TOOLPRO Professional Grade Adjustable Magnesium Drywall Stilts - for Drywall Installation, Painting, and More. (24-40 in. with Soft Straps) Soft Strap Bands to Reduce Soreness and Ensure a Smoother use

Why I reached for these stilts

On multi-room drywall and repaint jobs, time on ladders adds up and breaks your rhythm. I’ve been using stilts for years to keep moving, and recently I spent several weeks working on a mix of board hanging, taping, and ceiling cut-ins with the ToolPro magnesium stilts. Their promise is straightforward: a lighter build, a generous height range, and straps that are kinder to your legs over a long day. Here’s how they actually performed.

Setup and first impressions

Out of the box, assembly is quick and intuitive. The hardware is organized, the adjustments are obvious, and I was walking in them within 20–30 minutes. The first thing I noticed is weight: these are noticeably lighter than many aluminum sets I’ve used. That matters at hour six when you’re making constant micro-adjustments with every step.

A note on finish: the painted surfaces scuff easily during assembly. It’s purely cosmetic, but if pristine looks matter to you, be careful with your tools during setup. Functionally, nothing about the scuffing affected performance on my pair.

Adjustability that actually works

The height range is 24 to 40 inches, which hits the sweet spot for most 8- to 10-foot interior work. Adjustments are pinned and bolted, and the holes line up cleanly. I made several height changes during a project that went from shiplap demo to new drywall with crown, and switching heights between rooms took just a couple of minutes with a nut driver. Once locked, I never saw any creep or play in the legs.

If you’re new to stilts, start at the lower end of the range and work up. The geometry on these encourages a fairly natural stride, but there’s no substitute for a few laps around a clean, open area before you get near fresh mud or trim.

Comfort and the soft strap system

Comfort on stilts comes down to three things: calf bracing, straps, and how the footplate transmits your weight to the floor. These hit two of those three really well.

• The padded calf braces are generous and shaped to avoid hot spots. I could go a full day without the deep shin ache that cheaper sets can produce.
• The soft straps are the star here. They distribute pressure better than rigid buckles, and once dialed in, I didn’t get the familiar pinch on the upper strap.

One caveat on the strap design: the upper straps can slide out of their keepers if you pull them completely loose. It’s not a safety hazard, just mildly annoying the first time it happens. My fix was simple—thread them with a bit of intention and add a small keeper loop (a zip tie or a small Chicago screw works) so they can’t back out during transport. After that, they stayed put.

Walking, stability, and the dual-spring feel

Stability is where these magnesium stilts impress. The dual-spring action provides a controlled “give” that smooths out minor floor irregularities without the pogo-stick feel some spring systems have. On fresh subfloor, I felt confident crossing seams and small transitions. On finished floors, the rubber soles tracked well and didn’t squeak or smear.

The center of mass feels low and neutral. That’s partly the weight savings and partly the way the foot and ankle assemblies are tuned. I could pivot to reach a corner bead or lean into a ceiling cut without the heel digging or toe slapping you sometimes get on budget sets.

Stride length was natural enough that I didn’t think about it after the first hour. If you’ve used older, heavier aluminum stilts, you’ll notice less leg fatigue over a long day, especially when you’re carrying sheets or a bucket.

Durability and maintenance

Magnesium keeps the weight down, but it’s not indestructible. I’m gentle with my gear, and these showed scuffs and small surface nicks after a couple of jobsite weeks—nothing structural, but more visible than on raw aluminum. If your work beats up tools, that’s worth noting.

What I do appreciate is that every wear part is field-replaceable. Straps, soles, springs, and buckles are all serviceable, and the design isn’t proprietary in a way that complicates a quick fix. I keep a small kit in the van with extra screws, a strap, and a pair of soles; swapping anything out is straightforward with standard hand tools.

As for capacity, they’re rated to 225 pounds. With tools and a pouch, I stayed under that and never felt flex that concerned me.

Safety notes and best practices

• Take a few minutes to confirm all fasteners are snug after the first couple of hours of use; components settle and a quick once-over keeps things quiet and tight.
• Recheck height pins and strap tension at lunch. It’s a habit that pays off.
• Consider adding non-slip tape to the footplate if you work in dusty spaces; mine stayed grippy, but it’s cheap insurance.
• Keep the soles clean. A quick scrape on a brush mat before climbing onto finished flooring keeps you upright and the customer happy.

How they compare to familiar standbys

If you’ve used heavier-duty aluminum stilts—Durastilts are the benchmark for many pros—you’ll notice a different balance between weight and ruggedness. The ToolPro magnesium stilts are lighter and, to my legs, more comfortable out of the box thanks to the calf padding and soft straps. Aluminum competitors may tolerate more day-in, day-out abuse with fewer cosmetic dings, but they’ll also tax your calves more. For my workflow, the weight savings and comfort outweighed the cosmetic durability trade-off.

Little things that stood out

• The hardware quality is better than I expected at this price. Threads were clean, and nothing cross-threaded.
• The ankle action is predictable. Some stilts feel twitchy when you sidestep; these remained composed.
• The finish scuffs easily, but the scuffs also make your adjustment marks easy to see at a glance—an accidental convenience.

What could be improved

• Strap retention: a small sewn-in keeper or a tabbed buckle would prevent the strap from sliding completely out. It’s a minor change that would remove a minor annoyance.
• Finish toughness: a more durable coating or clear guard on high-contact points would help them look better longer.
• Part markings: height increments are there, but higher-contrast markings would make quick changes faster in dim rooms.

None of these are deal-breakers, but they’re areas where thoughtful tweaks would elevate an already solid product.

Who these are for

• Drywall installers, tapers, and painters who spend long hours up high and want to reduce leg fatigue.
• Remodelers who need a wide height range for mixed ceiling heights in the same project.
• Pros who value serviceability; being able to replace parts on-site keeps you working.
• New stilt users who want predictable balance and comfortable bracing while learning.

If you’re extremely hard on your gear or you routinely exceed the 225-pound limit with tools and materials, you might prefer a heavier, more overbuilt aluminum set. For most interior work, though, these hit the right balance.

The bottom line

The ToolPro magnesium stilts earn a spot in my daily kit because they make the long days feel shorter. They’re light without feeling flimsy, the dual-spring action inspires confidence, and the soft strap system keeps pressure points at bay. I had a minor gripe with strap retention and the easily scuffed finish, but neither affected performance or safety, and both have simple workarounds.

Recommendation: I recommend these stilts to pros and serious DIYers who want comfort and stability in a lighter package, with the added benefit of easy maintenance. They strike a smart balance between ergonomics and jobsite practicality, and after weeks of use, they’ve helped me move faster and finish fresher—exactly what I want from a pair of stilts.