A friend of mine asked me if she could buy a pair of steps to reach the top of her cupboards. She told me she only wanted a small cheap pair of lightweight aluminium steps , nothing fancy.

Now here is my dilemma, my friend is quite petite and she weighs less than 60kg, however her husband is a bloater!

DIY steps have a duty rating of 95kg (15 stone). Human nature being what it is, as soon as the husband needs a small pair of steps he will borrow her DIY steps, an accident waiting to happen!

Here at Midland Ladder Company, we no longer sell DIY steps. There is hardly any price difference between the DIY and the better Trade quality steps and in some cases the Trade steps are cheaper, but there is a world of difference in their quality: The trade steps are still made of lightweight aluminium but are of a sturdier construction and also have a slightly higher handrail, the more upmarket trade steps may also feature handrails both sides with extra wide treads and a bigger platform.

They also carry a maximum load of 150kg  (23 stone) and comply fully with European standards!

So the moral of the story is, buy something that will be suitable for all users and all applications,  which will cost very little extra but will offer a much more robust and long lasting product… a decent pair of step ladders should last you a lifetime so don't be tempted by the cheapest on offer… they could cost you dearly in the future should they fail.