Werner 97P Adjustable True Grip Stabilizer and Surface Protectors for Extension Ladders

This is almost a must have if you have a two story house and want to clean the gutters safely. My lightweight ladder that came with the house had so much bounce, I was afraid to use it by myself. My neighbor held the bottom for me which stiffened it up enough for me to clean the gutter. Using this allowed me to keep it less extended which stiffened up the ladder enough to use it by myself.Pros: very sturdy; adjustable span and depth/standoff; quick clips for taking it on/off--you'll want to take legs off for ladder storage.Cons: Like another reviewer said, the rubber pads don't swivel enough for a low pitched roof--you end of having the sides go into the shingles which I really don't like. I'm not keen on modifying the metal--I'll discuss this with the manufacturer.Note: this does add additional weight to the top of the ladder (thus making it more top heavy than what you're used to).I'm still not sure what the bonnets are for. Seems slippery to me. The instructions say something about adding rubber sealant to them which I think increases grip which seems odd to be--sort of makes them more like the rubber pads.One more thing to point out: I bought this specifically because it had such a great depth/standoff. I was expecting it to clear the gutters when rested against the house. However, I failed to take into account that the angle of the ladder puts the top of the ladder quite a bit closer to the house (wouldn't clear my gutters). I raised it as high as it would go, keeping it underneath the soffit and I was still able to rest it against the house and had just enough reach to clean out the gutters. I'm going to see if by chance there's an extender-- just need 4 inches.

I have used several standoffs and this is probably the best I have used and versatility for the price.First, to convert the ladder back to 'standard' use, you simply have to pull the two pins and remove the legs which is a far cry from 'solid versions' where you would have to remove the mounting system entirely.Second, even using the furthermost standoff configuration ('reversing' the legs) it felt pretty stable, even though the 'slip fit' of the interlocking tubes are pretty sloppy. {EDIT: don't forget you can have the extension legs in any of their adjusting holes making it very versatile around various width windows, etc.}Third, the PADS are restrained from high angles by the design. This design prohibits converting the unit to a "CORNER" use. It is possible you could modify it some but the pads will still have a limited rotation I'm guessing a good bit less than the 45 degrees you would need for a "CORNER" unit, which seems defeating. [I'm looking at modification myself to at least get it to fit on a Bay Front (45 degree) corner. The Tubes are NOT exactly square either making the foot pad "fitting" going 90 degree rotated into the leg tube, very tight, BUT not impossible.Forth, the Pads leave a lot to be desired for form, fit & function as everyone has mentioned. The rubber pad is already pretty slick NEW, and I only expect it to get worse as the "rubber MATURES." I envision possibly using the "RUBBER DIP" products in the future myself. IDEALLY, they would sell a pad that had a THICK SILICONE face to solve the need for the Rubber Pad as well as the wool 'bonnet' which ALL come off pretty easy. I may modify my Rubber pad with several HOLES and RTV it ONTO the black plastic mount - the holes will allow the RTV to hold better AND create Silicone Rubber "TITs" to act as anti-slip points - the more the better!

I use this standoff on both my standard extension ladder and my folding extension ladder. It allows me to work on gutters under 2 1/2 foot eaves with amazing stability. I won’t use my ladders without it.I bought it to install gutter screens and heat cable, but as delivered, the pads would not rotate enough for the stand-off to be used on a shallow pitched roof so I could work on my installation from above rather than from below. The plastic pad mounts will only rotate enough for a standard 4 foot to 1 foot pitch for leaning the ladder against vertical walls. Some conservative rounding off of the corners of the pad mounts is needed to allow additional rotation so the stand-off can be used on a shallow pitched roof for gutter guard and heat tape work.As delivered, the stand-off is fit for use on walls only. With a safe 4 to 1 ladder lean ratio, the pads will not lie flat on any pitched roof other than a Mansard. Since rounding off the plastic pad mount slightly to allow additional rotation for placement on a roof might weaken it and void the warranty for safety reasons, it would be nice to see the manufacturer make this change at the factory.

I've been a professional painting contractor for 30 years and I've had this same stabilizer for 20. With these installed your ladder becomes rock solid. Protects the siding and helps to reach eaves much better than without. A few folks commented that it wasn't adjustable. I'm guessing they didn't read the instructions or even look at the pictures. Pretty self explanatory. Awesome product and just bought another for my business partner. After using mine he said "Do you think you can still buy these?" Ordered on Wednesday received on Saturday. Easily adjustable and helps get to windows or just about anything.

Worked exactly as intended so that I could safely nail back some loose soffit covers. If i had had this before, I would have done other repairs instead of calling someone in. It takes a little effort to install onto the ladder and I took it off again to store it You have to be mindfull of the extra bulk on top when raising the ladder with this attachment. All in all a good purchase that should be useful for gutter cleaning too.