PSA: Don't cheap out on drywall stilts like I did

I bought a pair of $80 aluminum stilts off eBay last spring and they lasted exactly 4 jobs before the leg extension broke. I was hanging ceiling board in a garage in Phoenix and one stilt just gave out under me. Lucky I only twisted my ankle, but I lost 2 days of work and had to pay $50 for a rental while I waited for a real pair. The cheap ones saved money upfront but cost me way more in time and pain. Anyone else had bad luck with budget stilts?

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the_simon3mo ago

Yeah but what brand were they? I feel like there might be a difference between a no-name eBay special and like the lower end but still name brand ones. I almost bought a pair of those $80 ones myself last year but the reviews said the locking pins were basically just soft metal that bends. So you think all cheap ones are bad or just the no-name knockoff kind?

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simonw413mo ago

Locking pins bend" reminds me of the time I tried to save money on a bike hitch rack and the whole thing snapped on the highway.

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