Little Giant Ladder

route246 · Sep 8, 2011

I pulled the trigger on a Little Giant Ladder at Costco a few weeks ago. It arrived yesterday. I've been contemplating this for years and truthfully, what sold me this time was they didn't bundle it with the scaffold which added $100 and I really didn't want that plank, anyway. Additionally, the 17' which I was originally interested in finally has the wider rungs on it which were not available during the last road show when they were at Costco. The old narrow rungs really hurt your feet when your climbing indoors using slippers or bare feet.

The other thing that convinced me was I saw these were being sometimes used by the San Jose (California) fire department. Good enough for these guys where their life depends on their ladder so it must be good enough for my use.

But, the improvement with the wider rungs and the unbundling of the scaffold plank was enough to convince me to finally get one. Additionally, I needed this to do some CCTV installation up high on the side of my house this coming weekend. I ordered the wing span device, too because I plan to go up high on this thing and really feel like my regular extension ladder is a just a little too wobbly for my comfort.

Honda 1 · Sep 8, 2011

I used to borrow my neighbor's Little Giant ladder, which he purchased at a show when they first came out. After using it several times, I finally bought my own. The price was $425.00 then. It is really a great ladder and the price now is about half of the original price.
I have the 22 ft. version.

hockey88fan · Sep 8, 2011

Nice, I would like one....

Mr_fixit · Sep 8, 2011

I have the big fiberglass one. It's heavy, but it can be used some places where no other ladder will work. I like it.

route246 · Sep 9, 2011

Thanks for the responses. I plan to try it out this weekend.

Major Ramifications · Sep 9, 2011

I have the original 17' model.
I love it, but it is HEAVY and shorter than I envisioned. I got a great deal on it years ago at work, so I can't complain about the price.
Being afraid of heights, it does give me more confidence than other ladders.

mikeatrpi · Sep 9, 2011

I have the 17' "American Titan by little giant", and like the Major, I agree its VERY heavy. I also get a little freaked out by the hinge in the middle when used like an extension ladder. But all in all, it is sometimes handy in the non-traditional configurations and it does store pretty compactly.

rlitman · Sep 9, 2011

I've got an older 22' aluminum, and a really old 22' fiberglass. The fiberglass is -awfully- heavy, but it feels as solid as anything else, and as a two sided 9' A frame ladder, it's awesome.
The lower treads are a little thin, but I'm more of a boots than a slipper person.
I have a similar device to that "wingspan" which I love on my extension ladder. I don't think it fit too well on the LG, but I need to take another look.
I also recently picked up a Little Jumbo 4 step on CL. What a find! It's as solid as a staircase.

Mike662 · Sep 9, 2011

I've had one for a few years now, and my only real complaint is the weight.

They are very stable, and work in some places where an ordinary ladder might not. For example, you can set it up on a staircase by setting the front and back legs to different heights.

newlywv · Sep 9, 2011

I have been thinking about buying one for years. I may just do that now.

bimmer1980 · Sep 9, 2011

I have a little giant at my shop in SD and I bought the werner version for my garage in PA.

They are a great ladder!

The knock-offs are built lighter duty than the true 1A version ladder made by little giant and werner. my b-in-l has a gorrilla and while it is lighter, the material wall thicknesses are thinner than my werner or little giant. it makes it slightly more flimsy. And his is the 17' while mine is the 22'. I think I paid $187 from a ladder place of out Baltimore that delivered it to York for free for my Werner 22'.

Aspen · Sep 9, 2011

Major Ramifications said:
I love it, but it is HEAVY and shorter than I envisioned.

This is the reason why I didn't get one and have two ladders. I'm not in construction or a home inspector so a 13' one fit the bill perfectly for my needs at a fraction of the weight and price. IIRC, i got the Keller 13' model on sale for little over $50. It is light and folds to a compact footprint able to fit in a lot of car trunks. I have the longer regular ladder on hand for rare moments when I need to get on the roof or something.

route246 · Sep 9, 2011

The high end model 17 I bought has lighter alloy weighs in at 28 lbs. The previous incarnation was considerably heavier. I have been contemplating for many years. Another reason I got interested was infatuation for Robin Hartl who used to be in their infomercial a few years back.

I actually met her in person once at a county fair appearance. She is more charming in person than on the TV, believe it or not!

newlywv said:
I have been thinking about buying one for years. I may just do that now.

richtersrodz · Sep 9, 2011

I bought the Werner Multi-Master® Articulated Ladder (had to look up the name) years
ago. I love it, except for the round rungs. It needs them, to fold into 18 different
positions, but tends to hurt your feet, when you have been up on it for hours, like I have
before. I use the hell out of it, and needed one for a long time, but didn't want to drop
the money. I was glad I finally got one years ago..

Danglerb · Sep 9, 2011

I bought the Gorilla version for $90 when Home Depot clearanced them a few years back. Big part of the reason for buying is the 300 lb rating, and how much I hate a ladder that wiggles under my 250 lbs. Works fine for me.

weadjust · Sep 9, 2011

I have a 22' little giant I purchased for $199 from amazon 12 years ago. I use it most everyday to inspect roofs. It's been in the bed of my truck for those 12 years and looks and works as good as it did they day I bought it.

Steevo · Sep 9, 2011

I have had my 22' Little Giant ladder for about ten years, and I love it!
It is a bit heavy, especially when you extend it out and try to stand it up full height, but it is the best ladder I own.

R6 Racer · Sep 10, 2011

22' Here, had it for years, absolutely love it! I have the wingspan, 2 of the work platforms & the leg leveller. I agree its a heavy ***** but the versatility & stability are worth the heft. Lately I have been thinking about getting another much smaller one, maybe a slightly lighter duty one that's not so heavy, For all the smaller jobs! My 6' step is getting on in years & stability.

Your gonna really like your new toy
Steve

route246 · Sep 11, 2011

I used it a bit today. I can't believe how much better it is than my collection of conventional ladders. It really is flexible in what you can do with it. It's great for indoors and tight spots, it extends very nicely and the locking hardware is very solid and easy to use. It is one case where the demo is not exaggerating or deceptive. I'm always very skeptical of these demos but the Little Giant demos are pretty much what you see is what you get. Made in Utah by US labor. I'm very happy with this product, even at this price.

blue dog · Sep 11, 2011

Here is an experience that a friend of mine had with one of these ladders. January, the wife says take down the x mas lights, Ok, Out comes the little giant, extended, leaned against the house, up goes Robin to remove the lights per his wife's direction. Crash, boom, bang, one of the joints on the ladder failed and caused the ladder to fold up on its way down, when this happened, Robins foot was on the first step above the first joint, when folding up on Robin's ankle, and the fall to the ground, it caused a compound fracture like you could not believe. To this day, there is a lawsuit against the above mentioned company and they have approached and tried to settle out of court, but what they offered would not have covered half of the hospital bills. There was extensive testing done by 2 outside companies regarding the joint failure on the exact ladder that caused the accident.
Now, you guys are grow men and can make your own decisions, i will not tell you not to run with scissors or anything else, but i am a general contractor and will not let anyone use these on my jobs, subs or employees, end of story.
This is just an FYI from me to you. Buyer beware.

danski0224 · Sep 11, 2011

blue dog said:
Here is an experience that a friend of mine had with one of these ladders. January, the wife says take down the x mas lights, Ok, Out comes the little giant, extended, leaned against the house, up goes Robin to remove the lights per his wife's direction. Crash, boom, bang, one of the joints on the ladder failed and caused the ladder to fold up on its way down, when this happened, Robins foot was on the first step above the first joint, when folding up on Robin's ankle, and the fall to the ground, it caused a compound fracture like you could not believe. To this day, there is a lawsuit against the above mentioned company and they have approached and tried to settle out of court, but what they offered would not have covered half of the hospital bills. There was extensive testing done by 2 outside companies regarding the joint failure on the exact ladder that caused the accident.
Now, you guys are grow men and can make your own decisions, i will not tell you not to run with scissors or anything else, but i am a general contractor and will not let anyone use these on my jobs, subs or employees, end of story.
This is just an FYI from me to you. Buyer beware.

I have had LG ladders for about 10 years now.

Every time I use one, I look it over and make sure the hinges, pins and latches work properly before climbing it. I lubricate the moving parts. I don't leave it outside to corrode.

I also place the ladder squarely on the ground to avoid loading one side more than the other.

I do this because me + tool belt is 250#... me + tool belt + bundle of shingles is over 300#.

The outcome in your warning above *****, but you make no mention of equipment maintenance or site conditions. Those two items are very important. You also do not mention the brand of ladder.

I could not see a Little Giant ladder failing if the hinge and pins are properly engaged and not damaged. I can't say the same for the el cheapo Chinese knockoffs that people are so enamored with.

Without the details actually placing the ladder at fault (and proving it) your warning against articulating ladders has little meaning.

If the incident happend to an employee (not necessarily one of yours), odds are that the company and/or insurance provider would fight any workers comp claim in the beginning, delay payments, push for secondary level medical care, delay crucial things like medical imaging, lowball any settlement and generally make the injured person's life much more difficult than it needs to be to minimize their payments.

Almost every single employer I have worked for has provided step and extension ladders that were unsuitable for use. Missing feet, ladders cut down (8' into 7'), wood blocking in fiberglass rung bases, fractured fiberglass sides and so forth. I was eventually laid off for refusing to climb an extension ladder with broken rails on the fly section. The field superintendent told me "the delivery guy climbed it, what's your problem?" I told him to send the delivery guy back out or a new ladder beause I'm not climbing this one.

I know someone that had a similar ghastly injury from a regular extension ladder (homeowner grade), and the person fell less than 6 feet.

The ladder was not at fault. The ladder did not fail.

The person (1) did not know how to use it (2) it was used improperly (3) ground conditions were very slick (4) the person injured lacked experience on tall ladders and should have stayed on the ground.

The injury was received while attempting to remove Christmas lights.

Any ladder can fail if used improperly.

The scary thing is the idiots out there buying the cheapo homeowner grade stuff.

Buy a good ladder, not the cheapo stuff.

oldjacks · Sep 11, 2011

I sure am glad I stumbled into this thread as I have put up with cheesy home ladders all my life. Never felt safe on any of them and really hated to extend mine out to maximum length. I always thought that wobbly ladders were the norm. In times past I have seen these Little Giant Ladders but never have given them a second glance. My thought being that any ladder that claims to do so many things so well has got to be a piece of junk.

Well, after reading this post I am going to order one of these ladders (not sure which model one yet) and get rid of the 3 other ladders that I can't stand using. Hey, after working with a cheap vise for years and then finally buying a good one.... there is a difference.

blue dog · Sep 11, 2011

danski0224 said:
I have had LG ladders for about 10 years now.

Every time I use one, I look it over and make sure the hinges, pins and latches work properly before climbing it. I lubricate the moving parts. I don't leave it outside to corrode.

I also place the ladder squarely on the ground to avoid loading one side more than the other.

I do this because me + tool belt is 250#... me + tool belt + bundle of shingles is over 300#.

The outcome in your warning above *****, but you make no mention of equipment maintenance or site conditions. Those two items are very important. You also do not mention the brand of ladder.

I could not see a Little Giant ladder failing if the hinge and pins are properly engaged and not damaged. I can't say the same for the el cheapo Chinese knockoffs that people are so enamored with.

Without the details actually placing the ladder at fault (and proving it) your warning against articulating ladders has little meaning.

If the incident happend to an employee (not necessarily one of yours), odds are that the company and/or insurance provider would fight any workers comp claim in the beginning, delay payments, push for secondary level medical care, delay crucial things like medical imaging, lowball any settlement and generally make the injured person's life much more difficult than it needs to be to minimize their payments.

Almost every single employer I have worked for has provided step and extension ladders that were unsuitable for use. Missing feet, ladders cut down (8' into 7'), wood blocking in fiberglass rung bases, fractured fiberglass sides and so forth. I was eventually laid off for refusing to climb an extension ladder with broken rails on the fly section. The field superintendent told me "the delivery guy climbed it, what's your problem?" I told him to send the delivery guy back out or a new ladder beause I'm not climbing this one.

I know someone that had a similar ghastly injury from a regular extension ladder (homeowner grade), and the person fell less than 6 feet.

The ladder was not at fault. The ladder did not fail.

The person (1) did not know how to use it (2) it was used improperly (3) ground conditions were very slick (4) the person injured lacked experience on tall ladders and should have stayed on the ground.

The injury was received while attempting to remove Christmas lights.

Any ladder can fail if used improperly.

The scary thing is the idiots out there buying the cheapo homeowner grade stuff.

Buy a good ladder, not the cheapo stuff.

All i can say is that the ladder in question was the exact ladder being discussed here, i was not there when the accident happened, but what i can say is that it has been proven by 2 independent testing labs to had joints that failed { hence the ladder co. trying to settle a lawsuit }. The person in question that was hurt has over 25 years in the building trades and is a very meticulous and is a custom woodworker, everything he owns is well taken care of. He expressed to me that the joints clicked when engaged like they were supposed to.
All i am doing is giving you an experience where the ladder being discussed failed and someone got hurt badly.
I ask all those that are in building trades, how many of these ladders have you seen on job sites, residential or commercial ? Not one time has a professional brought one of these to one of my jobs. In my mind this is a homeowner grade ladder and not something being used by professional tradesmen. Hope your ladder never has an issue and be safe. Buyer beware.

danski0224 · Sep 11, 2011

Little Giant ladders can't be brought to legitimate commercial jobsites unless you buy the fiberglass version. This is true of any aluminum ladder that has the potential to contact electrical wiring. As I understand it, this is an OSHA rule.

Legit means work during normal business hours, permits, etc.

I have brought mine to residential sites.

If a "regular" ladder will do the job, then the LG doesn't come out. A regular fiberglass type 1A ladder is lighter than the LG.

danski0224 · Sep 11, 2011

An internet search for "little giant ladder failure" brings up this video:

Note that the ladder in that video is the light duty version of LG ladders. I have not noticed that type of problem with mine.

I spend a lot of time on ladders, usually going up to a roof.

Like many people, I used to just rest the ladder on the gutter. When working on old homes, sometimes the only thing holding the gutters up is faith. I have also seen suspension type gutter brackets where the gutter is not nailed to the fascia.

Sometimes, there are no gutters, and then you rest the ladder on the shingle overhang, damaging it.

Go buy one of these: http://stores.homestead.com/LadderMaxLLC/StoreFront.bok?gclid=CPLngqnSlasCFQ5y5QodZlyUKg

This device eliminates the problem shown by the first video.

It also eliminates ladder slippage on gutters or relying on the gutter integrity. It significantly reduces roof damage.

I will not access a roof without a Ladder Max. Probably the best ladder add-on I have.

It does throw off the balance a bit when standing an extension ladder.

If I am alone and setting an extension ladder up on anything but dirt or asphalt/concrete (wood deck for example), I put one of those area rug anti-slip mats under the rungs. Can't have too much traction.

I have done many jobs that would have been virtually impossible on anything but a Little Giant ladder.

The biggest flaw I have experienced on a Little Giant ladder is stepping through the top when it is in an extended A frame configuration. Yep, not supposed to do that, but...

If I was alone when it happened, it could have been bad.

route246 · Sep 11, 2011

I think what this illustrates is that accidents can happen, mechanical devices can have failures and unfortunate failures can cause injury. I don't think any manufacturer can claim to be 100% safe when doing dangerous things like climbing ladders or sawing wood. It's the nature of the work.

BlindViper · Sep 11, 2011

I have a 17' I am 350 lbs and love using it.

NewShockerGuy · Aug 16, 2015

Glad I found this older thread. Was just at Costco and they had the little giant ladder dude there...

Ended up picking up the Little Giant Extreme Model 22. Which comes with both leg levelers which I thought were neat, comes with the trestle brackets (though I didn't order any scaffolding, didn't really see a need for it honestly), Airdeck, ladder rack and fuel tank. He also mentioned that the rock lock and palm buttons are redesigned and all metal this go around compared to their other models. I ordered the wingspan and one work platform... We'll see... Never thought I'd spend $500 for a f'ing ladder that's for sure. But at least now I can paint the very top of our foyer.

Glad to see so many people like it. I've seen the infomercials but always thought it was a joke until he told me to step on the ladder and it did feel solid.

-Nigel

rharman · Aug 16, 2015

NewShockerGuy said:
Glad I found this older thread. Was just at Costco and they had the little giant ladder dude there...

Ended up picking up the Little Giant Extreme Model 22. Which comes with both leg levelers which I thought were neat, comes with the trestle brackets (though I didn't order any scaffolding, didn't really see a need for it honestly), Airdeck, ladder rack and fuel tank. He also mentioned that the rock lock and palm buttons are redesigned and all metal this go around compared to their other models. I ordered the wingspan and one work platform... We'll see... Never thought I'd spend $500 for a f'ing ladder that's for sure. But at least now I can paint the very top of our foyer.

Glad to see so many people like it. I've seen the infomercials but always thought it was a joke until he told me to step on the ladder and it did feel solid.

-Nigel

You're going to love it. I bought one 24 years ago when we added a 2nd story on our house. One of the best tool purchases I've ever made. I also have a 5' & 6' Flip-N-Lite that they make. Really handy for quick around the house stuff. I bought the scaffold a few years ago at the county fair but haven't used it. Seemed like a good idea at the time though.

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