Like High said, kicking ifin you dont have to is a waste of energy. A big mallet and a stair tool has always worked great for me. In fact that method got me hired on in SF cuz thats the way the boss did it. When he came in and saw me tooling those waterfal steps he said I was his stair man. That was good and bad.
All it takes is a slip and your knap is jacked with a crummy kicker. Although I do bump the sides tight. When I measure a stair case I cut it slightly less than net.
That's why you carry a disposable razor in the tool box. You can shave of the fuzzies.
Daris