My $300 knee kicker upgrade was a total game changer

I finally bit the bullet and bought a new, heavier-duty knee kicker last week after my old one kept slipping on a big commercial job. It was about $300, but man, it made stretching that last section in a long hallway so much smoother. I got the tension right on the first try instead of fighting with it for ten minutes. Anyone have a favorite tool upgrade that felt worth every penny?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.laura1mo ago

Saw a video where a guy said his best upgrade was just a high quality chalk line. The cheap ones always break or get fuzzy, but a solid one saves so much time marking cuts.

brown.victor1mo ago

Honestly, that's so true about the chalk line. I used to burn through the cheap ones every few months. Finally spent like thirty bucks on a solid Tajima and it's been perfect for years. The line stays crisp and it rewinds smooth every time. It's one of those things you don't realize is slowing you down until you get a good one.

andrew_harris31mo ago

I mean, a good knee kicker is key, but for me it was a cordless trim stapler. I got the Milwaukee one last year and it was like 400 bucks. It sounds crazy for a stapler, but not having to drag a hose or compressor around for baseboard and quarter round changed my whole day. I finish rooms way faster now because I'm not constantly moving air lines or tripping over them. That kind of tool just takes a constant small headache out of the job.