Step-Ladder Safety Tip: Buy a good one

A safe ladder is both small and tall.

And the ladder we reach for first—on almost every project we do—is a 4-foot stepladder.

A 4-footer is tall enough to get us to close to 8- to 9-foot ceilings for crown molding or light fixture installs. But it’s small enough to fold into a compact package.

Folded or open, it doesn’t create too big of a footprint on a tight jobsite like a bathroom remodel or demo job. A 4-footer is light enough to whip onto the truck or trailer and move around the house. This nimbleness keeps doorways safe as you pass through. Unlike the 6-foot ladders I’ve seen tipped over, it’s not prone to tip or be knocked over and it’s typically tall enough to keep work items close to you while you’re working.

Seems simple enough, but not all ladders are created equal. Small, smart features—combined with tough design elements—give ladders guts and gusto to help our projects go smoother and keep us safer while working.

DeWalt’s DXL3010-04 is such a ladder. Purpose-built for pro sites this Type 1A (300-pound rating) fiberglass ladder is trimmed and tricked to keep pros on the go. From the ground up, here are some stand-out features:

• Wide foot pads. They grip the surface, but aren’t prone to collect small items that can scratch an interior floor. Outside on wet ground, they resist sinking better than smaller feet. Nice.
• A wider second step. More surface area for feet on the step used most.
• Uber butch spreaders. When you spread most ladders, the spreaders and the ladder body flex and twist. As you climb them you often have to lean the ladder and tweak the legs back so the ladder doesn’t wobble, kind of like popping a wheelie on your bike. This isn’t the case with the BXL3010-04. It opens straight. But you can give it the lean-wiggle to conform to not-so-flat surfaces. The spreaders are a bit tight and that took some getting used to.
• Accessory tray. There’s the usual assortment of holes to store items like impact and screwdrivers and there’s a magnet. It’s ideal for storing small parts and fasteners—from screws to lighting—that notoriously roll off and get lost.

This ladder is a jobsite gem for sure.

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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