What Makes Little Giant Ladders So Unique?

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If asked, most people have seen a Little Giant ladder or a knock-off version of the household tool. They gained a lot of appeal when big box stores started carrying them, becoming an aisle end product vividly displayed for quick pickup while people moved through Costcos and similar. However, the Little Giant ladder had already established itself and had been deemed a high-quality elevation tool long before. In fact, the tool first became available decades earlier thanks to a borrowed idea that crossed the Atlantic and became the genesis of a thriving company today.

Today, the Little Giant ladder defines the understanding of a versatile ladder. It is the go-to standard for an adjustable ladder that can be compacted into a small form but expanded to a high reach if needed. Adjustable to different shapes and extensions, but able to maintain stability and strength for a grown adult, the Little Giant puts standard ladders to shame and has become a requisite ingredient in most contractors’ trucks when working in variable jobs. Painters, drywall installers, landscapers, and roofers all swear by the design of the Little Giant, allowing them to do more with one ladder versus carrying two or three different ladders to a job site.

Of course, nothing pleases everyone. The Little Giant ladder isn’t an instant expansion with the push of a button, one of its criticisms from those who want extreme ease. Then again, these critics also don’t really use a ladder to its full capacity in most cases, simply looking for a basic stand-up tool instead. However, for those who need a ladder that can reach the gutters one day, but compacts into a closet and can adjust to fix internal house lights the next, the Little Giant is going to do the job. And, more importantly, it’s not going to feel wobbly for grown adults with a heavier frame. Made from aluminum instead of the common fiberglass frame in standard lightweight ladders, the Little Giant can easily hold up users who would by definition be barred from using a standard ladder (note the little sticker on the side of standard ladders warning of their weight limitations).

The idea for the Little Giant was borrowed with approval in the 1970s from a German painter. The fellow had a concept but never had the time to see it to fruition. The owners of Little Giant at the time, Hal and Brigitte Wing, took the same idea and turned it into the first product of Little Giant Ladder Systems. That became what we know today as one of the most popular adjustable ladders available with a long-standing reputation for performance and assembled quality.

A key factor of the Little Giant ladder, and something most people above the age of 30 need to pay attention to, is ladder safety. The fact is, the number one cause of broken legs and arms past age 40 involves falling off a ladder of some kind. The safety aspects incorporated into the Little Giant ladder models go directly to make them as stable as possible under multiple conditions. That means they are reliable regardless of leaning forward to hang a ceiling fan, or propped up against the side of the house to clean the gutters and a whole lot more. The play one feels on standard ladders, particularly at the higher end of the assembly, just doesn’t occur on a Little Giant. It remains in place, stable, and has no wobble.

The second big advantage of using the Little Giant ladder system comes with how versatile the ladder can be. It was purposefully designed for someone who needed to use a ladder on a regular basis under different conditions on the same day. Normally, workers find themselves needing to bring two or three different ladders to a job site to get their work done. With the Little Giant and its adjustability that can be compacted into one unit, which is far easier to transport, the tool is simply more effective to use on the job site from task to task.

The utility of the ladder system also makes it a better choice than a standard hardware store ladder. First, the steps are designed for comfort. Cheaper ladders and standard assemblies might have flat, but a good number of them use rounded steps, basically pipes. Standing on a rounded level for hours on end is going to hurt one’s feet something serious by the end of the day. That’s not the case with the Little Giant, designed not only with steps that are comfortable to stand on but wider for greater stability. Additionally, from size to size, the Little Giant ladder is going to weigh less than its standard form counterpart in the market, making it easier to carry as well.

While adjustable ladders do require additional steps to set up, whether they are a Little Giant or a competitor model, the Little Giant’s design and form are specifically manufactured for ease of use. No one wants to be palm-banging a ladder to release and end up with a pinched finger as it collapses down with gravity, but that’s exactly what happens with some knock-off systems. Little Giant is intentionally crafted to avoid these problems and make it simply easy to set up and takedown at the end of a job, no matter how many times the ladder has been used over time.

Given all the above, it’s fairly clear why the Little Giant ladder stands out as the better choice, for the contract worker as well as the homeowner. And the durability of the build guarantees the Little Giant will be usable and dependable for years after purchase. In fact, many of the earlier owners still have their units decades later, working and being used just like when they were first bought. Little Giant ladders are available today through a dedicated ladder supplier as well as represented dealerships. Nationally, the Little Giant is represented in every state, so there’s no issue with securing one or a dozen of the ladders for an entire fleet crew or more.