Each section locks by itself as it reaches full extension, and a visible indicator confirms it, rung by rung. Nothing to tighten, nothing to guess: you look, you see it, you climb.

One habit worth keeping all the same, and every tradesperson has it: once the ladder is extended and leaning, give it a firm shake on the ground before you put a foot on it.

It's the European standard covering portable ladders. It requires a series of laboratory tests: strength under load, deflection of the stiles, rung strength, stability and slip resistance on the ground, and durability of the mechanisms under repeated use.

In plain terms, a BS EN 131 ladder has been pushed to loads you will never put it through. It isn't a decorative logo: it's a test file. Our whole range meets it, without exception.

150 kg is the certified maximum working load. It's the figure BS EN 131 requires to be verified in a laboratory, and it's the one printed on the ladder's safety label.

It isn't the point at which the structure gives way. In load testing, our ladders are tested at the factory to 300 kg, twice the certified load: the sections stay locked, the stiles don't deform, the ladder doesn't move.

That headroom isn't there to be used, and we're not inviting you to use it. 150 kg remains the limit to respect, everything included: your weight, your clothes, your boots, your tools and whatever you carry up with you. It's there so that at 150 kg, on site, you are still a very long way from the breaking point.

Yes, on two conditions that apply to every ladder. The first: fully extend the sections you are using, and never stop halfway on a section that isn't locked. The second: keep to a leaning angle of roughly 75 degrees, meaning the foot sits out from the wall by a quarter of the leaning height. That's the one-in-four rule.

On soft, sloping or uneven ground, add a stabiliser bar. It widens the base and takes out the sideways sway, the thing that worries people most as they go higher.

It covers anything down to manufacturing: a locking mechanism that no longer holds, a section that develops play or jams, an assembly fault. Which is to say, exactly the things people worry about on a telescopic ladder.

It doesn't cover normal wear on the feet, impact damage, dropping the ladder, or use beyond the rated load or outside what the standard allows. Keep your invoice, it's all you need to claim under the guarantee.

No. No form, no card to post back, no account to create. Your invoice is the proof and we can find your order at our end. The guarantee runs from the delivery date.

Yes, you have 30 days to change your mind, on top of the 14-day cancellation period you have by law. The ladder must come back as new, unused on site, in its original packaging.

One thing to know before you order: return postage is at your expense. A telescopic ladder is a long, heavy parcel, so factor that in. Your refund is issued as soon as the return is received and checked.

The best way to avoid all that is to get the height right first time: use our quiz, or call us before you order.

Franck, our technical adviser. He's available every day from 8am to 11pm, by phone or on WhatsApp. He's a technician who knows the models, not a call centre reading off a script.

Our support team is in Europe. You speak to someone who has the same ladder in front of him and can agree a solution on the spot, without sending your case halfway round the world.