last fall. The Roberts has a thicker gauge metal and the grip is better too. Might be worth checking one out before you drop money on another brand that might have the same weak spot.