If you’re considering purchasing a new ladder for home DIY projects, or for regular contract work, it makes sense to look for a reputable brand. After all, it is a matter of health and safety – yours, and anyone around you, too. With that in mind, between Gorilla Ladders and Little Giant, which ladder manufacturer performs the best over time?
Let’s cut to the chase – both Gorilla Ladders and Little Giant offer fantastic, flexible ladder options for various needs. However, Little Giant edges it in terms of quality – while Gorilla Ladders remains a brilliant choice if you are working to a tight budget.
To really get into the full answer to this question, however, we need to look at both brands in more detail. Keep reading, and we’ll break down everything you need to know.
All About Gorilla Ladders
Gorilla Ladders has made a great name for itself over the years mainly thanks to its user-friendly appeal. Not only that, but equipment manufactured by Gorilla Ladders also tends to be fantastic value – much cheaper than your average home DIY ladder brand, on the whole.
However, just because Gorilla Ladders are cheaper than most, doesn’t mean they are cheaply made. In fact, Gorilla’s best ladders compete brilliantly with some models that are much more expensive. On top of this, they arrive in many different types – from dual platform, household and multi-position, to heavy duty steel, and super light aluminum. Gorilla Ladders also produces a wide variety of ladder accessories and tools alongside, too.
All About Little Giant
Little Giant is a long-standing ladder brand that may be familiar to many DIY and renovation fanatics. It’s been around since the 1970s, and much like Gorilla Ladders, you’ll find their range splits into multiple different categories and types. Little Giant specializes in safety cages, stools, combination ladders, extendable ladders and more.
Little Giant has a solid reputation for being super-reliable and a brand that’s pretty unflappable. Millions of renovators across the US have relied on their products over the years, and that’s continuing to this day. If you pay attention to reviews from Little Giant buyers, you’ll soon find that this branding is a genuine mark of quality.
Gorilla Ladders vs Little Giant: How Do They Measure Up?
While comparing each of the brands’ ladders against each other will likely take quite a bit of time, let’s save you some hassle and look at the main ‘pain points’ between Little Giant and Gorilla Ladders. Who wins in each category, and why?
Choice and Range
Both Little Giant and Gorilla Ladders offer a base range of six ladder / step stool choices, however, you need to dig a little deeper to appreciate the genuine range either brand has to offer.
For example, let’s consider height and sizing. Gorilla Ladders’ multi-position range varies in height from 14ft tall all the way up to 26ft, while you can expect their simple household ladder options to offer up to three steps.
Little Giant tends to go a little more precise on height and reach in general, with their various models (such as the Airwing and the King Kombo) breaking down into multiple sizes. Little Giant also impresses with its frankly huge variety of multi-position ladder setups, with at least 12 different variations available at last count. There are even eight different types of step ladder available from the brand, too!
Generally, the consensus is that Little Giant wins on sheer amount of choice and variety available – which doesn’t actually put Gorilla Ladders down too much, as it’s likely you’ll still find the height and reach you need in their product line, too.
Winner: Little Giant
Pricing
Of course, great value is a must-find when you are investing in a ladder to suit your needs in the long run. As already mentioned, Gorilla Ladders has a great reputation for being amazingly low-cost without compromising on the durability and resilience in their products.
That said, while Little Giant can expect more from you in financial investment, there is the argument that you ‘pay more to get more’. Many people are more willing to pay extra for the added reliability in Little Giant than to save a little bit of money with Gorilla Ladders.
Costs for these ladders really can vary – though, you may find you end up paying double the price for a specific ladder with Little Giant that you can get at a great quality through Gorilla Ladders.
So – while it’s a tough call, Gorilla Ladders wins this round on the basis that they balance affordability with top quality equipment production.
Winner: Gorilla Ladders
Reliability
Again, this leg of the comparison is also fairly difficult. Both brands are synonymous with quality, and there is immediately a section of people who will confirm Little Giant is better value for money based on its reliable variety of products.
Both brands have locking systems that allow for fantastic safety, and are built in solid, hard-wearing material. Gorilla Ladders are generally available in steel, plastic and aluminum builds, whereas Little Giant goes one step further with fiberglass.
On a side note, if you’re unsure whether an aluminum or fiberglass ladder will work for you, be sure to check out our guide.
Discussion regarding Little Giant and Gorilla Ladders in this regard reveals that some renovators and experts believe that Gorilla may actually be a cheaper imitation of Little Giant. That remains to be seen, but through rigorous testing, it’s clear that Little Giant’s ladders tend to withstand more over time.
That said, Gorilla Ladders are at least affordable enough to replace outright – maintenance or no maintenance!
Winner: Little Giant
Flexibility
An even closer battle between the two brands is flexibility. Both Gorilla Ladders and Little Giant are very well-renowned for their incredible versatility with household jobs, and as such, you can expect both to offer locking and stability options across the board.
Little Giant generally supports rapid locking to allow for ease of rail movement, as well as levers that ratchet for extra stability. Conversely – or similarly – Gorilla Ladders provide ease of turning with rail locks, as well as hinge systems to help prevent any swaying or unwanted movement while in use.
Crucially, both systems from both brands have non-slip technology, meaning that you can depend on either Little Giant or Gorilla Ladders to keep you in one place while working at height. Ladder safety is a must, as you’ll likely know by now!
Some may argue at this point that Gorilla Ladders is likely to be better value as it offers similar stability and reliance for a lower price. However, as there is so little to call between either brand, we have to call this one a tie.
Tie Round
Convenience and Accessibility
Storing ladders correctly can sometimes be a nightmare, and beyond that, many people look for lightweight systems that also arrive with requisite stability and strength. Unfortunately, it is not always so easy to find systems that offer the whole package.
Gorilla Ladders tends to do well in this department simply because their systems are extremely user-friendly. They are simple to fold up and put away, and arrive with no unnecessary features – they are, case in point, entry level ladders with impeccable manufacturing as standard. It only takes a moment or two to store a Gorilla Ladder, or to pop one back up again.
Little Giant ladders are by no means difficult to handle or work with, but there’s a clear difference in accessibility. Gorilla Ladders’ range of products is easier to navigate and choose from on the whole. Little Giant, while feature-rich and comprehensive, can be a little trickier to buy from unless you truly know what you are looking for.
Both, however, have fantastic safety and comfort features that more than prove their true value. That said, Gorilla Ladders just wins out here for its user-friendliness across the board.
Winner: Gorilla Ladders
Who Wins: Gorilla Ladders or Little Giant?
While Gorilla Ladders wins more categories outright in our head-to-head, Little Giant has the edge when it comes to sheer durability, flexibility, and consistency. Both brands provide a wide variety of different ladder styles and sizes, and both manufacturers support exceptional safety standards.
However, the manufacturer that wins through, on paper, is Little Giant. Gorilla Ladders is a superb choice if you are looking for a simple solution at a low cost, however, for sheer endurance and assured quality for the price, Little Giant appears to be the better choice based on expert opinions – and not just our own.
That said, there are many reasons why a Gorilla Ladder may be worth your money. For the price you pay, you may not expect an enduring, feature-rich ladder system – it is genuinely surprising as to how reliable the Gorilla brand is for such low pricing.
All told, Little Giant offers a wider range, more precision in their designs, and while it may seem easier to shop with Gorilla Ladders if you are a novice, there is the school of thought that suggests a Little Giant ladder will be a much more valuable investment over the years to come.
Do consider your budget, your immediate needs, and the features you demand from your ladder(s). Given that this battle is otherwise such a close call, it may be your own personal circumstances that separate the two in the final purchase.
If you are looking for the best multi-purpose ladders on the market, we can highly recommend either Gorilla Ladders or Little Giant, comfortably, for a variety of reasons.