Little Giant Ladder Systems Flip-N-Lite, 5-Foot, Stepladder, Aluminum, Type 1A, 300 lbs Rated (15273-001)

My apartment has 9-foot ceilings. I'm a 66-year-old female, 5'6", with terrible balance. I also love being independent. I live alone, and I really hate having to bother friends or family members to come over to take care of some mundane tasks that simply require access to high places, not to mention I hate not being able to do certain things RIGHT NOW simply because I can't reach whatever. I had high hopes that this ladder would remedy that annoying problem and restore my sense of independence when it comes to height-related tasks.Wanting to stay within a budget and not buy more ladder than I needed, I painstakingly attempted to analyze which of the available heights would suit me best. I carefully read through the Q&A's and reviews to get all the details on measurements and heights of the rungs and platforms. I tried to simulate the various heights by jerry-rigging things in my apartment, to see which ladder would be a Goldilocks-perfect fit.From what I could tell, it APPEARED that the 5-foot ladder would be just right - giving me exactly the height I needed for the highest possible task - changing lightbulbs - without being higher than I needed. Ironically, I could easily put in a maintenance call for a routine changing of the bulbs. But I am progressively changing every single bulb in my apartment to smart bulbs, as my budget allows. And since that is frivolous as opposed to a routine burned-out bulb, I didn't want to bother the maintenance staff with that. Additionally, wi-fi/smart bulbs can be a PITA to deal with - sometimes requiring multiple uninstall/reinstall attempts to get them to behave. No way would I feel comfortable putting in a maintenance ticket every time I needed to get up there and troubleshoot one of the 11 ceiling bulbs!After getting the ladder, I was really excited at how easy now is when I want to change artwork that is high on the wall, clean the top of my kitchen cabinets, get to the many plants atop my tall armoire, change the battery in my wall clock, etc. Easy-peasy with my new ladder! So that was all good.But then came the light bulbs. I knew that in order to benefit from the maximum height of the ladder, I'd have to stand on the platform. I've never done that before, and sometimes you don't know what you can or can't do until you attempt to do it. So imagine my devastating disappointment to discover that on the second run of the ladder, I could just touch the screw on the globe lights. If I could reach up there with both hands, I could manage just fine, but reaching up without holding on to anything (from the second rung) made me shaky. The only way to get a COMFORTABLE reach would be to stand on the platform.But guess what? When I went to put one foot up to stand on the platform, I realized I would not be able to balance myself and just had a gut instinct that I would surely fall. It was NOT going to happen. (It doesn't help that I also have vertigo.) Once my granddaughter removed the globe shade, I was able to reach the light bulbs, but I was not able to replace the globe; she had to do it.Then came the five kitchen flood lights. As with the globe shade, I could barely touch the flood lights, and the only way I was going to be able to unscrew them was to use both hands or stand on the platform. No to both.So sadly, it turns out this 5-foot ladder is just a mere inch or two short to be of use to me in the way I intended.I share this long and boring storing for the benefit of others living alone who might run into the same scenario. You can't necessarily go by the measurements alone to determine the height that's right for you. For my purposes, I should have gotten the 6-foot version, even though it APPEARED (on paper calculations) that that would be overkill for me, based on my assumption that I would be able to stand on the platform to reach maximum height.If you're 5'6" or shorter, and do not have a very stable and strong sense of balance, and your ceilings are 8'6" or greater, and you anticipate a need to change light bulbs or paint the ceiling, I suggest going with the 6-foot version, even if that may seem more than you need. Another thing the 6-footer would allow me to do, which I can't do with this 5-footer, is clean around the rim of my canned light fixtures in the kitchen. There is one fixture in my kitchen that is in the direct path of the steam from my Instant Pot, and although I usually put it under the stove vent to release the steam, occasionally I do leave it on the bar counter during a release. After a few too many times doing that, the light fixture nearest to that spot is slightly discolored. If my ladder were just a foot higher, I could easily clean that spot. But since it's too short to even change the light bulb, there's no hope of reaching it to clean it. Once again, I'll have to wait for a family member to help me with that task. So much for my bright idea that a ladder would give me some of my independence back!Other than that, it's a really awesome ladder. Not only is it sturdy, but as others have said, it is compact enough to be easily maneuvered into tight places, and it also folds up nicely for closet or under-bed storage. I would absolutely recommend it to others. I just wish I'd opted for the higher version. Don't make my mistake!

This ladder is an excellent step ladder from Little Giant. I have been the proudowner of a monster Type 1A Model 26 for the better part of at least 10 years andhave used it for everything. Everything including jobs that don't require anythingmore that the minimum size of 6' in height. Anything less than that & I just wentwith a footstool or a chair or my tippy-toes... needless to say, that isn't the safestor most efficient way to get the work done.I was getting ready to buy a Little Giant "Little Jumbo" 3 foot step ladder =>Little Giant 10310B Safety Stepladder with Bar and Tray, 3-Step but,I wasn't buying immediately and for some reason, & then I found this less expensive solution.I know the quality of Little Giant ladders from being a long time owner and wasnot about to hesitate buying the "Flip'n Lite" version of their step ladder. First of all,this ladder is lighter weight PLUS it is rated to hold the same weight of it's largersibling which means I don't have to think twice when interchanging the two... inother words, it's a strong ladder despite it's light weight. It is almost a full 10 poundslighter than the "Little Jumbo" and the extra features on the "Little Jumbo" weren'tas attractive as the lighter weight.So, I decided to buy this ladder once Amazon had it in stock. I was ready to buy andsure enough... they had a waiting period for delivery and that means I could put it offagain and stick with my other methods of getting the job done until they got morestock in. Once it showed up as available, I made the purchase immediately.The ladder showed up in the manufacturer's packaging and it too was impressive. Thebox was sturdy and secure... it even came with a set of 8 perforated handles built into thebox to make the delivery less cumbersome because it does happen to be a fairly largeand awkward box otherwise. Inside the box was the "Flip'n Lite" Step Ladder encasedinside a thick clear plastic shrink wrap with display advertisements and instructionsincluded. It was packaged to be delivered in showroom shape, perfect!Once I opened the box and had some time to use the ladder, it has been smooth sailing.I have been able to move more quickly from job to job because of the lighter weight andsmaller dimensions and most importantly, I know I always have my feet on solid footing.This makes any work I'm doing much more rewarding. The mechanism to open andclose the "Flip'n Lite" is fairly straightforward. It is not a ladder I can toss around likemy Model 26, but for the work I will be using it for, there should be no need for that. I canreally appreciate the effortless feel of using this step ladder over the Model 26. That willmake my life much more efficient as I won't be groaning about breaking out the Model26.One nice thing I found about owning this second Little Giant ladder is that I now reallyappreciate this one even more so than the Model 26, just because I had no idea howthe Model 26 was going to hold up over the years. Since I have tons of experience undermy belt with the Model 26, I know that just from using the "Flip'n Lite" for less than 2 fulldays... it is another winner! Well worth the investment. If you need a decent step ladder,I highly recommend the "Flip'n Lite" from Little Giant and of course Amazon proves onceagain why they are the World's Biggest & Best online retailer. "(^^)"

I feel very comfortable on this ladder because of the safety rail. I also like the tray at the top for holding screws, light bulbs, etc.