A telescopic ladder can be an extremely handy tool if you need to reach high places, but don’t have a lot of space.  These ladders combine convenience with security to provide a reliable way to facilitate home repairs or cleaning, without a hassle.  A telescopic ladder is a type of folding ladder that folds out from a very small starting point, not unlike a telescope, until you have a full size step ladder.  These are handy if you have a limited amount of storage space, but still have high places you need to reach occasionally.

The main purpose of telescopic ladders is portability.  In closed form they encompass a very small amount of space, and are fairly lightweight, so they can be carried and stored very easily.  When fully extended, a telescoping ladder is just as long as you’d expect your ladder to be, and will still be durable enough to hold a lot of weight reliably.  Although, a telescopic extension ladder isn’t as durable as an ordinary extension ladder, and won’t hold up to extreme conditions as well.  They also have weight limitations that aren’t quite as high as your average ladder.

While most ladders can typically hold in excess of 300lbs, a telescopic ladder will bottom out at 225-250lbs depending upon size.  This is usually because of the locking mechanisms required to keep the metal bars extended.  Each metal tube is made to fold into themselves for easier storage.  When the telescope ladder is extended, through the use of spring-loaded metal knobs, the metal tubes are automatically locked into place.  But because the ladder isn’t one solid bar, weight isn’t always distributed evenly, and a lot of pressure can be put on the small metal knobs.  Too much pressure can cause a telescopic step ladder to bend or break, so they aren’t very useful for heavy duty jobs.

But while extendable ladders will provide more security, and the ability to haul more weight onto higher surfaces, they require a lot of space to store and use. Adjustable  ladders are quite large, and can be very heavy, so you need a pretty big area in order to use one.  A telescopic ladder can access the same high areas, but only takes a fraction of the space to store.  The only ladder type that even comes close to a telescopic’s portability, is a rope ladder.  But rope ladders aren’t as sturdy, and not near as useful unless you have a ladder in order to tie the rope in place to begin with.

To purchase a telescopic ladder you can try a local hardware store.  Home Depot, Lowes or even Sears may have a few, or any locally owned shop in your area is worth a try.  But high quality ladders can be rare, so the internet may be your best bet.  , and even are good places for you to start.  But remember to pay special attention to the telescopic ladder’s weight limitations.  They aren’t made for heavy use, and are best reserved only for accessing higher areas, or cleaning.