Ratings & Reviews for Wagner Smart Sidekick Powered Roller 11-in Inner-Fed Paint Roller

It’s junk

First time using it, the punp stoped working halfway thrugh painting a room.

Just awesome

Ok so it is really easy clean that’s important . The set up is ready in as much time as a regular roller. You have so much control over the flow that you really don’t need drop cloths as long you go at a regular pace. I was covering a horrible purple with a lighter gray and this made is so easy and helped get in done just one pass. The only downside that is notable is that the roller it self is only good for 1 or 2 uses after that can get messy so if your going to paint make sure you are really...

Button sticks

Very poor product. The trigger button is pneumatic and sticks all the time in the on position. You have to run to turn the switch off when it sticks. Paint dripping everywhere. Wagner should make the switch electric instead of pneumatic.

Content

This got the job done. I’m thankful. I had to paint a room and popcorn ceiling. It was extremely efficient to use this. As one of the reviewers stated, the off button in the switch also stopped working for me after maybe a gallon. I was working alone on a ladder so this was slightly inconvenient. I made it work though. For cleaning up, I inserted the suction tube in a bucket of clean water and turned on the switch. It took some time and a great deal of water to get all the paint out. If I had to...

This paint feeding system works great

I was skeptical about buying this. Would it feed latex paint properly without spilling or dripping? How easy to clean? Well the answer is this unit works great. The first time you feed paint into the roller, I suggest you place it on the wall and roll it up and down until you see the paint spotting on the wall. Use the button on the handle to turn flow on and off. It cuts the time down to paint a room considerably and no drippings off the roller. No paint lines being left on the walls. Cleaning ...

Almost perfect.

This would be perfect (5-stars) if it had a handle and a better method of carrying it. You can use it in one spot, yes, but you do still need to relocate it as you go, and taking it to your cleanup area is a clumsy cluster gaggle, juggling the hose, roller, pump unit and paint can, and cord without dropping it or making a mess. On the good side, it works great and makes a large job small. My button didn't stay 'ON' without holding it, until the cleanup cycle. It paints smooth and uniform, worth ...

will cover wall quickly. Needs better flow control

no flow control ;since paint gets over everything my power button got stuck and had to unplug to stop after first use.

Very short life.

I cleaned this machine after every use very carefully and exactly as the instructions required. It failed after 5 smaller (1 room or less) painting projects. I opened the machine to see the problem. This pump is a Peristaltic pump meaning a flexible tube is compressed by rotating rollers to cause the paint to move. My machine’s flexible tube had become hard and broke into pieces. Their was no dried paint in the tube and I only used water to clean it, no solvents. For a flexible peristaltic to f...

great product

I think its harder to clean then it is to use. Glad i finally bought one

Won't paint without it

This is the second Wagner power roller system I have used. I literally will not paint without it unless it is a very small job. I just finished painting the stucco on two walls of my house, including a 15' peak. Being able to load the roller with a press of a button is great when you are up in the air. It is also much safer. I am a 66 year old woman so I take more breaks than a stronger person might but this really speeds up the job. I don't like the cleanup, but I knew that when I bought ...

Takes practice, but awesome tool

I bought the Sidekick to paint a stairwell. I didn't want to have to keep going up and down a ladder to dip the roller in a pan of paint. The Sidekick worked like a charm. You have to be careful how much paint you send to the roller, and not leave the pump on too long. About to paint a 13x20' den and am looking forward to using the Sidekick.

Time saver, needs modification

Pumping paint through the roller head is not only faster, but reduces drips since most of these occur between the bucket and the wall or ceiling. The price point of this machine makes the purchase justifiable even for non-professionals, depending on the scope of the project. The pump mechanism and delivery tube are well designed and easy to clean which is a major factor in any machine designed to move liquid coatings. The power button is the weak part of this machine, as it seems to work via v...

Great product! Worth every penny!

A friend told me about this product and given we had a huge job of painting both our living room and kitchen coming up, we decided to spend the money and see if it was worth it. And then some!! My husband rolled both rooms in about 2 hours and it was so much easier and quicker than constantly going back to the roller pan. We also used way less paint than we would have using a standard roller. and pan. If you have a big job, this is worth it! We will be using it to paint our bedroom, guest room a...

Work very well

My 13yr old painted the bathroom in like 30 minutes

A great timesaver ... when it works

I had to return two machines and get a third to finish a job. I had one of the Power Rollers that worked for over 10 years and was a huge fan. However, I am disappointed in the quality and reliability of the new Sidekick. The button on the handle stuck the first time I pressed it on the first machine I bought, which caused the paint to flow continuously unless you turned the machine off .... it caused a huge mess. I returned it for a second machine, and the motor stopped pumping paint ou...

A time saver ... when it works

A had to return two machines and get a third to finish a job. I was a fan of the Power Roller ... I had one that lasted over ten years and did multiple big jobs. I bought the Side Kick to do another big job and ran into problems. On the first machine, the button on the handle stuck the very first time I pressed it, causing the paint to flow without stopping. I returned it for a second machine; it lasted two days and then the motor stopped running and would not pump the paint out of the bucket...

Poor durability

I purchased the Sidekick for the express purpose of painting a large exterior perimeter fence. The fence has a stucco finish and approximately 2,300 square feet of surface area. I used the Sidekick over a three-day period, for a total of approximately 11 hours of painting with a latex, exterior paint. About 1 hour before completing the roller painting, the Sidekick no longer pumped paint through the feed tube. There were no obstructions at any predictable junctures in the feed system. The unit w...

Less than 1 gallon before malfunctioning

Saw the reviews, was willing to deal with the clean up since that part of painting sucks anyway. My issue was is/was the handle button stopped working correctly less than 1 gallon in to my painting project. The pump would stick in the on position. Had to have my daughter come and help by manually flipping it on/off to control the flow. Every now and then the pump would need to be started again with the handle switch but it wouldn't turn off. All I can say is what a horrible design, a sealed...