CMU School of Drama


Monday, September 29, 2014

Little Giant Select Step Ladder

Tools of the Trade: A few years ago, Little Giant released the Select Step, bringing their extending, transforming ladder concept to the stepladder. I’ve owned one since it came out and have used it on a variety of jobsites where it has received unanimous praise from guys in just about every trade. Basically, everyone loves the thing and there are a lot of reasons why.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Reading this article I'm a huge fan already. I was look for a ladder like this while I was a self employed carpenter. When i would work on houses in my neighbor hood, it was always difficult working around the the outside of the house. Especially working around the garage, there were many obstacles to get around. I feel as though this ladder would eliminate all of the unsafe obstacles I was facing before. And it also has a place to put my tools while I'm working. So it looks like it saves time and makes my work safer than what I've been dealing with. So if I ever go back to painting, fixing lights, and paneling, I will consult this article.

Kimberly McSweeney said...

I have one of these at my summer theatre and I am a huge fan of the adjustability. The article hits all the major points about functionality, like the multi-level system so the ladder can be put on stairs and the amazing tool tray atop the ladder. However, being a smaller person, I do have to say the greater weight really is an issue with mobility and placement. But when I am working up top for awhile, this really is the best ladder for the job.

Philip Rheinheimer said...

This looks like a pretty great ladder. The adjustability alone is reason enough to get it and the AirDeck feature just adds even more flexibility and usefulness. Just from looking at the pictures it looks really sturdy. What I liked most was seeing it used on the stairs and how useful the adjustability would be in that kind of situation; no more sketchy ladder placement to get to hard to reach spots over stairs. The AirDeck feature looks pretty great if you are setting up in a single spot for a while. Otherwise it might slow you down if you bring all of your tools up there and then have to take them back down every few minutes in order to move. The other worry I would have is that it's just plastic and aluminum and I wonder how durable it is and how much weight it can hold. Speaking of weight, that is one issue I've noticed with Little Giant ladders in the past, they're freakin' heavy. I wouldn't want to lug that thing up and down stairs all day. There are many situations where it would definitely be useful but for a quick fix where I know how high I need to reach, I'd rather reach for a lighter fiberglass or even aluminum ladder.

Olivia LoVerde said...

As someone who is pretty much always in need of a ladder at some point while on call this sounds amazing. The ladder sounds really user friendly and safe. The fact that the ladder can safely be put on stairs is really helpful, not every situation has you on flat ground. The ladder is also just plastic and aluminum so that would make for a light weight, easy to move ladder. Some of the ladder we have to use are so heavy it takes two people to move it just a little bit. The Little Giant Select Step Ladder would be a great investment for a theater or just for someone to have in their home.

Jason Cohen said...

I am a very big fan of the Little Giant Select Step Ladder! In my opinion, it is the best ladder available to the public. The leader fold up very small and locks both when closed and open. This locking safety feature makes me feel extremely safe while I am using it. The adjustable height feature is also pretty spectacular. I always love the look on people's faces when they realize how high up this small ladder can go. It is also rally cool how it can become an extols ladder. with the same safety lock feature. When you invest in the little giant you are basically getting three ladders for the price of one. I would highly recommend that everyone goes out and gets one

Tyler Jacobson said...

I think the weight factor of the Little Giant is what turns me off of their ladders. I would much rather have a light weight 8 foot ladder that I could move around easily and then stand on which ever rung I need than to have a heavy one that I would have to adjust. I could see this as a benefit if I was living in New York and had limited space, that is one of the few instances that I might like something like this. The AirDeck aspect of the ladder is nice and I could see the benefits of something like this but I can also see it as a disadvantage in that you'd have to clean it off constantly if you were going to move it around or change the height. While it's often nice and interesting to have a tool that can do the job of three, it might be easier in the long run to have three tools that do their job well instead of one who does three jobs not quite as well.