Old timer told me to switch to a power stretcher and I finally listened

I've been installing carpet for about 4 years now and always fought with a knee kicker on big rooms. This older guy named Dave who's been doing it since the 80s kept telling me to just buy a power stretcher and stop being stubborn. I kept saying my knee kicker was fine and I knew how to work it. Last month I had to do a 20x30 foot living room in one piece and my knees were killing me after the first hour. I finally borrowed Dave's power stretcher and honestly it changed everything. The carpet laid down way smoother and I finished the job in like half the time. Now I'm looking at buying one but there's so many options out there. Any of you guys got a recommendation on which brand holds up the best for daily use?

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noranguyen1mo ago

You did 4 years with just a knee kicker? That's wild to me. I guess if you're only doing small rooms it works okay enough, but for anything over 12 feet a power stretcher really is the only way to get it right. The big difference is the tension you can get across the whole room without killing your body. As for which brand, I'd say just get whatever your local supply house carries. The Roberts ones are fine for most jobs, but Crain makes a solid one too if you want to spend a little more. Just make sure you get one with good tubes that don't flex under pressure, the cheap ones will drive you crazy.