Update: I figured knee kickers were a gimmick until a 12 by 15 in Council Bluffs
I have always used a power stretcher for everything, even small closets, and I figured a knee kicker was just a way to blow out your knee. Last month a guy named Dale asked me to help on a 12 by 15 bedroom in Council Bluffs and he kicked the whole thing in by hand before I got my stretcher set up. The carpet laid flat with no ripples and I could not find a single loose spot along the walls. He told me the trick is short kicks at the seam side first, then work the rest toward the corners. Now I am wondering if I have been wasting time dragging the stretcher into small rooms, so what is your cutoff for kicking vs stretching?