Werner D6220-2 300-Pound Fiberglass Flat D-Rung Extension Ladder, 20-Foot
About.com Rating
The main reason I picked up the Werner 20' Fiberglass Extension ladder was length. I currently own the Werner 16' Aluminum Extension Ladder and have found that it's not long enough for my needs. Even though it's labeled as a 16' ladder, it really only extends to 13'. The true extendable length is listed is smaller type, and I simply wasn't paying close enough attention: my fault. Yet I found that it's good to have a short aluminum extension ladder around; it's easy to pull out if I have to get up a tree or on the shorter side of my house.
But what about those times that I need to get higher? For that, I needed to buy a 20' ladder.
With Length Comes a Need For Stability
Once you get past 16 feet, though, you run into stability problems. Even with the sixteen-footer, it feels awfully wobbly when I get anywhere higher than the middle point. That lightness and ease of storage comes at a price.
Being rated for 300 pounds and made of fiberglass means that this ladder feels rock-solid--all the way to the top. It's quite a pleasant change to go from the aluminum ladder to the fiberglass one. The rungs feel grippier and more solid, too, than the aluminum ladder.
But I'll admit that it's hard to carry around. For one thing, it's mandatory that you determine the mid-point and carry as close to there as possible. Just a few feet outside of the balance point and you likely will lose your grasp. Werner's specs say that the ladder weighs only 45 pounds--I do not doubt this--but it's so unwieldy that it feels much heavier.
Once again, though, when I'm at the top, I do like having a heavier ladder.
What's the True Maximum Extended Length?
Werner lists two lengths for this ladder: 20' (each section, end to end) and 20' reach height. Reach height means that this is the highest you can safely reach your hand.
Both are important specs to have. But what's missing everywhere in the published literature is the true, maximum extended length. In my book, that's the main thing. From top to bottom, how long is this ladder.
The only way was to extend it and use a tape measure: this 20 foot ladder's true, maximum extended length is 17 ft., 3 inches.
Operation
The real do-or-die aspect of any extension ladder is its extension characteristics. Does it slide up with ease? Does it lock into place well? Does it slide back down easily?
Because of the length, this ladder comes with a pulley and rope that you use to unlock the extended ladder and bring it down. To extend, you'll want to do it manually; the pulley does not work for this, nor is it intended to. I found it a bit difficult to disengage the locking mechanism via the pulley.
Locking of the rungs is the one key feature to be concerned. Extend the ladder and lock it wrong, and you might end up seriously injured or worse. I found the locking mechanism in the 20' ladder to be solid and certain: when it's locked, you know it. By contrast, the other Werner ladder would sometimes appear to be locked when it really wasn't.
Summing Up
I give this product a half-star off just for omitting its true length. If you need an extension ladder for your house, I recommend buying fiberglass. It costs more, but it adds greater stability and fiberglass is not an electrical conductor (in case you sweep it across a wire). I recommend this ladder over the Werner aluminum ladder.
The main reason I picked up the Werner 20' Fiberglass Extension ladder was length. I currently own the Werner 16' Aluminum Extension Ladder and have found that it's not long enough for my needs. Even though it's labeled as a 16' ladder, it really only extends to 13'. The true extendable length is listed is smaller type, and I simply wasn't paying close enough attention: my fault. Yet I found that it's good to have a short aluminum extension ladder around; it's easy to pull out if I have to get up a tree or on the shorter side of my house.
But what about those times that I need to get higher? For that, I needed to buy a 20' ladder.
With Length Comes a Need For Stability
Once you get past 16 feet, though, you run into stability problems. Even with the sixteen-footer, it feels awfully wobbly when I get anywhere higher than the middle point. That lightness and ease of storage comes at a price.
Being rated for 300 pounds and made of fiberglass means that this ladder feels rock-solid--all the way to the top. It's quite a pleasant change to go from the aluminum ladder to the fiberglass one. The rungs feel grippier and more solid, too, than the aluminum ladder.
But I'll admit that it's hard to carry around. For one thing, it's mandatory that you determine the mid-point and carry as close to there as possible. Just a few feet outside of the balance point and you likely will lose your grasp. Werner's specs say that the ladder weighs only 45 pounds--I do not doubt this--but it's so unwieldy that it feels much heavier.
Once again, though, when I'm at the top, I do like having a heavier ladder.
What's the True Maximum Extended Length?
Werner lists two lengths for this ladder: 20' (each section, end to end) and 20' reach height. Reach height means that this is the highest you can safely reach your hand.
Both are important specs to have. But what's missing everywhere in the published literature is the true, maximum extended length. In my book, that's the main thing. From top to bottom, how long is this ladder.
The only way was to extend it and use a tape measure: this 20 foot ladder's true, maximum extended length is 17 ft., 3 inches.
Operation
The real do-or-die aspect of any extension ladder is its extension characteristics. Does it slide up with ease? Does it lock into place well? Does it slide back down easily?
Because of the length, this ladder comes with a pulley and rope that you use to unlock the extended ladder and bring it down. To extend, you'll want to do it manually; the pulley does not work for this, nor is it intended to. I found it a bit difficult to disengage the locking mechanism via the pulley.
Locking of the rungs is the one key feature to be concerned. Extend the ladder and lock it wrong, and you might end up seriously injured or worse. I found the locking mechanism in the 20' ladder to be solid and certain: when it's locked, you know it. By contrast, the other Werner ladder would sometimes appear to be locked when it really wasn't.
Summing Up
I give this product a half-star off just for omitting its true length. If you need an extension ladder for your house, I recommend buying fiberglass. It costs more, but it adds greater stability and fiberglass is not an electrical conductor (in case you sweep it across a wire). I recommend this ladder over the Werner aluminum ladder.