Will Lowes Hardware Deliver a Ladder
The research
- Why you should trust us
- Who this is for
- How nosotros picked and tested
- Our stepladder option: Gorilla GLF-5X Fiberglass Hybrid Ladder
- Stepladder: Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Runner-up stepladder: Werner FS106 6 ft Blazon I Fiberglass Single Sided Stepladder
- Upgrade pick: Little Giant Select Step Model five-8
- Our extension ladder option: Werner D6228-2 28 ft Blazon IA Fiberglass D-Rung Extension Ladder
- Extension ladder: Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Runner-upward extension ladder: Louisville FE3228 28 ft Fiberglass Multi-section Extension Ladder
- Extension-ladder accessories
- The competition
- Footnotes
- Sources
Why y'all should trust u.s.a.
I spent 10 years in high-end residential construction, and in that time I worked off countless ladders, from mini 4-human foot stepladders to fully extended 40-human foot extension ladders (not recommended). I was also a member of my visitor's rubber committee, responsible for maintaining safe piece of work practices and OSHA compliance for our crews, which included educating team members on safe ladder practices.
In addition, I've been writing almost and reviewing tools and construction gear since 2007, with articles appearing in Fine Homebuilding, The Periodical of Light Structure, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, This Old House, and Tools of the Trade. I've also written countless guides for Wirecutter on topics like the all-time tools and toolboxes, pressure washers, and backyard mowers, to proper noun a few.
For this guide I as well spoke with Mark Clement, licensed contractor, co-host of the MyFixitUpLife radio bear witness, and author of Sometime Firm Online's "12 Ladder Prophylactic Tips." I found his article to stand up head and shoulders above the rest as far as explaining the criteria in selecting a ladder.
On meridian of that, I read everything else I could about ladders, focusing a lot of attending on the buying guides at various retailer and manufacturer websites.
Who this is for
Ladders are bachelor in a variety of lengths, and a ladder that volition piece of work perfectly for one person might non get the job done for someone else. For this guide, especially on our extension-ladder recommendation, we concentrated on the ladder needs of a typical two-story abode with eaves approximately 19 to 20 feet off the basis. If that doesn't describe your abode, other ladders will work for you. It'due south important to know how to choose a ladder so that you can select the best ladder for your needs.
How we picked and tested
For this guide, we looked at two styles of ladders: stepladders and extension ladders. Because of their lengths and features, these ii styles complement each other. To actively maintain a dwelling, it's a skillful idea to own both.
Stepladders have an A-frame design and are cocky-supporting. Residential models are typically 4 to x anxiety in height (although much larger sizes are available). Unlike extension ladders, which are best for outdoor work, stepladders tin can work well indoors, too. They're good for tasks such as pruning trees, fixing ceiling fans, and painting interiors and exteriors.
Of the companies that manufacture quality stepladders, Louisville and Werner are the well-nigh prominent. Simply a number of other companies, namely Gorilla and Little Giant, accept their own offerings.
Extension ladders lean against a house and are capable of reaching very tall heights. They are non self-supporting and then are ideal for tasks along the walls of a house or upward on the roof, such as painting, window cleaning, siding repair, or roof repair. An extension ladder actually consists of ii ladders, namely a fly section nested inside a base department, both of identical length. With the use of a pulley system, yous tin extend the wing section upward and lock it at your desired summit.
For extension ladders, Louisville and Werner are the only two manufacturers worth considering.1 As well offering an all-encompassing selection of ladders under their ain names, these two companies are responsible for the ladders made under other names besides. Louisville manufactures ladders for DeWalt, and Werner owns Green Bull and Keller. The Louisville and Werner brands are the nearly widely bachelor, and in my feel they're the nigh mutual on construction sites. Both are trusted names.
Together, a properly sized extension ladder and stepladder make a prissy complementary pair. Ideally, with an extension ladder fully retracted and set upwardly against a house and a stepladder set up next to it, no portion of a home's sidewall is inaccessible. Where the reach for the stepladder stops, the attain for the extension ladder starts. Put together, these two types of ladders offer y'all the ability to access the entire exterior of your house.
We focused our enquiry on traditional ladder designs (A-frame stepladders and ii-section extension ladders). A number of other styles exist, simply we dismissed them for a diversity of reasons. Three-section extension ladders are more compact in storage but toll about twice every bit much every bit their two-department counterparts. We likewise didn't expect at whatever multiuse ladders similar the Fiddling Giant Classic. Such ladders are certainly applied, but the majority of them are aluminum—nosotros wanted a fiberglass model, because we tin't ignore the danger that exists with aluminum ladders and power lines. The fiberglass multiuse models we found, such as the Little Giant 15145-001, don't offering the height necessary for a typical ii-story home (and at $600 plus, they're very expensive). And we didn't await at telescoping ladders like the Telesteps 1800EP or the Xtend & Climb 785P, due to their limitations every bit a master ladder.2
Nosotros did not do any comparative testing of our extension ladder pick, although nosotros did get our hands on a Werner ladder to ostend the overall build quality (it'due south splendid). Nosotros tested three stepladders: the Gorilla GLF-5X, the Werner FS106, and the Niggling Behemothic Select Step Model 5-eight. To evaluate these ladders, nosotros used them for a number of mutual household tasks, such as storm-window adjustments, light bulb changing, window cleaning, and a few other odd projects (lubing upward a barn-door roller and taking downwards part of a ceiling). In addition to those unstructured tests, we ascended and descended each ladder countless times and did enough of "wobble testing" by standing at various steps and shifting our body weight around.
Afterward using our picks for multiple years doing all kinds of maintenance and repairs effectually the house we are confident that these picks will concur up well over the long term.
Our stepladder option: Gorilla GLF-5X Fiberglass Hybrid Ladder
Our choice
For tasks such as cleaning start-flooring windows, washing the lower portion of a house, painting near a ceiling, or installing an overhead light fixture, we recommend the v.five-foot Gorilla GLF-5X Fiberglass Hybrid Ladder. A major deviation between this model and the competition is that its meridian two steps are much larger than the rest, offer a caste of stability not found in a traditional stepladder. The big steps can support the entire foot, not but a role of information technology, allowing for easier residue and a wider range of movement compared with a traditional stepladder. This fiberglass Gorilla model is sturdy and has the same ten-foot reach as a standard six-foot ladder but is vi inches shorter, making for a footprint that is smaller than normal. That compact footprint is nice to have when you're setting the ladder up in a tight hallway or a minor bath. And those added features don't carry an boosted cost, equally the Gorilla GLF-5X is priced most the same equally a traditional stepladder of a similar size, build, and weight rating (in this case, 250 pounds).
Without question, the platform steps are the high indicate of the Gorilla GLF-5X. On a traditional stepladder, all the steps are about 3 inches deep. On the GLF-5X, the bottom two are 3 inches, but the top step is 10 inches deep, and the stride below that is 8 inches deep. The actress-large top steps offering much greater stability and comfort in comparison with a regular stepladder such as the Werner FS106, which we likewise tested. Because the Gorilla'south steps are big enough to back up the entire foot, I could use my regular standing balance while on the ladder, in dissimilarity to the constant "balance awareness" necessary for standing on a regular stepladder. It greatly reduces the amount of strain on the feet and legs. I besides didn't experience the demand to brace my knee against the ladder, which is a habit I've developed while using regular stepladders.
The big steps make shifting positions piece of cake, too. Because it fully supports your anxiety, completely turning around while yous're on the ladder is not an issue. With a regular stepladder, turning takes some footwork and maneuvering.
Gorilla lists the GLF-5X as a 5.5-pes stepladder, merely the steps are at the same superlative as those of a half-dozen-foot ladder, so the attain is the same, about 10 anxiety. That should exist enough for you lot to achieve most garage-door openers, lower tree limbs, ceiling fans, and 10-foot ceilings. According to contractor, radio co-host, and writer Mark Cloudless, a good rule of thumb for sizing a stepladder is that "your feet will stay almost 2′ below the ladder'southward nominal height. For instance, a 6′ stepladder gets your feet about four′ above the ground. Add your own acme to that number for a real flick of where the ladder will get you."
The Gorilla GLF-5X has a Type I weight rating (250 pounds), which is less than the weight rating for our extension-ladder recommendation (Blazon IA, 300 pounds). In the case of an extension ladder, a higher weight rating refers to an increase in the stiffness of the rails, which results in more comfort and stability. This stiffness isn't equally necessary with the A-frame design of a stepladder, particularly one with the added safety and maneuverability of platform steps. As well, people typically don't utilize stepladders as aggressively as an extension ladder.
Some other slight reward to the Gorilla GLF-5X is that when folded upwards, information technology'due south 2 inches thinner than a regular stepladder (four inches versus 6 inches, measured at the tool tray). This amount is adequately small, and it won't mean anything to virtually people, but if your garage space is extremely express or y'all programme on storing your ladder in a closet, this thinner build could make a divergence.
Other credible reviewers accept written nigh the Gorilla GLF-5X and liked it quite a bit. At Pro Tool Reviews, Clint DeBoer writes, "Given that Gorilla provided two full steps, you now go a ladder that lets you not only climb to the heights you need, merely also gives you lot a solution to let you stand there and get your piece of work done (be that painting, installing crown, etc) without running into pes-fatigue." DeBoer besides refers to the ladder as "a good indoor and outdoor solution that works just as well in the home as it does on the jobsite." At Tool-Rank, reviewer Gary writes, "I really liked using this ladder; information technology's easier to lift and carry, easier to open up, easier on the feet, and yet has a sturdy feel to it." In comparison the Gorilla confronting a traditional stepladder, Gary states that "the Gorilla Hybrid ladders are much better."
We've continued to use the Gorilla GLF-5X for a number of indoor and outdoor tasks, also as through a pocket-sized renovation. The ladder has held upwardly through it all and nosotros proceed to notice a lot of value in the oversized meridian pace.
Stepladder: Flaws but not dealbreakers
The GLF-5X is a 5.5-foot ladder with the attain of a 6-human foot ladder. Gorilla accomplishes that past putting the steps at the same meridian and lowering the elevation of the ladder, and thus the tool tray, by 6 inches. This lower tool tray is an inconvenience, but only a slight one. With the boosted stability of the platform steps, angle over a little more to grab a hammer isn't a huge issue. While I'm on the superlative step, the tool tray comes to about 3 inches below my articulatio genus (I'm six feet 5 inches), whereas with a regular stepladder, the tray is firmly at my genu. If you feel the need to brace yourself, you still tin (it'southward just a trivial lower), simply as I said earlier, the stability of the platform steps eliminated that need for me, and then there's little in the fashion of a loss in that regard.
Every bit for overall build quality, the Gorilla GLF-5X is fully functional and I always felt secure on it. During our extreme wobble tests, however, it had more side-to-side movement than the Werner stepladder, and when we set information technology up on uneven surfaces (such equally a lumpy backyard), it had more than flex every bit it adjusted to the contours of the ground. When you lot utilise any stepladder, you should ensure that the legs are level, either by digging one slightly into the ground or supporting one with a shim (such as a broad board). Nether normal circumstances, with the legs leveled, the 2 ladders seemed to offer a similar amount of stability in our tests.
Lastly, the GLF-5X model'southward tool tray is on the pocket-sized side, and Gorilla does not offer whatever add-on accessories such equally a utility saucepan. We tested similar accessories from Werner and found them to be fantastic for a multifariousness of projects. The Gorilla ladder does appear to be compatible with third-party items such as the Rack-A-Tiers Ladder Mate (which nosotros haven't tested).
Runner-upwardly stepladder: Werner FS106 half-dozen ft Type I Fiberglass Single Sided Stepladder
Runner-upwards
If y'all're willing to sacrifice a little standing stability for working convenience, we also like the Werner FS106 6 ft Type I Fiberglass Unmarried Sided Stepladder. This is a traditional stepladder without the Gorilla GLF-5X's platform steps, which is a drawback. Only to its advantage, the tool tray is compatible with a number of accessories that we constitute to be extremely helpful during our testing. The FS106 has excellent build quality, and in our tests it hardly wobbled at all, fifty-fifty while we stood on it and aggressively shifted our weight around.
Without the big platform steps, the FS106 supports merely the curvation of your foot (or the ball, depending on how yous're standing). You're more than likely to need to brace your knee confronting the top pace, and yous'll accept to exist more careful shifting your feet or reaching downward for tools. The FS106 offers a fine setup, merely the GLF-5X merely gave usa a much meliorate feeling of comfort while we were working.
Where the ladder makes up for that difference in blueprint is in a number of accessories that attach to the tool tray through a series of tapered grooves. Nosotros tested Werner'southward AC52-UB Utility Bucket and AC56-UH Utility Hook, and we thought that both accessories were excellent. While I cleaned and adjusted storm windows, the utility bucket easily held a canteen of Windex, a ringlet of paper towels, a cordless drill, a prybar, a hammer, and a scattering of small, easy-to-lose aluminum storm window screws. The saucepan also gave me a place to put the one-time caulk that I was scraping off the edges of the windows. And with all of that stuff in the bucket, I still had plenty of room left over.
Overall, the FS106 is a very prissy ladder, merely we retrieve about people would capeesh the added continuing stability of the Gorilla GLF-5X over the convenience of Werner'south utility bucket and other accessories.
Upgrade pick: Fiddling Giant Select Step Model 5-8
Upgrade selection
The Fiddling Giant Select Step Model 5-8 is an unusual ladder with a number of unique features that can make life much easier if you're taking on more avant-garde projects such as crown molding or larger framing tasks. First off, each side of the ladder can extend and lock at various lengths, so you can use this single ladder as a 5-, six-, seven-, or 8-foot stepladder. Because each pair of legs adjusts independently, this ladder can lean affluent against a wall or stand up on a stairway or incline, 2 positions a basic stepladder can't accommodate. The Select Step also comes with a single platform footstep at the peak, plus an extending work tray that you can employ as a handhold while standing on the higher steps. The tray has a magnetic area (for securing nails, screws, drill $.25, so forth), as well as places for extension cords, mitt tools, and a can of paint. Last, the legs splay out at the lesser, giving the ladder a level of stability not found in other 6-foot stepladders.
The Select Stride has received a number of positive reviews from credible sources. Mark Cloudless, reviewing information technology at Old Firm Web, calls it "the reinvention of the stepladder." Cloudless concludes: "[I]ts payback in versatility and convenience (not to mention an boosted 8 foot stepladder I don't need to purchase, comport, and store) is well worth the investment. It'southward a professional grade tool that makes all kinds of dwelling house improvement and repair easier and safer." Marc Lyman of Domicile Fixated also reviewed the Select Step, writing, "The versatility and useful features of the Select Footstep make information technology ideal for DIY'ers and homeowners, but I think pro's would appreciate it besides." Lyman has a video with more detail on the ladder features, including the innovative tool tray.
I've owned a Select Pace for a number of years, and it has proven its worth fourth dimension and fourth dimension over again, both at my own house and on construction sites. In 2014 I reviewed it for Tools of the Trade. At the time I wrote, "I've owned ane since information technology came out and have used it on a diversity of jobsites where it has received unanimous praise from guys in simply nigh every trade. Basically, everyone loves the affair and there are a lot of reasons why."
The Select Step has an aluminum build and is available only with a Type IA (300 pounds) weight rating.3 That blueprint adds versatility but packs on extra weight, peculiarly with the telescoping function included. At 26 pounds, the Select Step weighs about 8 pounds more than the traditional Werner stepladder, making it an bad-mannered item to comport through a house.
Other than the weight, the main drawback to the Select Step is the cost. The Model five-8 runs more $200 equally of this writing, almost three times the price of our master stepladder pick. Given such a price, this is not the ladder for everyone. But if you're serious about your DIY work, you will probable appreciate the investment.
Our extension ladder choice: Werner D6228-2 28 ft Blazon IA Fiberglass D-Rung Extension Ladder
Our pick
Afterwards closely comparing about 20 extension ladders of varying lengths, we remember the best extension ladder for most people is the Werner D6228-2 28 ft Type IA Fiberglass D-Rung Extension Ladder. Its 28-foot length is enough to safely become someone up to the roof of a typical two-story dwelling house, and its Type IA weight rating (300 pounds) is strong plenty to support a person completely loaded up with tools and gear. Because of its fiberglass side rail, this ladder is prophylactic near power lines (equally long as it'due south clean and dry), and it has antislip safety feet, which you lot can flip up and dig into the ground when y'all're setting it up on grass or gravel. All of these features are available on our runner-upwards option, but the D6228-2 has wider availability at major retailers, where information technology typically sells for less. The D6228-2 isn't a cheap item, but for something that you're literally trusting with your life, paying for quality is worth it.
The D6228-two is sized for a typical two-story business firm. At its most meaty, it's simply over 14 feet in length. Fully extended, it'due south roughly 25 feet, with a three-foot overlap at the center. For safety, you lot should not use the top three rungs equally steps; as a result, the D6228-2 gives a maximum reach of about 27 to 28 feet depending on your tiptop. For you to get on and off the top of the ladder and onto a roof, three rungs need to extend beyond the roofline,4 so the D6228-ii works with roofs near 21 feet high or less. If your house does not conform to those heights, Werner offers a chart that will assistance yous decide on the correct ladder length.5
Fifty-fifty if you think y'all'll never go up on your roof, Marker Cloudless's communication is to get a ladder with that capability. He writes, "However, information technology's not unheard of for folks to misuse ladders when unintended situations arise. 'Nah, I'll never need to proceed the roof,' y'all retrieve—until a hurricane deposits a tree branch there, or blows off shingles then it'due south raining in your bedroom. Adjacent thing you know, you're bouncing upward your (undersized) ladder considering it'south an emergency. If there's a scintilla of a run a risk you'll go topside, my advice is to buy up."
The Werner D6228-two is also a rubber ladder. Since its side runway are fiberglass, they practice non conduct electricity as those of an aluminum ladder practice, and then it'southward a condom choice for working well-nigh power lines. This gene is specially important with long, difficult-to-maneuver extension ladders. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends this type of ladder in a rubber alert, noting that it'southward crucial that fiberglass ladders "be kept clean to maintain their non-conductive safety properties."
Simply the advantages of fiberglass ladders go beyond electrical prophylactic. As Cloudless told us, "Fiberglass is orders of magnitude better than aluminum. Racket, sturdiness, even cleanliness. In one case aluminum gets grit and junk on it, it finds its way to your hands and apparel and work." He emphasized the sturdiness factor, too: "It'south merely a stiffer ladder, especially when extended." My experience is the same; I've always felt much more stable, and thus safer and more comfortable, on fiberglass ladders. In "Choosing a Ladder" prominent pigment manufacturer Sherwin-Williams suggests, "[If] you lot purchase simply one ladder, fiberglass should exist your choice."
The Werner D6228-two has a weight rating of Type IA, which means it can safely support 300 pounds. That may sound excessive, just the weight rating includes the total heft of everything on the ladder, so it isn't just a person just also the vesture, tools, and anything else that the person might bear.6 An commodity at The Family unit Handyman puts this idea into perspective: "The average American male weighs 189 lbs. Add a gallon of paint and a few tools and you lot've already exceeded the weight limit of a Type III ladder [200 pounds]. Carry a heavy power tool and a few manus tools and you'll blow past a Blazon II [225 pounds]. And if you ever take to lug up a packet of shingles (70 lbs.), you'll need at least a Type IA ladder."
Fifty-fifty if you never go close to exceeding the weight limit, a Type IA rating promises the most stability in a residential ladder. Because a ladder rated as such is designed to handle so much weight, information technology has less flex in the side rails. This feature becomes more important as y'all extend the D6228-two. At its maximum reach, only iii anxiety of the ladder sections overlap, and then you're relying on the forcefulness of the individual sections—and the times you're working at heights like these are precisely when you don't want a bouncy ladder. In addition, the 300-pound weight rating means this ladder is strong enough to handle whatever emergencies or unforeseen situations. Fifty-fifty if no one in your household comes close to 200 pounds, y'all never know who may exist assisting you with a project (or asking to infringe your ladder).
The feet of the D6228-2 have nonslip textured rubber grips for utilize on hard, apartment surfaces. When you set the ladder on a backyard or other soft surface, you lot tin pin the anxiety then that the claw end faces downward, fix for y'all to dig it into the ground for a better grip. We found that both setups are successful and very stable.
Werner is a well-respected name in ladders, and the D6228-2 has stellar customer feedback on the Home Depot site. This reception is not surprising, as the majority of the ladders I used in construction were Werner models. In fact, I've spent quite a bit of time on this exact ladder.
The Werner costs a serious chunk of change, but a ladder, fifty-fifty one that you use only a few times a yr, is worth the investment. The areas where you could get cheaper just aren't worth the reduction in capability. The Werner D6228-two has the length, build, and weight rating to handle whatsoever household task and perform in an emergency.
Extension ladder: Flaws but not dealbreakers
This ladder and other Werner models are readily available at Home Depot, Lowe's, and many local hardware stores and home centers, but getting it to your domicile may show tricky depending on your vehicle. The ladder weighs 60 pounds, and so most roof racks should be able to handle the weight. We recommend using a strong tie-down system, such as ratchet straps, to prohibit whatever movement of the ladder during transportation. Home Depot charges virtually $100 for curbside shipping where it's bachelor, while Lowe's appears to accuse about $l to $100 (delivery pricing is regional). You can observe some online retailers that offering free shipping, just they tend to sell the item at a higher base cost (past near $40).
Like any 28-pes extension ladder, the Werner D6228-ii is heavy. If you're not used to maneuvering a sixty-pound extension ladder, setting this one up volition likely be an awkward and hard process; just getting it vertical tin be a struggle. Our recommendation is to educate yourself on the proper techniques for conveying and setting up an extension ladder. Also, it's a good thought to have someone aid: In construction, for example, it's not uncommon for one person to "pes" the ladder (stand up on the feet) while the other 1 lifts it to the vertical position.
Even downgrading a few of the features doesn't significantly reduce the weight. Stepping down to the Type I, 250-pound rating saves you just 5 pounds, and ownership the same ladder but with an aluminum body saves you but about 3½ pounds. So although such minimal reductions add up, they don't result in a featherweight ladder. Extension ladders are just heavy, and sacrificing safety features to shave off a pound or three doesn't brand sense.
Storing a 14-foot ladder tin can pose difficulties, too. I've always had luck with wall hooks (like to these) fix either backside the garage or inside it. For such a heavy ladder, it's disquisitional that you spiral the hooks into studs and not merely drywall.
Runner-up extension ladder: Louisville FE3228 28 ft Fiberglass Multi-section Extension Ladder
Runner-upwards
These days you lot can find only ii manufacturers of high-quality traditional extension ladders, so information technology'due south not surprising that our runner-up is the Louisville FE3228 28 ft Fiberglass Multi-section Extension Ladder. Nosotros didn't test this ladder, but it appears to accept very niggling to differentiate it from our Werner pick. The two ladders accept the same weight rating, the same general build, and similar safe shoes. Like Werner, Louisville is a respected proper name in the ladder industry, and through my construction career I've stood on many Louisville Type IA ladders with complete confidence. Where the Werner model edges out the Louisville model is in its availability in stores.
To get the best deal on your extension ladder, you should buy the Werner in person at either Home Depot or Lowe'due south for almost $300. If you want delivery and need to purchase online, the Werner and Louisville ladders both cost more. We tracked historic pricing at Amazon, and at that place the ladders typically sell in the $365 to $370 range but oftentimes go on auction for much less (though they rarely go equally depression as the in-store price). One industrial retailer, Zoro, offers gratis shipping and currently has both the Werner and the Louisville in the $330 range. Online prices practise fluctuate, so it's difficult for us to offer whatsoever concrete communication other than to propose that you lot have a few moments to seek out the best price.
Extension-ladder accessories
You can find a number of add-on accessories that make an extension ladder easier and safer to use, including stabilizers, ladder mitts, and leveling legs.
A stabilizer is a particularly useful accessory to have for an extension ladder. This broad U-shaped bar attaches to the top of the wing ladder and braces the ladder off the house, preventing damage. As Mark Cloudless writes, these "can span a window or go along [the ladder] from burdensome gutters." I've used one similar to the Louisville LP2200-00, which works fine and doesn't cost much, only the downside is that it isn't easy to put on and have off. Were I purchasing ane at present, I'd seriously consider the Werner AC78, with its quick attachment system.7
Ladder mitts are null more than niggling rubbery end caps for the runway on the fly section. These add-ons help prevent unwanted damage: Ordinarily, when you lot identify a ladder against a house, it can hands scratch paint and get out scuff marks, only mitts provide a soft protective barrier so that doesn't happen. The Werner AC19-two pair is well worth its typically minimal investment.
If the ground effectually your firm is uneven, levelers tin can be helpful. These accessories adhere to the feet of the ladder and extend independently, and then you tin can position the ladder properly. We like the looks of the LeveLok Permanent Mount Way Levelers. The LeveLoks are the merely levelers we constitute that offering a pivoting safety shoe, and they have fantastic customer feedback at Amazon. Since the legs can accommodate adjustments upwardly to x inches, you lot could gear up the ladder perpendicular on a flight of stairs. Most levelers are in the $100-plus price range, though, and the LeveLok pair is no different.
If y'all know from the first that you lot'll need levelers, Werner sells a version of our main extension pick with a built-in leveling system, the D8228-2EQ. It sells for virtually $370 at this writing, so at the moment you get a slight cost savings past purchasing the ladder with the levelers attached. Either option is better than the lazy fix—setting a ladder leg on a couple of bricks—which Wirecutter editor Harry Sawyers one time used to ascend from a lower roof to an upper roof on a historic house he was restoring. (He survived.)
The competition
The Little Giant King Kombo Articulating Fiberglass Step Ladder (available in sizes ranging from 4 to eight feet) and the Werner Leansafe (available in sizes ranging from four to 12 feet) are both step ladders that tin can be simply converted into extension ladders. They're similar to the Select Step in many ways and come at a cheaper cost, simply they don't accept the height versatility as a step ladder and they can't be set up on stairs.
The Piddling Giant Flip-N-Lite stepladder weighs simply 12 pounds (nearly vi pounds less than the Gorilla) but is only aluminum and omits a tool tray. The lighter weight is nice, but we don't feel it's worth sacrificing a tool tray or a fiberglass build.
When folded, the Lilliputian Giant MicroBurst stepladder is notably thin at but three inches thick (1 inch less than our choice). Information technology also has a Blazon IA, 300-pound weight rating. The downside is that it's currently nigh twice the cost of our pick and our runner-up.
The Louisville FS2006 half-dozen ft Fiberglass Standard Step Ladder looks similar to our stepladder runner-up, the Werner FS106. Knowing Louisville's reputation, we would wager that the FS2006 is an excellent ladder, but Louisville does not appear to make uniform accessories equally Werner does. Also, the current cost of this model is slightly higher than what the Werner typically sells for.
The Werner PDFS103 Type I Fiberglass Podium Ladder has a platform-step blueprint similar to the Gorilla GLF-5X, but it has only a single such stride, whereas the Gorilla has two. The reach on this ladder is besides merely 9 anxiety, not ten every bit on the Gorilla.
Little Giant, Werner, and Gorilla all make other ladders with telescoping legs, some of which tin can exist converted into extension ladders, such every bit the Gorilla MPX Multi Position Ladder, the Werner MT22, and the Petty Giant Model 22. These can be convenient to have, but they're not designated step ladders, and so none offer the condom of the platform pace or the tool holding convenience of the Select Step'due south tool tray. The rung locks are typically much more user-friendly on the Select Stride. When compared with a regular extension ladder, they have a lot less length adjustability and they tend to flex more than.
Werner'due south D6028-ii 28 ft Type I Fiberglass Extension Ladder is the aforementioned as our master extension pick, simply it has only a Type I weight rating, which means it can hold 250 pounds. This is the extension ladder nosotros tested for this article, and the truth is, this model would be enough for many people. One significant drawback is that heavier people may go over that weight limit, either on their own or in one case they become loaded with tools. This ladder also has a limited availability compared with the D6228-ii and currently takes near a calendar month to ship to a local Home Depot or Lowe's, where it costs about $20 to $xxx less than our selection. All things considered, nosotros decided that stepping upward to the 300-pound rating simply makes more sense.
Footnotes
Sources
-
Marking Cloudless, 12 Ladder Safety Tips, Former Business firm Online
-
How to Choose a Ladder, Werner
-
Clint DeBoer, Gorilla GLF-5X Hybrid Ladder Review, Pro Tool Reviews , February 12, 2016
-
Gary, Gorilla Ladders GLF-5X Hybrid Ladder Review, Tool-Rank , April 29, 2016
-
Mark Clement, Review: Piffling Behemothic Select Footstep Ladder, Old House Spider web
-
Marc Lyman, Fiddling Giant Select Step Ladder Review, Home Fixated , Baronial 24, 2010
Comments
Post a Comment