I pulled out my W.Steps Prime telescoping ladder test sample today, and realized that I’ve grown to really like it.
I’ve known about telescoping ladders for ages, and jumped at the chance to test this one out.
It’s not that I didn’t find the design concept appealing, which I did, but that I had difficulty finding a brand I could trust.
This one was designed and engineered in Sweden. It has an ANSI Type 1A rating and 330 lb load capacity.
It’s a bit short, with 9.5 foot extended height and 12.5 working height (reach).
I grabbed the same ladder the other day too, and other times. In the latest uses, I repeatedly retrieved a Koosh ball from inside the gutters.
The height is limiting at times. When it’s not, it’s just perfect, and extremely portable.
The ladder is easy to open and takes little effort to close. When extended and locked into place, the ladder feels strong and secure.
To open the ladder you slide the rungs upwards. To close it, you push the 2 red latches inwards to the center, and then bring the rungs down. It’s supposed to auto-close, with each rung unlocking the one above, but I’ve found I need to coax it along. That’s not a bad thing, as it takes seconds and it saves my fingers from rungs slamming together.
Another telescoping ladder maker sent me a different model with greater extended length and reach. While I like the larger size of that ladder, it’s also considerably heavier.
The W.Steps is compact and easy to move around. I’ve really enjoyed using it, and have come to naturally select it for tasks where its 9.5ft length works well.
From the W.Steps website, this model weighs just 22.8 pounds. It folds down to 2’6″.
The next model up has a 11.5ft length and adds nearly 11 pounds to the weight. The 13.5ft ladder weighs over 38 pounds.
The larger versions have outriggers, which should add to their stability at the expense of larger size and heavier weight.
On one hand I wish that W.Steps sent one of the larger models, as a 9.5ft telescoping ladder is not a one-size-fits-all solution. On the other hand, it gives me greater reach than a 6ft stepladder while being far more portable.
I used a stepladder in the rain the other day instead of this, as we had a water issue tied to a bad siding job and the gutters being clogged. Sometimes you want a bigger platform to work from.
The W.Steps 9.5ft telescoping ladder is priced at $440 and up. Yes, it’s a bit pricey.
I’ve seen the random branded telescoping ladders on Amazon. Most don’t mention ANSI safety rating.
From my experiences thus far, and what I learned looking into W.Steps – which is owned by the Hultafors group – I trust them.
That’s not to say that brand name ladders are guaranteed to be safe, because they’re not. But I feel at ease with this one.
If I were buying a telescoping ladder, I might have instead went with the 11.5 ft size. Maybe.
That’s where I’m not sure what to say. Can I recommend this? Absolutely – my experiences have been very good so far. I’ll let reader discuss the value in the comments section.
They’ve got a couple of accessories for the Prime ladders, such as a backpack and top support attachment.
I typically don’t like reviewing ladders. They take a long time with many uses before I can form a confident opinion, and then I have to figure out what to do with them. Not this one – I’m keeping it.
In addition to being portable, its small size when collapsed makes it very easy store.
Thank you to W.Steps for the test sample!
