If you do a lot of work on roofs, ceilings, and other highly-situated areas of the house, chances are, you keep two sets of ladders in the workshop: one stepladder and one extension ladder. They’re fine and all since ladders can fold relatively flat, ensuring they’re not that much of a hassle to keep. Still, if you’d rather minimize the amount of big tools in your kit, you might want to look at Werner’s Dual-Purpose Ladders.
A two-in-one ladder, it can easily convert from stepladder to extension ladder and vice versa, allowing you to change a lightbulb using the same ladder that you use to fix the second floor window on the house. It’s a clever design that doesn’t just free up room in the workshop, but should also spare you from the hassle of loading two ladders in the van when doing contract work around the city.
The Werner Dual-Purpose Ladder converts from one mode to another using a pivoting bracket at the top, which locks onto different sections via a simple “flip-and-click” motion to keep it secure during the two different operating modes. As such, switching from one to the other is easily accomplished, making it perfectly suited as your go-to work ladder. It comes with full three-inch wide steps for both the stepladder and extension ladder functions, ensuring it provides excellent standing comfort, regardless of which one you’re using. That should make it more preferable to traditional extension ladders, especially if you prefer a more spacious step size whenever you’re on the job.
A padded v-rung allows you to securely brace it against trees, poles, and corners when used as an extension ladder, with little chance of slipping at any point. A 300-pound capacity ensures it can support your weight even while you’re carrying a large and heavy toolbox with supplies, so most people should be able to use this for all their ladder needs. And, yes, it will support all of that weight in either of the two operating modes, so there’s no worries about the darn thing collapsing at any point during use.
Construction is fiberglass to ensure the Werner Dual-Purpose Ladder won’t conduct electricity, allowing you to use it when fiddling with wires and electrical connections without increasing your chances of getting electrocuted. Because, you know, that doesn’t sound like fun. Each step also comes with ProGuard Boots footpads that render it slip-resistant, so there’s little chance of ever losing your footing while getting work done 12 feet off the ground. Because, you know, falling from high places doesn’t sound like fun, either.
It comes in three sizes: six feet (extends to 14 feet), seven feet (extends to 16 feet), and eight feet (extends to 18 feet), with each one weighing 25 pounds, 29 pounds, and 34 pounds, respectively. While I always tend to gravitate to the largest ladder available, your preferences might vary, which makes the multiple offerings a whole lot better.
Available now, pricing for the Werner Dual-Purpose Ladder is set at $179 for the six-footer, $209 for the seven-footer, and $239 for the eight-footer.