Little Giant REvolution XE
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The Gorilla AL-13 is a 13 foot ladder while the Little Giant Revolution XE 17 is a 17 foot ladder that does weigh a few pounds less but is also a little more flimsy when it comes to the same bottom section and material thickness. I do not have a caliper to measure thickness of the aluminum used on both ladders but the Gorilla ladder is a heavier gauge material than the Little Giant ladder.
Other features like the four pin hinge of the Mag 4 are great and add even more stability and strength to the hinge as well as the ladder as a whole. The ladder is fairly stable as far as wobbling when set up in the extension configuration when working on a single story roof.
I did some cleanup after the company my landlord hired did a poor job of cleaning up after replacing shingles on my house and cleaned out the gutters of debris. I set the ladder up as an extension and climbed to check out how much the ladder wobbled and moved when being bounced and climbing.
While the ladder does some bouncing I found it quite stable and did not worry me that it would collapse or be a problem while using at the highest setup. While the ladder is setup in any of the configurations, A Frame, extension and scaffold I found it very stable and a good ladder.
The main problem I have aside from the plastic trestle brackets is the cost of the Little Giant Revolution XE as well as all the Little Giant Ladders. They are quite expensive and I begin to wonder if the infomercials and the many websites I found on the internet for the Little Giant have something to do with this.
Compared to the Gorilla Ladder the cost is more than twice as much with the 17 foot Little Giant Revolution XE costing $429 while the Gorilla ladder of the same size costs $179. Yes, I understand the Revolution XE has a few extra perks and does have the more stable four pin lock and the magnet tool holder but I don’t like the cost.
I can purchase the Gorilla 17 foot aluminum ladder as well as an adjustable aluminum plank for the scaffold and still have money left over for the cost of the Little Giant Revolution XE ladder. Another thing I found out but that does not apply to this ladder but others that Little Giant does sell and I feel I do need to warn about is the larger sized multiuse ladders above 22 feet from any company.
In doing research for this article I found that Consumer Reports has a warning that multiuse ladders from 22 feet to 26 feet are unacceptable due to possible hazards and dangers to the users. When using the 17 foot ladder you do have to be careful not to pinch fingers when collapsing the ladder from the extension and setting the leg sections down into the center section.
This warning is probably best for any ladder that has the collapsible features from any company, not just Little Giant, as these ladders are hard to work with due to the length for a single user. If you will be using these types of ladders with another person you can do so safely but you should always be careful of the dangers of a device that has points where fingers and hands can be crushed and pinched.
While moving the ladder into and out of the extension ladder configuration you may have to maneuver the ladder around while it is on the ground. You can extend the legs and such while it is up against a wall but you should be aware of the hazard of getting hands and fingers caught in the rungs if you slip and the ladder sections fall back down. A longer ladder would be even more difficult to maneuver and safely handle while extended and Consumer Reports also agrees with this.
I would also have a concern that the longer ladder above the 17 foot would get to be too bouncy and unstable while using it as the hinge introduces an unstable point in the longer extended ladder. If you increase the length of the ladder to the 22 foot or longer sizes I believe this bouncing would also be increased to an almost dangerous level.
I cannot be sure of this as I only have the 17 foot one to use as a test and would have to check this out for myself to say for sure. I personally feel that working on any heights like 20 feet or higher would require a secure extension ladder and would prefer to use a regular 1A type extension ladder without a hinge on it for my own safety.
All those points aside the multiuse ladders like the Gorilla and the Little Giant are really nice for home owners who want the convenience and multipurpose design of this ladder type. The Little Giant Revolution XE is a great ladder and has plenty of nice features that are even better than the previous model.
If price is not much of a concern the Little Giant Revolution XE is well built with plenty of accessories, I really like the tool shelf that I also tried out. The Little Giant Revolution XE is a great ladder for all those various uses and makes a convenient and handy ladder in one simple package.