Here is a realistic review of the Do It Yourself gutter guard plastic mesh shields:

I installed this same DIY Depot guards on my gutters in CT. They install easily and work well…..well, in the summer.

After getting overflow due to gutter blockage the next spring, I climbed up to view the problem. Their lack of rigidity (thickness and strength) had allowed all of them to sag in the middle from snow and ice weight, and their width did not allow them to slip far enough under the shingles and some fell into the gutter at the shingle side. Also, those that had not collapsed had taken on a permanent bend allowing debris to collect in their centers, which like the gutter themselves, required cleaning out.

These would be super if you do not live in the northeast or anywhere snow and ice can accumulate on the eves. You don’t, the choice is to have something professionally installed, like one of the high rated micro-mesh systems, or find a way to prop up the DIY plastic ones so they don’t sag. Else, might as well get used to cleaning gutters every other year….or more ofter depending on how many trees are with reach of your roof.

I am also in CT and I pretty much agree with the general opinion.  My gutter guards have not collapsed anywhere and they appear to be holding up fine.  They do sag a bit in the center.  Though I’ve noticed that this sag is enhanced when the guards are installed upside down, which is EXTREMELY easy to do.  In fact, I installed the product upside down in a section of gutter, realized it, and left it that way on purpose… just to see what happens.  That is the only section where I can see any significant sag.

Sure, some debris collects on top of the gutters, but it is much easier and quicker to clean this off than to dig into filled gutters and remove gobs of leaves, seeds, and twigs.  I almost never clean anything and they seem to work fine.

And when the time comes to re-install, I’ll pay the $100 or $200 and do it myself in a couple of hours and be set for another 5 years.

1. It sounds like they are all half asleep, especially the host.
2. Their “test” of the various systems is ridiculous at best.
3. They seem to be pushing gutter systems as the “obvious” choice.

But I suppose, what are you going to do in a 5 minute television segment?  The only one of the bunch who doesn’t appear to be pandering is the woman.  At least they mention the ridiculously steep price of these gutter systems.  They didn’t bother mentioning the price of the Do It Yourself option (which is our pick!).

Seriously, with the DIY option you really only have to go up to clean the gutters once every 3 to 5 years… and the cleaning is simple.  I’ve only ever found a thin layer of gravel-muck.  Spending $4000 to $8000 for a gutter system that *might* work is just retarded.  As many others have experienced, you might spend all that money and be worse off than when you started.

Anyway… here’s the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWLV_iJBaYM

Cheers!

That being said, the following review is a bit of both worlds!  Reader Laron O. submits an unfortunate review of Leaf Filter while praising Leaf Guard for rectifying the situation.  Interesting.  They write:

We had Leaf Filter installed on our Monroe, WA home and were completely disappointed as well – both with the product and with the many promised fixes. After many promises, attempts to shift the blame to the installer (who ironically was responsive because he was not being paid and tried his best to effect what “fixes” he could), we finally became perturbed enough to contact our credit card company who reversed the payment. That got the owner’s attention. He promised if we sent a “good faith” payment of $3,000 in the form of a check, he would make us so happy we would be a “poster child” for the product. We immediately sent the check – he was a compelling “talker”. Nothing!

I took a number of videos and photos of water pouring over our gutters, and still nothing. I probably should have involved the Better Business Bureau but by this time, I was just tired of the whole thing. I went up and tore off all the screens and we lived with that for the next two winters – the gutters were installed correctly and handled the water well. We called Leaf Guard the following summer and they came right out, tore off the old gutters, hauled them away and we are now “poster children” for them – totally satisfied. DO NOT BELIEVE THE CLAIMS OF LEAF FILTER. We have plenty of ugly video and images of the green “slime” mold and masses of leaves and needles that never blew off if any one would like to see reality rather than nice little studio produced commercials.

Check it out for yourself!

Sample of some Leaf Guard complaints from PissedConsumer.com