The 5 Best Telescoping Ladders (2023 Review)

Telescoping ladders lengthen and shorten to meet your specific project needs. Once you’re done using your model, you can put it on its shortest height for easy transportation and storage. To help you select the ladder that’s right for you, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best telescoping ladders on Amazon. Here are our top five recommendations, and you can read more about our top tips when buying tools in our tools buying guide.

Top 5 Telescoping Ladders

• Best Handling: WolfWise Aluminum Telescopic Extension Multipurpose Ladder
• Best For Medium Tasks: ARCHOM Telescopic Ladder
• Most Customizable: Xtend & Climb Telescoping Ladder
• Best For Indoor Tasks: Ohuhu Aluminum Telescoping Ladder
• Best Multipurpose Ladder: Bowoshen Aluminum Telescoping Extension Ladder

Best Handling: WolfWise Aluminum Telescopic Extension Multipurpose Ladder

This telescoping ladder is easy to lengthen and shorten with its one-button adjustment system and five-to-eight-second retraction time. It’s also lightweight at 23 pounds and easy to carry because of its closed size of three feet.

The 12.5-foot maximum height of this telescoping ladder allows it to work for medium-height tasks around your home, such as cleaning gutters. It also has a high weight capacity of 330 pounds, allowing it to hold your weight plus the weight of any supplies you bring up with you.

Best For Medium Tasks: ARCHOM Telescopic Ladder

For medium-sized tasks, such as hanging wall decor in a foyer or painting above a door frame, this telescopic ladder is up to the task thanks to its 15-foot maximum height.

This telescoping ladder is EN131-certified to meet safety standards for strength, durability, safety, and more. It also has a high weight capacity of 330 pounds to hold you and your tools and is waterproof and corrosion-resistant to withstand extreme weather.

Most Customizable: Xtend & Climb Telescoping Ladder

This telescoping ladder is available in several series, each of which has its own height and weight capacity to accommodate a variety of projects.

This particular telescoping ladder is a part of Xtend & Climb’s Classic Home Series. It’s good for most household tasks with its 12.5-foot height that shrinks to 2.7 feet in its closed position. Additionally, it’s compliant with ladder safety standards created by The American National Standards Institute and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Best For Indoor Tasks: Ohuhu Aluminum Telescoping Ladder

With a shorter maximum height of 8.5 feet, this ladder is best for indoor tasks, such as reaching the cabinets above your refrigerator or adjusting a ceiling fan. It won’t slide across your floor either thanks to its non-slip end caps.

This 8.5-foot extension ladder shrinks to 2.5 feet when it’s in a closed position. You can close it easily by pushing the two buttons on its lower rungs as opposed to pushing buttons on every rung. It’s also lightweight at 17 pounds but still durable enough to hold 330 pounds.

Best Multipurpose Ladder: Bowoshen Aluminum Telescoping Extension Ladder

This telescoping ladder can be used straight while leaning against a surface or as an A-frame ladder, allowing it to work in almost any setting.

This product can handle any tasks around your home with its maximum height of 16.5 feet as an extension ladder or 8.2 feet as an A-frame ladder. Additionally, it’s rated to hold up to 330 pounds.

Buyer’s Guide

Read our buying guide below to learn more about telescoping ladders and how to choose one.

Height

Telescoping ladders will have a maximum height for when they’re fully extended. However, you can also open each rung individually, usually in 12-inch increments, allowing you to use the ladders at shorter heights as well.

Duty Rating

This rating tells you how much weight your ladder can hold. This refers to your weight plus the weight of any items you’re bringing with you. The classes include:

• Type III: This ladder can hold up to 200 pounds.
• Type II: This ladder has a maximum weight capacity of 225 pounds.
• Type I: This type of ladder has a weight capacity of 250 pounds.
• Type IA: These ladders can hold up to 300 pounds.
• Type IAA: Ladders with this rating have a maximum capacity of 375 pounds.

Feet

The feet are what keep your ladder stable. They usually have a rubberized coating or tread to prevent slipping.

Portability

The weight and closed size of your ladder will affect portability, as smaller and lighter ladders are easier to carry and store. Some ladders may also come with cases to keep the ladder clean when it’s not in use or while it’s being transported.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are telescoping ladders made of?

Telescoping ladders are typically made of aluminum. Aluminum is lightweight, affordable, and rust-resistant. However, it can’t hold as much weight as fiberglass, which is used to make standard extension ladders.

How do I safely use my telescoping ladder?

Here are some safety tips for using a telescoping ladder:

• Wear close-toed shoes that won’t slide off your feet.
• Inspect the ladder before every use to ensure it’s working properly.
• Use work gloves for better gripping while climbing.
• Use at least one hand to climb the ladder.
• If you need to carry more than one item up the ladder, use a lanyard, a belt hook, or another method to secure the items to your body.

What does it mean if my telescoping ladder meets ANSI or OSHA safety standards?

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) create safety standards for ladders. The ANSI also tests ladders to ensure they meet its standards. Testing isn’t a requirement, so just because a ladder says it meets ANSI or OSHA standards doesn’t mean it has been tested to prove that.

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

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