#The Best Step Stool

If you can t find the Gorilla because it goes out of stock, our runner-up pick is the Hailo 4343-001 Safety Plus . Its steps are wide and secure, and the tool tray mounted to the top of the safety bar has magnets on either side that will hold metal tools. But it s a little on the expensive side and it s pretty heavy.

We didn t test 3-step stools (keep reading for why we didn t) but if you do need more height, we recommend the Gorilla Easy Step in the 3-step version. which offers a 36” boost.

Our main pick is rated to handle up to 225 lbs. but if you need more weight capacity, go with the Rubbermaid EZ Fold. which is rated for up to 300 lbs. It wasn t a top pick among our testers, but it can get the job done.

Why do you need a step stool?

Once I started researching and talking to people, I realized that people use step stools for a ton of different things

This seemingly obvious question (to reach things that are too high) turned out to be the most complicated part of this guide. Once I started researching and talking to people, I realized that people use step stools for a ton of different things painting ceilings, reaching high shelves, helping older or physically disabled people climb in and out of large vehicles, mounting horses and helping kids reach the bathroom sink for hand washing and tooth brushing, among others. You’ll notice that our four finalists have very different form factors; one of them might end up being a better choice for your very specific circumstances.

To narrow the focus, we set aside stools aimed mainly for kids. (We might tackle that as a separate guide eventually.) The stools we tested will generally work just fine for kids, but they’re intended for use by adults.

We also didn’t consider 3-step stools. If you frequently need to reach higher spaces, a dedicated step ladder is going to more useful and versatile in the long run because it’s tall enough for cleaning gutters, trimming branches and other tasks. If you really want a 3-step stool, our top pick also comes in a 3-step version. We didn’t test it, but it seems like a logical way to go for a height upgrade.

How we picked

We started by looking for previously published tests by reputable publications. Real Simple had the only guide we found backed by thorough, extensive testing. There were others like this and this from Apartment Therapy and this from KitchenDesigns.com, but the articles were just brand suggestions with no mention of hands-on experience. Ideally, we would have started with a greater number of sources, but since there’s not a whole lot out there, the Real Simple guide was a solid starting point.

Real Simple assistant editor Stephanie Sisco told me they tested about 70 stools. Their process consisted of having their testers climb up and down, then “rate them for sturdiness, collapsibility and function. It was easy to eliminate some rather quickly: They didn t have a safety lock, the steps felt too slim to hold large feet, too bulky, etc.”

Real Simple had multiple picks for kids, design and looks, but we were only interested in their purely utilitarian “most supportive” pick, the Gorilla EasyReach 2-Step.

The Rubbermaid EZ Fold was also among Real Simple’s top picks. Further supporting Real Simple’s recommendation of the EZ Fold is my own personal experience I’ve owned one for almost ten years and still use it weekly around the house.

The Cramer Kik Step made our top four based on extremely strong Amazon user ratings (4.7 stars over 262 reviews), and its 50-year history as the stool of choice for libraries, schools and other institutions. Some of our editors also had friends and family members who loved the Kik Step’s ability to roll around where you need it by just nudging it with a foot.

The Adams Quick Fold also has strong Amazon user ratings (4.4 stars over 96 reviews) and is the smallest and lightest stool with a high weight rating we could find. Its combination of reliability, strength and portability is unmatched.

Other stools didn’t make the cut for a variety of reasons. Anything rated for less than 225 pounds was eliminated for reasons we’ll explain further below in the “What makes a step stool great?” section.

Some stools didn’t offer any kind of portability, like this Rubbermaid Molded stool. Some, like the Kikkerland Rhino and Range Kleen Double Step. had a pattern of user complaints about breakage. We also set aside stools made of wood, since wood tends to be prone to warping, splitting and/or dry rot, especially if not cared for properly. Finally, a lot of step stools were simply too expensive. We normally wouldn’t eliminate something solely based on price, but it was clear that moderately-priced stools were going to be as good or better than higher-cost counterparts.