Found out my power stretcher was 10 years old and I never noticed

Was helping a buddy install carpet in his basement last Saturday and he asked how old my power stretcher was. Checked the serial number online and it was from 2013. Ten years old and I never even thought to look. It still works fine but now I wonder if newer models are easier on the knees. Any of you guys upgrade yours recently and notice a big difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_claire8d ago

Blew out my knee last year stepping off a curb wrong, so I feel you on the knee concern. I grabbed a new one last spring with the padded head and it's night and day. My old one was probably from the same era as yours, felt like I was wrestling a bear every time I stretched a room. Now I can actually do two rooms in a row without ice packs, so that's progress. Might be worth swapping if yours is starting to creak like mine was.

the_jake8d ago

...it's funny how we just keep using stuff without questioning it until someone else points it out, ya know? Kinda like how I drove my truck for six years before realizing the seat wasn't adjusted right for my back. Same thing with tools, appliances, even the way we sit in our living rooms... we get used to what's familiar and don't stop to think if there's something better out there. That padded head sounds like a game changer though... might have to look into that myself before my knees start complaining louder than they already do.

alicer538d ago

That padded head comment got my attention because my old stretcher has a head that's basically just a metal plate wrapped in what used to be carpet padding (I think). Reminds me of the time I was helping my dad redo his kitchen floor and he showed up with a knee kicker that had duct tape holding the pad on. He'd been using it for 15 years like that, claiming the tape added grip. Lasted another three years before the whole thing split in half mid-stretch. Sometimes you don't realize how beat up your tools are until they literally break on you.