Stretching power stretcher pins vs. knee kicker, changed my process over 30 days

Been installing in Portland for 12 years and I keep seeing guys swear by knee kickers for most rooms. I switched to doing power stretcher pins on every seam, even small closets, after a 300 square foot job last month in Sellwood came back wavy. The homeowner noticed within a week and I had to redo it. Has anyone else ditched the kicker for pins on smaller spaces, or am I the only one who thinks the extra setup time is worth it?

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jana_davis901mo ago

Honestly, the wavy issue might not be from the kicker itself. A lot of times that happens when the carpet isn't stretched enough in the first pass, or the tack strip has a gap. Knee kickers work fine in small spots if you take the time to work from the center out, but yeah, pins do give a better bite on seams. The setup time is a pain, but redoing a job costs way more than 10 extra minutes. Tbh, I'd say keep the kicker for closets and tight angles, but use pins anywhere you can fit them. That balance has saved me from callbacks more than once.