Gutter Guard Compare
This is the best gutter guard I've ever tested. A stainless-steel micro mesh prevents any pine needles or any other small debris from getting into the gutter. CLICK photo below for a great DIY alternative micro mesh gutter guard that will save you thousands of dollars. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter
Original Publish Date: September 2008 - Revised April 2018
There are countless gutter guard designs. I discovered after years of testing the ones with a fine stainless-steel micromesh are the best. There are several brands of these. Dealer-install micromesh is outrageously expensive. I suggest you purchase DIY stainless-steel ones and have your handyman install them.
Compare Features of Gutter Guards Before Buying
For over ten years I have been testing gutter guards, and at the end of this column, I tell you which one I installed on my house. Those tests have been chronicled in various columns and videos on my website. Below are two videos that feature, what I believe, perhaps the Holy Grail of gutter guards.
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Ice Problems with Gutter Covers
Consider purchasing a micromesh product from Amazon.com and having your local handyman install them for you. CLICK the photo below for just one of the micromesh products I discovered on Amazon:
There are many micromesh gutter guard products. You can save LOTS of money putting them on yourself. CLICK on THE IMAGE to see how low-cost they can be.
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My tests over the years determined that many products allowed small debris in the gutter. Finally, I discovered some products that had an ultra-fine micromesh screening that stopped the debris from getting into the gutter. I tested two products on the same roof under the same trees. One performed better than the other. You can see the visual proof in the videos below.
Several Months Into the Test
The video below is what my garage roof looked like after months of testing. It's very obvious that the way the gutter guard is installed makes a very big difference:
I was so impressed I selected the one that did the best and had it installed on my own home.
Is the oak tree in your yard a pin oak? Mom has about a dozen pin oaks in her yard and in the spring the flowers go everywhere. Just want to know we're dealing with the same demon before I contact MasterShield. Thanks!!!
Yes. Pin oaks!
Tim,
Did you test Gutter Cap or Gutter Helmet? What did you think of those? Thanks.
Alan
Yes. They all failed.
Excellent Im often replacing gutters and recommend gutter guards . I like what I see.
So which one do you recommend? Watched your video and about to undergo a removation where new gutters will be installed
I have the link to the company I recommend in my Gutter Guard Test Results page. See the STOP sign? See the link just to the right?
Is the gutter guard that performed favourably in an area where prevailing winds would tend to clear debris anyway?
It performed better because it's a better product and was installed using Mother Nature's Law of Gravity.
Tim,
Did they have to rehang your existing gutters to get the front side low enough to match the roof pitch or did you have new gutters installed at the proper height and the Mastershield applied to them?
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
I had to rehang them myself. I was told by MasterShield, before their top installer showed up, that the front edge of the gutter had to be in the same plane as the roof.
The Gutter Glove product was installed by their top installer in OH and he did not require the gutter to be lowered. After these videos were posted, Gutter Glove then MODIFIED their installation instructions to match those of MasterShield - another thing in a long list of things GG copied. Heavy sigh!
Hi Tim,
How about handling the water flow during a heavy rain. I've seen quite a few reviews that mention water running over the edge of the gutters, but that it does a good job of keeping out the debris. I guess you can't have it both ways.
I would like to see what all you tested and how each performed, not just a blanket recommendation for MasterShield. Give us the actual results on each one you tested and let us make up our own mind.
What was the other mesh gutter guard? I'm looking at leaf filter
I am looking to install a gutter shield on my gutters. I am not sure which type to get. I live in the northeast of New York. We get snow and some leaves in the helicopters from the trees. Can you help
Laura,
You bet. Go read this column and watch the videos there. Be SURE to click the red STOP sign graphic to get the guards on my home.
https://www.askthebuilder.com/gutter-guard-truth/
I am wondering if you tested LeafGuard Brand gutters?
I tested several IDENTICAL ones just like it. It's a reverse curve and the gutter is going to get filled with GUNK AND GOO that will be nearly impossible to remove. Do NOT buy them.
Hello, Tim.
I appreciate your thorough testing to find which gutter guard keeps the most debris out of the gutter. My question is how well did the micro mesh allow heavy rains to enter the gutter. I have typically found that the better the gutter guard does at keeping debris out of the gutter, the worse it does at allowing rain water into the gutter.
The micromesh PULLS water through it because of the surface tension of water. In HEAVY downpours here at my house all water flowing down the roof passes through the micromesh.
What is your opinion of the Valor Gutter Guard System?
Please re-read my above column and then apply critical-thinking skills to answer your question. TNX as we say in Morse.
Hello Tim,
I just found your website, and thank you for all the reviews you have done. I live in the Pacific NW in Washington State and have to battle pine needles with my gutters. I've trying to do my research to find the best product on the market for my type of situation. Looking at the comments you mention a "Stop Sign" to see your recommendation but I'm not seeing it on this webpage. I was looking at the Master Shield Product, and from what I have found seems to be a good product. Do you know the cost with this product per foot? I'm thinking I will need to replace gutters as well.
I removed the Stop Sign because it linked to Mastershield. I started getting too many complaints from homeowners about high-pressure sales tactics used by their dealers.
The cost of the product is in the stratosphere. You can buy a micromesh product using my affiliate link on Amazon for far cheaper. Just FOLLOW my instructions on how to install it.
Or, if you want to MAKE SURE you get the job done right, do one of my phone consult calls:
https://shop.askthebuilder.com/products/15-Minute-Phone-Conversation-with-Tim.html
It does not look like the Leafsout Product is available anymore. The Raptor looks similar, is this the product you recommend, now?
I recommend any micro-mesh guard that you can purchase on Amazon using my affiliate link.
Great topic but I have a metal roof any suggestions on installation? The roof is not flexible like shingles to allow shoving under the shingle.