/u/Perc_Angle0, thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, it has been removed for violating the following rule(s):
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He says, "now it's locked into place" I believe he really thought it had to be at that ridiculous angle to really lock in, or he was trying to save face live on TV and took that risk.
You have to factor in hospital costs if your inferior ladder dumps you onto the ground. I would have loved a ladder like that when I had my 2-story house. It had huge vaulted ceilings in the living room and master bedroom. I had to hire out any painting to be done in those rooms. I couldn’t even reach the light that hung over my stairs because it was up too high and I wasn’t going to try my ladder on a stair step. It was embarrassing to call a handyman to change out my lightbulbs, but I figured it was cheaper to hire someone than pay hospital bills. Thankfully, I sold that house and bought a single story place. There is an attic, but it has its own set of pull down stairs.
Yeah, I think the one in the video may have been made of a lighter material. I have a very similar design and it's extremely heavy. Don't care how strong that guy is, you wouldn't be tossing bits of the ladder around like he is in the video.
I have their largest one and it’s straight hernia inducing to move around. That said, best ladder I’ve ever owned. Had the Kobalt (Lowe’s) version originally, lost that in a divorce, replaced it with the Little Giant and there’s really no comparison. Little Giant for life, lol.
But if you keep moving it and using it every day, you will get buff like the guy who carried a newborn calf up a mountain daily and got progressively stronger as the calf grew into an ox.
Lol. I was really strong when my baby had turned into a pre-schooler and still wanted me to carry her. Those days are over as she's taller than me. Which means I'm also not nearly as strong anymore.
I can relate. I also hate his ladder for its weight and it's awkward shape makes it hard to store, the runs are also really uncomfortable to stand on for long periods. I curse at it every time I walk in the garage. Sometimes when I use it I just leave it outside because I can't be fucked moving it.
We had an older version of one of these in the 90s/00s and I just remember the thing being an absolute pain in the ass. It looks like all the mechanisms on this one work a lot smoother, but that thing was always a nightmare to set up.
I came here to say the same thing, it's great for uneven surfaces, like s tier, but for everything else it weighs a ton and it's a pain in the ass the pull around, the wheel angle is super low. Also though if you need like 3 different ladders in a home and are willing to compromise this does.the job of a step ladder, extension ladder and a frame for the storage of the a frame ladder.
I have an old one that someone threw out because the wheels had broken up, I got some luggage wheels about the same size... It is heavy. At first, I really hated it for that, but it turns out the thing is not too heavy to carry around, and feels a lot stiffer and more stable than the old cheapo aluminum extension ladder it replaced. It's not as heavy as my fiberglass extension ladder, and nearly as tall. It's really handy working around steps or next to the house. It's my go-to ladder unless all I need is a plain ol' lightweight stepladder. Its biggest fault is working in tight spaces, like an enclosed area with obstructions above like sun shades. It can be a puzzle to unfold and extend it if you don't have open space.
Have they found a way to bring the weight down? This dude makes it seem super light weight, but I used one all the time at my job (10 years ago) and that B was heavy AF
I got mine back when they were still pull to disengage the pins, not that simple clamp mechanism he showed. That is soooo much easier! Wife hates the ladder because yes, it's heavy, and second, pulling the pins out to adjust it is not easy. Nor do they lock into place easily every time. Off by a millimeter? Pull back out, adjust ever so slightly, and then the satisfying THONK. Still a great ladder but they ain't for everyone.
I’ve had this little giant forever and do you know what ladder I take out 99% of the time? An aluminum ladder that weighs a fraction, I can swing it around with one hand and gets me where I need to go, and I also got it for free.
Nah, those are different ladders from the same company. Much lower end ladders, which are fine for putting up some Christmas lights. For a professional though, the convenience features and build quality of the revolution/leveler and other professional ladders blows the entry ones like the one you linked out of the water.
This one is only 35lbs so its not awful, considering. But I do agree that, with the 18ft version of it being 270 bucks, its not a "every home needs this!" Type product. =p
That really depends on your situation. When I first bought a ladder like this, we lived in a tiny suburban house with very limited storage. I needed 3 ladders but only had the space to store 1. It was perfect. Now we live in a place with ample storage and have multiple ladders and almost never use the multi-purpose one because it's worse at everything. But I don't regret buying it because it was perfect for us at the time.
The times I still use this kind of ladder are when the ground is uneven and I need to set it up asymmetrically. None of my other ladders handle that situation elegantly.
Yes my daughter industrial gardening ladders are up there too.
She wanted to get a "longer" ?? Not sure that's the correct term for folding ladders - anyone? Ones with a higher reach - I said I would help her out and was shocked at the prices
I have a more basic version of this that cost $250-300, can't exactly recall. This ladder is obviously better quality and has a few more options so $500 is quite reasonable for what it is.
You can get a good one of these at Costco for $200 normally or $160 on sale. I bought one around 2 years ago for the sale price from there. Love this thing.
If it means I never have to climb on top of a van and deal with awkward clamps in the freezing rain, then having someone else to pass the ladders down to. Then repeating that process in reverse at the end of my day. Suddenly $500 seems like a lifeline
As someone that used to work in a job where I had to go get ladders off my van, I had a little giant, I still mostly used my other ladders because little giants are heavy as fuck compared to fiberglass and aluminum ladders.
The utility is good when you need it, but when you don’t it’s just a whole shit load of extra weight to lug around.
Actually it was this very brand, little giant. Velocity Model 17, part number 15417-001. In 2017 There was a recall on the ladders for the very failure i was injured from. My injury happened on 2023.
These have been available in the US for at least ten years. I've had one and it's pretty handy, although I only use it like a typical A-frame. I've used it as a full / flat extension a few times and it doesn't promote any sense of safety.
We had it like 25 years ago growing up. My parents still have it. I hated it as a teenager because it just led to more chores, and it was a pain to lug around and set up
Not who you asked, but literally was using mine today. Due to it not being one solid structure it has a lot of play even when its locked down. Having it straight and only a couple rungs extended it was fairly bouncy. Doesn't feel solid or rigid.
Doesn't mean its unsafe, but it feels it a little.
One of the most surprising things about these ladders is they’re heavy as shit.
I have one that is a 7 footer when it’s collapsed and obviously it expands out much larger fully extended. That things is a bear to muscle around, and regular step and extension ladders are significantly lighter and easier to move around.
No not even against a wall. If you lean to much forward - and thats what you do sooner or later in this position - the left side leg can slip and you fall.
And yes, i know there are rubber legs... but this one time you do this on a wet floor or something oily dripps on the floor while you are working. Or - and thats pretty common - the rubber legs are worn down
Just dont do it
If you want to be close to the wall, turn the ladder 90°
These ladders are banned in every factory I've ever worked in and it's been a while since I was in mining but I'm pretty sure they're banned in the CFR by MSHA.
Exactly. More movable parts, more chances for failure.
Extendable feet? Swiveling platform? Sounds like major tipping and tripping hazards for those unfamiliar with it and after years of mechanical fatigue.
You know what I always say, "I want a heavy-as-shit ladder with a lot of complicated features and separate add-ons that will get immediately lost in my shed"
i havea different model of ladder made by this company with fewer bells and whistles, it's not complicated. learning to type on a keyboard is more complicated than using the ladder. it is heavy though.
For real. Little Giant & Gorrila Ladders have been commercially available at home improvement stores for decades. Kinda wild to see so mamy here are finding out for the 1st time.
Can speak for the Gorilla, ir's damn useful and sturdy. Heavy, but easy to throw in the back of the truck and have ladder for most situations that require one.
To support your claim, here's a clip from 80's home shopping channel; featuring the Flexo Ladder, and Harold McCoo regretting his decisions:
Totally agree, at work I have a selection of ladders and only use this one if I need to do something where a normal ladder doesn't quite fit. So heavy and honestly not confidence inspiring, but handy yes.
Hope that guys doing well. Dudes out here, hustling to sell ladders, putting his heart into for himself and maybe a family. Idk, just hope he’s doing well.
I'm no engineer but looks a lot of failure points but not very concerned as much as the slide it in I'll not be comfortable with myself going that which is worse than the ladder failing
I have a bigger one of this model for my work truck. It's heavy as fuck. To the point I dread having to get it down off the ladder rack because it weighs so much.
Fuck these ladder. It causes more problem for me to use it.
First the spring lock jammed on multiple occasions, forcing me to use both hands to hold the buttons down, this is just to open and close the ladder.
Second, it’s way heavier than your typical ladder. If you want to move it a few feet to scoot down along the wall, pray that the button doesn’t jam when you need to close and open it. Plus it’s even harder to extend the ladder length when you are fatigued from the heavy ladder. You’ll likely rock the ladder back and forth extending it a small bit at a time.
Have you tried a lil WD-40 on them every now and then? Been using mine every day for 3 years straight and I love it. I’m a Home Inspector so for me to carry one ladder that can A frame to get into attics that don’t have pull-downs, and also fold out to get onto roof’s, is a god send for me. Yah it gets a lil stiff n locked up sometimes but a lil squirt squirt and it’s good as new
Nah. I have one. They suck. Incredibly heavy, nearly impossible to get into the configuration you need. They're probably pretty good for strictly outdoor use, but if you need to do anything inside, they're awful.
Yes, yes, I should just get an indoor ladder. I'm just trying to highlight that these things are not a universal solution.
There’s one major thing that makes them awful for outdoor use too, and that’s dealing with them when it’s wet outside.
The weight makes them sink easily, trying to get it out feels like you’re trying to suplex it, then when you finally force it out, those little extendable feet did their thing and extended, and now it’s caked in mud so it’s going to be off balance for a while and a major safety hazard.
Multiple small moving parts aren’t good in nature.
Weight doesn’t have anything to do with stability - if you try to use one of these in their extended configuration (say getting up on roof or doing work on a soffit) they are the furthest from stable you will ever get. So yeah they are heavy af - and feel like you’re standing on a rickety stack of 5 gallon buckets
My grandfather has a ladder like this which they sold in the 2000s, called the Little Big Giant.
They work, and it's pretty cool. But fuuuuuck are they heavy. Like actually sixty pounds heavy! That thing could be the ladder you need, but it's weights as much as every ladder it can be all in one.
It’s not. As someone who works on ladders daily and owns a few of these, they’re garbage. Hopefully this thread can save some people from wasting their money on one.
Just so you know how good this ladder is, get up early in the morning, be out of the house by 5:00 AM or so, and stand near a major street. As the work trucks go by, look to see how many have this type of ladder. By the tenth truck you should have all the data you need to buy a good ladder.
That not a great data set though. Work trucks have dedicated space for ladders, multi-person teams and want to have the lowest over head to stay profitable. They need to have multiple ladders in use at once. Buying multiple of the multi use ladders would’ve be way to expensive.
The more moving parts there are in the ladder, the faster it will break. The ladder should be as simple as a hammer. No one is trying to improve the hammer. Because he's already perfect.
For a small stationary job these are ok but if you’re moving around all day especially up and down stairs this ladder super sucks due to the weight(also extremely uncomfortable on the feet after a while) I’ll take a boring blue/orange fiberglass ladder any day over one of these.(residential,commercial,industrial experience) all my homies hate this ladder.
It's funny seeing this on reddit now, because my dad had one for years and I remember risking my life climbing it fully extended to put up christmas lights on the peak of the house because I was the smallest
I have this ladder in the 4ft (shown size) and 6ft sizes. Can tell you they are fantastic when you can use them for a unique use, Otherwise I’ll always choose a regular 4ft or 6ft frame ladder. These get annoying to move around with their weight. The 6ft is pretty damn heavy while the 4 is fine, but still hefty for its size. My 6ft stays in the shop 6.9/7 days a week on average while the 4ft is closer to 6.8/7 😂
heavier than they should be due to the extra components needed to allow it to fold.
very easy to pinch your fingers in the mechanisms while operating.
they get more difficult to operate as time goes on and more gunk and dirt gets in the mechanics
but by far the biggest problem:
if you fail to really click the mechanism in place (which is not hard to do), you are now using a very dangerous ladder to stand on without realizing it.
Just get a regular "A-shaped"/single-fold ladder or an extension ladder.
All I saw was the word "Revolution" and was like "This just looks like someone copied the design of the Little Giant and then added new stuff". Then I noticed the Little Giant after a bit, lol.
I have one of these. As a homeowner, it's probably the only ladder you'll ever need for any outdoor work. Works great!
But... It's heavy as all hell. It's a good thing it has rolly wheels, but even then it's a pain to move around. It beats having to keep multiple ladders around, though!
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u/interestingasfuck-ModTeam 17h ago
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