I love testing and reviewing ladders as evidenced by articles like How to choose the right ladder. Theyโre one of the most important and least recognized heroes on the jobsite. Theyโre also the most often stolen tool, but thatโs another issueโฆLadders areย getting a whole lot of attention from OSHA fall protection efforts and other regulatory bodies due to how misused and misapplied they are. Get a good ladder, however, and your work can be much easierโnot to mention safer. The newly designed Gorilla GLF-5X hybrid ladder is a goodย indoor and outdoor solution that works just as well in the home as it does on the jobsite. Itโs dubbed aย 2-in-1 hybrid ladder because it gives you theย comfortable reach of a podium-styleย ladder but addsย the ease of use and lightweight natureย of a step stool. It hasย a pair ofย oversized platform top steps and a yellowย top cap that has slots for a myriad ofย tools and accessories. We were able to store tools like aย Klein adjustable length screwdriver in the top as well as a DeWaltย 12V cordless drill. Gorilla makes this ladder in aluminum, but we opted to test out theย non-conductive fiberglass model. This is alsoย an ANSI type 1 ladder offeringย a 250 lb. load capacity.
Gorilla GLF-5X Hybrid Ladder Features
Whenย you stand on the top platform of the Gorilla GLF-5X hybrid ladder, you can achieve at least a 10 ft. reachโthe same youโd get from a 6 ft. tall step ladderโso this ladder gives you theย same capacity, but offers more flexibility and options. Itโs also a very narrow Type I ladder, measuring just 4.25 inches deep when folded. When storage is a concern, that really helps.
The plastic top cap is particularly well-designed and suitable for screwdrivers, fasteners, and (as we found out) compact 12V drills andย drivers. With some of the relief points found along the edge, we were even able to get it to hold onto the rafter hook of aย sidingย nailer. A lot of times the top caps offer a nice central area for storing screws or parts, but then they only give you a single type of hole or slot for grabbing ontoย anything else. Theย Gorilla GLF-5X hybrid ladderย top cap has five holes in three different sizes in addition to slots and a multi-textured surface for letting you hang hooks and even small pails and paint cans as needed.
This is also one big difference between the aluminum and fiberglass models. The aluminum model has more of a standard top cap with less options and features.
Using the Gorilla GLF-5X Hybrid Ladder
When you own an historic home with 10 foot tall ceilings, things like painting crown molding, changingย lightbulbs, and replacing AC filters makes for some interesting gymnasticsโunless you have the right ladder. Most homeowners can get away with a small 4-foot model (which typically has a 3 foot step), but the 5 foot tall Gorilla GLF-5X hybrid ladder is exactly what we needed to bringย everything in our home fully within reach. With this ladder, my wife was able to easily change out some of our CFL lightbulbs to dimmable LEDย lighting, and I was finally able to swap out a light in our bathroom shower that really needed to be upgraded to a higher wattage model.
Another thing worth noting on this ladder is the ample step size on the top two aluminum steps. With a full step you naturally have more comfort since your entire foot can rest on the step as opposed to only the arches. Given that Gorilla provided two full steps, you now get a ladder that lets you not only climb to the heights you need, but also gives you a solution to let you stand there and getย your work done (be that painting, installing crown, etc) without running into foot-fatigue. About the only hangup is that, when youโre used to using a standard shallow-step ladder, youโllย need to retrain yourself to takeย advantage of the full-width step. Itโs something we found ourselves having toย remind ourselves aboutย when we used the Gorilla GLF-5X ladder.
Gorilla GLF-5X Hybrid Ladder Specs
- Material:ย Fiberglass/aluminum construction
- Type I ladderย (max loadย 250ย lbs.)
- Dimensions (folded): 69 x 22.25 x 4.25 in.
- Dimensions (top platform): 13 x 10 in.
- Weight: 18 lbs.
- Platform height: 3 ft./4 ft.
- Reach height: 10 ft.
- Certifications: ANSI, OSHA
The Gorilla GLF-5X hybrid ladder comes with aย limited lifetime warranty, and it feels substantial enough that you really shouldnโt have to baby it. We tossed it around in our Ford F-150 work truckย for use on aย jobsite, and it should be able to handle the bumps and shocks without anything more than cosmetic damage.
