The Premise. Contractors or home improvement specialists typically own a combination of smaller A-frame ladders as well as a few extension ladders. However, certain situations crop up where it is necessary to rent an a-frame ladder that can reach 16ft or higher. To purchase such a ladder costs about $650 and to rent it can cost $65 per day. Most contractors don’t bother buying these ladders because they are expensive as well as heavy and difficult to move around. In addition, the situations in which they are needed are too few and far between to justify the cost.
The Product. Ladder Morph consists of two metal brackets that attach two extension ladders at their peaks to create one high-reaching A-frame ladder.
The Pitch. Ladder Morph’s creator, Dino Vassilakos, works in the home improvement business and his Kickstarter campaign largely consists of how he came up with the idea for Ladder Morph and the different phases of production Ladder Morph has gone through so far. The video is as straightforward as the product itself and features Vassilakos showing the audience the different types of ladders out there and how Ladder Morph works, skipping over the actual assembly involved in attaching two ladders together using Ladder Morph. As an added bonus, he only goes into the ancient Egyptian history of ladders for the exact number of seconds (four) that most people would be able to tolerate.
The Perks. You’d think a ladder campaign would grasp a bit about proper escalation, but it is in the reward tiers that campaign flounders a bit. Supporters giving $250 or more will receive a Ladder Morph whereas supporters giving $500 or more will also receive only one. The campaign pegs February 2014 as the estimated delivery date.
The Potential. Ladder Morph does seem to have a place in construction and home improvement markets. It is a simple, but clever product that works with the materials people already have in order to create something new. There really isn’t anything else out there quite like it. It’s probably a bit pricey for most consumers, but should provide a cost-effective alternative to construction pros who need to reach new heights.