I was cleaning out my truck and found my first knee kicker from 2002

It's a Roberts model, all scratched up and missing a pad. I heard a young guy at the supply house yesterday saying he only uses power stretchers now and never learned the old way. It made me think about how many tricky corners and stairs I got that thing into where a big stretcher wouldn't fit. Do any of you still keep a manual kicker in the van for those tight spots?

4 comments

4 Comments

thomasb412mo ago

Oh man, for sure I keep one in there. My old Roberts is beat to hell but it's a lifesaver. Just last month I had this crazy closet with a duct in the way, zero room for the power head. That little kicker got the job done in five minutes. The new guys don't know what they're missing, it's like a lost art. That tool has saved my butt more times than I can count.

sullivan.quinn2mo ago

My 2004 Roberts still lives in the bottom of my main bag. It's the only thing that will fit in some of those old bathroom cut-ins. They really don't make stuff like that anymore.

zaranelson19d ago

Not sure it's a lost art, those new power peelers actually make that closet work way easier for me.

sam_cooper2mo ago

Watch those kids with their power stretchers try to fit into a 1920s closet with a sloped ceiling. They'll be calling you for advice and offering to buy your old Roberts for triple the price. My '98 model is basically a metal security blanket at this point.