Looking for a good step ladder for high ceilings

Sam · 2019-01-31T22:08:28.192Z

I’ve been putting off buying a step ladder since I moved into my new place a few months ago. To be honest, I have no idea where I can store one. I knew that the second a lightbulb went out I was going to have to make a purchase. That day was today. I’m about 5’10" and think I need a ladder that gets me about 4’ to comfortably change lightbulbs (and maybe replace my smoke detector). The Wirecutter’s recommendation , the Gorilla GLF-5X Ladder, looks like a solid pick. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be in stock anymore. The other available options look bigger—and more difficult to…

alexwJan 31, 2019

Is this the same product?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Ladders-4-5-ft-Aluminum-Hybrid-Ladder-with-Tray-with-250-lbs-Load-Capacity-Type-I-Duty-Rating-GLA-4XT-2/301927498

It looks just like the one The Wirecutter recommended, but made out of Aluminum instead of fiber glass. Could be a good alternative—unless you’re doing electrical work.

The flip-out tool tray and larger steps are pretty cool.

loklav 1Feb 2, 2019

It looks similar, but I think that one is shorter than the recommended one. This is the same model, but a foot taller.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Ladders-5-5-ft-Aluminum-Hybrid-Ladder-with-250-lb-Load-Capacity-Type-I-Duty-Rating-GLA-5X/206139194

SamAuthor 1Feb 2, 2019

Yep, after seeing @alexw’s comment I looked around and decided to go with the taller ladder. The reviews say it folds up to be about 3-to-4-inches thick, which should make it easy enough to store in my closet. We’ll see.

SamAuthor 1Feb 16, 2019

Now that I’ve finished replacing lightbulbs and my smoke detector I thought I’d leave a follow-up comment about the ladder that I bought. In short, I’m very impressed with it. So much so that my comment was comprehensive enough to turn into a topic of it’s own.

4 replies