The Little Giant Ladder?

[mgbinspect]

I've worked with a 5' folding, 13' and 28' extendables. The foldables just look like finger and hand pinchers to me.

Does anyone own and love a little giant?

I'm tempted...

[gbell]

I've had my Little Giant since 1999. It is without a doubt the best ladder I have ever owned. You do need to pay attention while opening and closing.

[mgbinspect]

Which model do you have?

Or..

Is there a different model that you wish you had?

[Scottpat]

Love my Little Giant. It is the only ladder that I have felt safe on. I use the LG17, 75% of the time when I need my ladder. I have the one that is rated for the higher weight.

[Tom Barber]

The 23' is HEAVY!

Tom Barber in VA

[hausdok]

Hi,

I've got two LG clones. Compared to an extension ladder or step ladder these things are incredibly stable and I'm able to nest the two of them nicely in the bed of my Baja so I no longer need a tall van with a rack on the roof to lug ladders around and now I can get into every single parking garage in the city and park in smaller parking spaces. That's the two ladders peeking out of the bed of my truck in the picture below.

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They're Gorilla ladders made in China and sold at the big orange box. They're rated for 300 lbs. The finish isn't as nice as the LG's, they don't work as smoothly as the LG's and they are heavy. Guess they need to be to make that 300 lb. rating.

The two of them cost less combined than one LG - A savings of about $450. For the huge cost savings I'm willing to put up with a rougher finish and a little stiffer action.

Mine are 13' and 21'. The 21' gets me up onto most of what I need to get onto. Sometimes I need to use one to get to the roof of a garage or addition and then use the other from there to get up onto the upper roof, but they get me there most of the time.

For the taller homes I sometimes wish I had one of the 26' LG's (There isn't any in the Gorilla brand), but with this herniated disk I'm not sure I'd be able to move it around and set it up without hurting myself further. For those taller homes I use binoculars, if I can, or exclude the roof as inaccessible if I can't actually see it.

If they want me to come back to look at a roof that was too high to reach with these, I'm always happy to have a 30' or a 40' extension ladder dropped off by Hertz Rentals and then I return. I charge my normal hourly rate plus the cost of the rental to return to look at those.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Bob White]

Topic DRIFT ___

I also use a LG knockoff (it's got Werner's name on it), made in China. At 22 ft. and 43 lbs., it is can be difficult to maneuver in its extended state. solid and very sturdy, though.

For unlevel ground, I still use my inherited ladder leveler (originally bought from Sears, Roebuck & Co. many many years ago by my dad) with a 24 ft. extension --- leveler pictured below ---

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As you can see, it is getting up in years, and will need to be replaced. I don't want to replace it with the Werner ladder levelers available these days --- no wide stance like this one, and I can operate the one I have without bending over --- place the ladder where I want it and adjust the leveler legs up or down with my feet.

Anyone know where I can get another one like this?

Bob White

[Mark P]

I own a Werner, bought at Lowes. It is very sturdy and is the primary ladder I use. My only complaint is it is awkward to extend and move around when extended. You have to lay it on the ground and slide each end out, then you have a 20+' ladder laying flight on the ground that you have to pick up and lean against a two story house, awkward, especially if there are power lines or tree near by.

[JohnC]

I also use the 13' & 21' gorilla ladders. The 21' is somewhat heavy,but other than that they store nice in my Ford Explorer and get me on 95% of the roofs. They also store nice in the garage.I do sometime think about buying the LG because of the weight,but I'm to cheap!

John

[Rob Amaral]

21' LG and 13' LG. I'm all set. (Plus a 32' Werner ladder, chicken-hook ladder (13'). The Little Giants are 'mil-spec'..... Riveting is awesome. I bet the knock-offs are OK though.

[Terence McCann]

Originally posted by mgbinspect

Does anyone own and love a little giant?

I'm tempted...

I do and do. The only draw back is it's a Charlie Armstretcher.

[DonTx]

I use the LG17. Gets me to all roofs that I want to be on. If it isn't tall enough to get me to a roof, then I probably don't want to be on it. I've had mine since 2001 and love it. It's easy to work with and is smoooooth.

I hate heights and flimsy ladders. I'm a pretty good sized ole boy and the LG is the only ladder I feel safe climbing on when I'm over 10 feet off the ground.

However, I did pop my thumb out of socket recently (it happens several times a year, bad socket I guess) by pushing the ladder up instead of using my hand. I've never pinched or smashed my fingers/hands.

One of my other inspectors has the LG knockoff. Cheap looking compared to the LG. It's also not as easy to use. You can definately tell the difference in quality.

[mgbinspect]

Well, sounds like they're pretty good. I'll probably opt for the LG's but.... I HATE getting the sh&t pinched out of my hands and fingers.

I'm just finally beginning to heal from that d&mned top window sash that dropped on the end of my finger last week.

But, LGs it is.... I've got a 28 foot extension I've had so long the feet are falling off if it from simply the road... Time to retire those extension ladders...

[Wayne Wildermuth]

Save some money and buy the knockoff at Sears. Same design and strength but less money.

[Eric B.]

After several years I am now up to 3 Little Giants, 11, 17 and 22'. With a little home built framing in between each they stack great in the truck and with elastic cords there's no rattling. 11' is used only indoors so it's always clean, 17' takes care of virtually all roofs and the 22' for almost everything else. Never have had one part break. An investment? Absolutely. Will I ever have to buy another ladder? Nope.

[mgbinspect]

Wayne,

I bought the real McCoy tonight at Sears for much less than the advertised price.

You da man!

[mwg27]

17ft Little Giant...

Wouldn't own anything else. Had a guy tell me last week that it "sounds just like the commercial" the noise it makes when you 'whack' the red knobs to get the fold open... Said he'd wanted one a long time.

Carry just like the infomercial (shoulder under the second rung folded) and you can walk up and down stairs with curves all day long.

And if it can't reach it... It ain't safe for me to go there...[:-bigeyes

[Scottpat]

A word of caution about the knock-offs. The ones that I have seen are made in China and Mexico. Their welds and rivets appear to be their weak points. I'm sure that they are fine, but just be careful. For some reason I don't mind spending the extra dollars for quality on my ladders.

[cpimike]

I have had a little giant ladder for every inspection I've ever done since 1995, the only thing I added was the newer telescoping ladder for multiple roofs, I have had a bunch of different ones prior to home inspection, but I will not be caught dead without one now.

[mgbinspect]

Well, so far I only have the 17 footer and I must admit it is considerably heavier and a bit more cumbersome than my fiberglass 5' step ladder, but that's ok. Now, the real question in my mind is:

1.) Shall I get the 13 footer just for attic hatches?

2.) Could I handle the weight of a larger Little Giant to eliminate my 28' extension ladder?

[Rob Amaral]

Get the 13'. Closets, weird situations, etc. You can easily get it out an upper window onto an adjacent roof plane in some cases as well. I had the 17'... sold it to client and got the 21'.

[t00lman]

Hi, first time posting here, i'v ebeen reading for a while though. I had to add to this thread though because i've become quite the little giant ladder fanatic, bought mine just around last Thanksgiving and I really love it (even put up a little website giving product info/purchasing info on it - yes, i need to get a life). In my opinion buying the official little giant is definately worth it. I actually bought my father one as well for Christmas.

______________

http://little%20giant%20ladder fan site

[hausdok]

Nice try Toolman, but if you want to advertise here please do it honestly and contact us regarding our advertising rates and rules for advertisers.

Thank you,

Mike O'Handley, Editor

[mgbinspect]

Sick 'em, Mike! [:-gnasher (Mike's previous life... A junkyard dog. Grrr...)

[MMustola]

I have several little giants. The first one I bought in 1993 and have used it every day since then. The bottom rubber feet wore out and little giant sent me new ones at no charge.

The newer ladder's have a braces added at the back side to keep the outer channels from speading. These braces are in the way and can pinch your hands or fingers, so I cut them off (I know it was not smart) but my old ladder never needed them and I could see no other design changes.