The invention relates to a shaft of a tool or the like with an adjustable length, the shaft comprising a first shaft section (2) and a second shaft section (10) which are attached to each other by adjusting means and move telescopically with respect to each other when the shaft length is adjusted. In that case, the adjusting means for adjusting the shaft length comprise a sleeve (4) provided in the second shaft section (10) and an at least partly toothed spindle (6) provided in the first shaft section (2), the first end of the spindle being taken through the sleeve (4). The sleeve (4) and the spindle (6) attach the first (2) and the second (10) shaft section adjustably to each other so that the sleeve (4) and the spindle (6) can be turned with respect to each other into a position preventing the adjustment of the shaft length and into a position allowing the adjustment of the shaft length where the spindle (6) can move in the sleeve (4) in the longitudinal direction.