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Little Giant Ladder - Worth $359.00?

Melensdad

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
I'm looking for a new ladder. I like the idea of the folding ladders. In fact I have an old (15 years old) no-name folding ladder. It does not do all the stuff that the Little Giant Ladder does, and the hinges are corroding and making it very difficult to work without the assistance of a hammer :smileywac

I went looking at ladders. The big box store had the Little Giant Ladder for $359 and some knock off brand called a Gorilla Ladder for $199. It looked very similar to the Little Giant, but not identical.

Any thoughts on these things? Anyone have a Gorilla ladder and not happy with it? Or happy with it? Any differences between the Little Giant and the Gorilla? It does appear that the Gorilla is made in CHINA but I have no idea where the Little Giant Ladder is made.

I like some of the features of the Little Giant Ladder because I have several lights that are directly over stairs and the extendable legs on the Little Giant would make it much easier to get to those lights.
 
I have had a Gorilla ladder for a few years now. It's heavy. I haven't ever seen the Little Giant ladder so I don't know what the differences might be. I assume the Gorilla might be a little heavier than the Little Giant. I have used the Gorilla ladder in several places where a traditional ladder cannot work. I have also not used it several times because of it's weight. The quality of it's build is great and it still performs the way it did when I first got it. Oh yeah, it's heavy!
 
Bob,

I've been thinking about getting one myself but have been procrastinating (since I already have too many ladders and so far, I can't justify it).

I have heard good things about the Little Giant ladders and everyone that has one says they're happy with it.

buckle97 said:
Oh yeah, it's heavy!
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That's interesting.

I looked at the following spec pages and the Gorilla is actually pretty close.
http://www.gorillaladders.net/pc-18-5-21-aluminum.aspx
21' Ladder Weight 44.5 lbs

http://www.littlegiantladder.com/little-giant/type-1a.html
Model 22 Ladder weight: 42 lbs.

That makes these about the same weight as a 24' Werner aluminum extension ladder.
 
What is the weight rating of these folding ladders? As a 275lb lightweight, I can easily created a lot of flex in my Werner Type IA 28' fiberglass extension ladder when carrying a bundle of shingles.
 
Both the Gorilla and the Little Giants I looked at (17' models) had ratings of 300#. So you, a bucket of paint, and the 19 candy bars you keep in your pockets to prevent starvation should be fine on either ladder!:yum:
 
Bob....I have the little giant (fiberglass version 23') & heavy doesn't even begin to describe it.(think big dog at an all you can eat buffet ! ) :yum:

It's very stable & well made, but it makes me want an aluminum version.

I have been using a gorilla ladder in a shorter version on a church project lately & it seems as stable as my little giant, but much easier to move around. I'll follow this thread closely to see what you decide upon.

Tom
 
Well I bit the bullet and decided on the Little Giant version.

The frame looked a bit more rigid, but only a test would prove that. For what ever it is worth, RICO304 sent me some information from Consumer Reports by email that compared several ladders and the Gorilla ladder, in a smaller size, was considered a best buy. They did not rate the size Gorilla ladder that I was looking at buying. Consumer Reports didn't seem to see the value in the Little Giant ladder as it was the most expensive of the ladders tested, but in the hardware store it was priced in the same range as other premium ladders. In fact the Gorilla ladder was the only ladder that was priced well below the major brands.

My main reason for paying extra was because I bought cheap many years ago and now have a ladder that is corroded and difficult to lock/unlock without a hammer!!! I'm hoping that the extra cost brings a slightly higher level of quality/durability for 10 and 15 years down the road???

I have the ladder in the garage, but still in the packaging. I do have a couple bulbs to change, I'll get an update when I get around to changing the bulbs (maybe this weekend?).
 
Sounds good Bob. Tell us the size and weight of that baby when you get around to it.

Do they fold up to make it easy to maneuver indoors?
 
The Amish guys who are likely going to put up my new barn have the exact same Little Giant ladder system I have. I asked them how they liked it (I'll spare you and not try to type their accent), and they said that in 10 years of every day use building barns, they haven't had to replace a part yet; and better not anytime soon!
 
I bought a Keller from Menards about 2 years ago. I love it other than they are heavy. I have the smaller box on my pickup and the Little Giant folded up was about 4" too long. The Keller just fits and they were on an overstock sale at Menards and got it for about $129.00. It did all the things the Little Giant did plus it had a higher weight capacity for my fat a$$.


murph
 
Well I still have all 5 of my kidney stones so I have not been working too hard. I did have time to inspect my new ladder.

Here are my impressions so far . . . this ladder is 10x better made than my old ladder. It is heavy, but really not too heavy to carry around the house, up the stairs, etc. It is over twice the weight of my light duty 5' stepladder, but the fame is also much thicker and obviously this ladder is much larger. Compared to my old cheap-o ladder the control release knobs are a great shape and are easy on the hand when locking and unlocking the hinges. The slide lock feature is something I don't have on my old ladder and I'm impressed with the concept, but haven't tried it in action. I'm not sure that I like the completely detachable work platform, seems like one of those things that would get set aside at a jobsite and forgotten/lost?

The Gorilla ladder may be half the price and a better "value" in terms of real dollars, but I'm really happy with what I see so far and don't mind spending a some extra money to keep jobs here.
 

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Bob,

Here is what I got. I finally found it on the web. I wanted the Little Giant but it just didn't quite fit in the bed of my pickup. It looks like this one is made in the US also???? It does not say made in the USA though??

murph
 
Kellers are good ladders, we have a few at work and they are great. I think they are made in the US too.
 
I have used a heavy duty Little Giant on my job in the past, several times have used them as a bridge (opened & extended all the way) to walk across a canal or deep, wide, full ditch. There were 4 of us on the crew, weighing between 180 & about 240. Got to the other side, used the ladder to climb to top of orange trees, then Bridge it again to get to the truck! Never a bend or repair. I now personally own the Gorilla, and altho have not used it for a bridge, I believe I could. Yea, they are both heavy, but strong!
 
B_Skurka said:
Kellers are good ladders, we have a few at work and they are great. I think they are made in the US too.
Click to expand...

From Keller's website:

In 1999, Werner Co. purchased Keller Ladder's west coast facility. We now apply the same standards of manufacturing and innovation to the Keller brand of ladders. Positioned for household and light construction, Keller stepladders and extension ladders have been extensively reengineered to satisfy the needs of the targeted groups.

Looks like they are American made.
 
Interesting quotation. I always considered Keller and Werner to be equal in quality (and both premium brands). But from that statement it appears that Werner may be the real premium brand and Keller just a notch below it because it is made for "household and light construction" duties.
 
B_Skurka said:
Interesting quotation. I always considered Keller and Werner to be equal in quality (and both premium brands). But from that statement it appears that Werner may be the real premium brand and Keller just a notch below it because it is made for "household and light construction" duties.
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Come lift my Keller, you won't think it is "household" It holds me with no problems even extended. And I am what is called "Heavy, but wear it well":yum:
 
Bob....... I have the Little Giant Ladder, and mine is about 25 years old. It has put on weight since I first purchased it, but I still like it. It has spent weeks outside in the rain in the past, and has never suffered one bit as a result. I spray mine with Pride furniture polish to keep everything moving smoothly. The newer ones have the quick release at the top, and the wheels at the bottom, but other than that, I don't think that they have changed one bit in all these years.
I recently purchase a Gorilla ladder at a swap meet for $25 for the 4' unit, and am quite pleased with it. It is a lot easier to get it around the house for the small jobs. For the cathedral ceiling lights, I still use the Little Giant. When you buy quality, you have it for the rest of your life...........as long as your neighbors don't borrow it.. :thumb:
 
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