I do painting for a living and have used one of these ladders for the past two years. It's taken a lot of abuse being loaded into/out-of the truck, being shoved around the job sites and being used as a scaffold support. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the aluminum version of the same Werner 6' ladder, but only because of the weight difference. When you have to move a ladder as much as a painter does, any weight advantage you can get is the way to go. Also, a shelf would have been nice. Sometimes they just get in the way, but when you don't have one and need it then obviously it's better to have one.

This is one of my everyday ladders. It has done everything I've asked of it. The molded in extras on the top are actually usefull. I find the big lug bungee ball holders particularly handy for holding impact drivers and drills. I do miss the shelf found on other ladders, Werner does offer it, as an option.