Lets talk Ladders

[sscherin]

My old ladder apparently has failed the 1300°F test on Monday night.. (it and many other things I had in my shed) and currently makes a better floor mat than a ladder.

So I need a new one.. The old one was a great unit..
It was a Werner Type 1A MT17(17ft extended) The folding multipurpose type.
We got it at Costco back in 2004.

Costco doesn't stock them anymore but I found it at Home depot for $167

Costco does have a Little Giant 17' with instant $40 rebate making it $139..

Should I go for the little Giant or stick with the Werner that has worked great for me in the past?

Or other options?

[pelligrini]

Take a look on how the little giant works. If you were happy with the Werner, stick with it.

I had a Werner folding ladder until my wife lost it. I couldn't find the same model, but I picked up a similar type at Lowes (can't remember the make). It is a pain to unfold, a clip on each joint that operates independantly of each other and they have to be operated at each detinent. Drives me nuts. I want my old model back!

[Rslaugh]

Take the Costco ad to the BORG and they will most likely match the price if that is the unit you really want.

Erik has a point. I would try them both out. Even if the Werner is the same model you want to make sure they didn't "improve" it since you bought yours the last time and make it less desirable.

Sorry about your fire.

[cwsmith]

I've also been looking at one of these folding ladders. The price on the "Little Giant" is way out of the budget, though I admit it is the nicest ladder I've looked at.

Walmart has a "Costco" folding ladder (17ft) that sells for about $140. It is a deadringer for the Harbor Freight which often is on sale for $129 or so; and in their BF flyer (I think that's the one) is on sale for $109.

Have any of you examined these and if so, how do they compare?

My concern with the Walmart vs the HF, is that the HF only has a 90-day warranty, while the Walmart say's it's a "lifetime".

CWS

[frumper64]

I picked up a "Gorilla" 17 foot folding ladder at Home Depot a few years ago for around $70 and it has been great. Very stable. The only real downside is that is very heavy to carry around.

[cabinetman]

Take a look on how the little giant works. If you were happy with the Werner, stick with it.

I had a Werner folding ladder until my wife lost it. I couldn't find the same model, but I picked up a similar type at Lowes (can't remember the make). It is a pain to unfold, a clip on each joint that operates independantly of each other and they have to be operated at each detinent. Drives me nuts. I want my old model back!

I had a three fold some years back that got loaned out and then it disappeared. Left with a 10', and an 8' fiberglass, 20' aluminum ext, two 6' wood, and a 5' wood. That's it for me.

.

[pelligrini]

I like the three fold, especially that it fits in the back seat of my Camaro. I use it as a scaffold quite a bit. The latest one I have is a bit taller, much heavier, barely fits in the car, and is a pain to operate.

[cabinetman]

I like the three fold, especially that it fits in the back seat of my Camaro. I use it as a scaffold quite a bit. The latest one I have is a bit taller, much heavier, barely fits in the car, and is a pain to operate.

The more I think about ladders the more I dislike them. I'm at a point that standing on a ladder is a PITA. For doing a trim job of say 200 ft or more, my legs and feet go into a cramp mode. Besides going up and down can be tiring, not to exclude maintaining the use of whatever tools needed while up on one.

Some time ago I posted a thread about my idea of making a shop built scaffold similar to this one. I think a sturdy one can be made from 2x2's, bedrail fasteners (for break down), and some decent locking casters. Standing on a platform sure beats ladder steps.

.

[greenacres2]

Since it was a fire loss, first check to see if you had Replacement Cost coverage on the contents, and what the overall limit is. Talk with your adjuster. It's been 16 years, but i took my lost inventory to the store (actually stores) got updated retail prices, they cut a check for some part of that total and paid me the difference when we submitted final receipts for the actual expense (up to the retail we submitted).

It's important to know how they will reimburse so you don't have to spend a ton of time shopping. Not meant to be abusive to the system, but when we lost our garage we spent a ton of time just buying stuff--without "shopping" for it. (one of the neat things our adjuster told me was to get prices for assembled items--like wheelbarrow--because the policy was written to bring us back to where we were, not with a bunch of parts to assemble. I had only mentioned the time it was going to take to do some of that.)

On the building itself, we got paid to have a similar building built (it was 22' x 21' converted corn crib) and i took that cash to build a 24' x 36' garage myself. In the end, it was a good deal, but definitely NOT the way we wanted to get a good deal.

Good Luck,
earl

[Rslaugh]

The more I think about ladders the more I dislike them. I'm at a point that standing on a ladder is a PITA. For doing a trim job of say 200 ft or more, my legs and feet go into a cramp mode. Besides going up and down can be tiring, not to exclude maintaining the use of whatever tools needed while up on one.

Some time ago I posted a thread about my idea of making a shop built scaffold similar to this one. I think a sturdy one can be made from 2x2's, bedrail fasteners (for break down), and some decent locking casters. Standing on a platform sure beats ladder steps.

.

I don't know how I would have done all these windows this year without scaffolding. All 96 of these panes had to have all the glazing removed, primed & 2 coats of paint.



For inside projects you can't beat this setup from the BORG:



No that's not me. This is one of the sexy Home Depot Scaffolding models.