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Had my old Roberts knee kicker finally give out on me last Tuesday
I was starting a job in a split-level in Akron, trying to get a good stretch on a 15-foot run. Gave it a solid kick and the head just snapped clean off the shaft, bounced right under the customer's china cabinet. Had to run to the local supplier and grab a new one, cost me about $220 and an hour of time. Anyone have a good trick for checking those old rivets before they let go?
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the_derek1mo ago
Man, that's the worst kind of break. When a tool fails right in the middle of a stretch, it throws your whole rhythm off. I've had a rivet pop on an old kicker before, sent a spring flying across the room. Now I give the head a good wiggle check before any big job, listening for any play or weird clicks. It's saved me a couple times from a similar trip to the supplier.
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ninasanchez1mo agoOG Member
My old impact driver gave up halfway through a deck rebuild last summer.
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ninasanchez1mo agoOG Member
That wiggle check tip is smart, but how do you tell the difference between normal wear and the warning signs of an imminent failure? That click you mentioned feels like a fine line between "needs replacing soon" and "finish this job then swap it". Is it just experience or do you have a specific test you run?
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