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There are several videos in the series shot in the rain. Sometimes it was torrential, sometimes it was light. Each time it was at the whim of Mother Nature.

@@gutterguardsdirect oh ok thanks

That’s hilarious, Ron. If you can find a nice mid-century modern with 2-3 foot overhangs and those other characteristics, then you will be golden!

@@gutterguardsdirect I forgot to mention that it should also be located in Death Valley. (Rain is not a homeowner's friend, so why live anywhere that even HAS much of it, right?)

Pretty sure they don't offer refunds. In this case, we swapped LeafFilter for MasterShield at no charge to the customer.

@@gutterguardsdirect I'm sure the money grabbers wouldn't offer refunds. It's good of you to do so. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I installed $hit on someone's home and charged them 10k.

What are your qualifications to make these baseless claims, Matt? I’d advise you to do your homework before simply regurgitating information that was disproven years ago.

Watch an off-roading video on RUclips where the driver of a truck says he or she is driving up a 30-degree plus embankment. You’d probably say, they’re misleading you because it doesn’t look like it’s such a steep slope. Angles and slopes don’t look steep on camera, yet if you’re the one filming it, you know exactly how steep it is. Let’s look at LeafFilter, specifically. It has a slope built into the frame. It’s a little thicker at the back than the front. LeafFilter claims the slope is 11 degrees. Using a slope gauge, we got a reading between 10-11 degrees, after we installed LeafFilter. This was consistent with the product’s claim. However, right next door to LeafFilter sat MasterShield that had a 32 degree forward slope. Neither gutter guard sits perfectly flat, but when comparing a gutter guard with a forward slope 3X more than another gutter guard that is shelf-like, saying that it sits “relatively flat” is an accurate description of the situation. The results were accurate, too. Debris was more likely to collect on LeafFilter than gutter guards with a more pronounced slope. It happened time and time again. Not just 5 months after the product was installed, but for 3+ years that LeafFilter was installed. If you believe that LeafFilter was installed incorrectly and you can somehow show that we misrepresented the product, please share your findings with viewers.

See comment above!

Please share why it’s misleading. We’d love to know!

Interesting perspective. Curiously, what specifically are the installation options you were instructed to follow by LeafFilter?

HTTPS://www.mastershield.com

There’s no truth to that claim. If you’ve been told that, whoever shared that information with you either doesn’t know what they’re talking about or lied to you.

Actually, this homeowner had a very well kept home and yard. As a tree lover, she opted to keep the tree in her back yard, which is why she installed gutter guards to begin with. There were also several large white pine trees in a neighbor’s yard that were contributing to her gutter problems. While she had asked the neighbor to cut them down, they refused. But with a relatively low slope roof and being 85-years old at the time we did the work, LeafFilter and the gutters were past their prime. The reason she hired us was to clean everything up and provide a better long term solution that she could benefit from for the remainder of her time in the house. Because MasterShield has a better forward slope than LeafFilter, she won’t be subject to leaves and debris accumulating on her new 6” gutters anymore.

With MasterShield and other gutter guards made from roll formed aluminum, it would be the installer’s choice or homeowner’s preference to bend the gutter guard or use trim/gutter coil to make an end cap. Either method is acceptable. When installing an extruded aluminum gutter guard, such as GutterGlove Pro, that will not bend, then using gutter or trim coil to make end caps would be required.

It may be installer choice, but the cover return was explained to me from master shield as proper method. The metal cap end piece trapped debris in the corner as viewed in your video. It might be installer choice, but there definitely a better methods to installation.

@@bigmacattk that method would have likely resolved the issue. In that case, it wasn’t the end cap that was the problem. When the cover was cut and installed, an indentation was made in the panel, causing it to dip in that corner. We identified that early on but left it alone as this could easily happen in the field without realizing it. In the end, it had no material impact on the performance. MasterShield performed very well and, even if a little debris collects here and there, it will easily shed as long as the gutter guard has a nice forward slope., which this test piece did. We appreciate your comments. Please share your thoughts on any of the other videos. Where do you install MasterShield? Let us know and provide your contact details in the comments so homeowners in your area can reach out to you.

Not sure what aspect of the pine cone you're talking about. If you are considering the size of the pine cones, MasterShield will easily keep them out of the gutters. If you are asking about the prickly ends of the pine cones, the sharp barbs won't be able to penetrate the screen. If you're asking about the pollen that comes off certain pine trees, depending on the location of the gutters, you may occasionally get some pollen that would sit on top of the screen, especially if the gutters are in an area protected from wind and the elements. Generally speaking, we have seen that most pollen will wash off the screen, as the screen is too fine for the pollen to penetrate, but there may be occasions where pollen needs to be swept or blown off the top.

That’s a fair point. Haggle and be willing to clean off the surface as needed. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Stephen, thanks for your question. We agree that it's always best to get the gutters under the drip edge whenever possible. However, it's not unusual for gutters to drop below the drip edge pretty quickly on longer runs. It's also not uncommon to find houses without drip edges or gutters screwed through the drip edges. In this case, it was flush with the drip edge on the high side and dropped 1-2 inches by the time it got to the downspout on the left side. We used a level to hang the gutter, so the pitch was good. Had I manually bent the drip edge forward, it likely would have directed more water onto the gutter guards. However, the vinyl LeafFilter frame would have still warped and water would have still overflowed the front of the gutters. There are a lot of homes built and reroofed today without drip edges. For folks who don't have a drip edge or have a drip edge that isn't manually altered by the installer, this scenario could easily occur. The remedy was installing MasterShield. Since it slides under the first course of shingles, it becomes the drip edge and automatically pushes the water onto the screen without modifying anything within the gutter. Also, because MasterShield is made from aluminum instead of vinyl, the warping and water overflow issues wouldn't have happened in the first place.

True!

Trimming trees makes sense when they're overhanging the roof. Often, trees are close to a home, but far enough away from the house, or in a neighbor's yard, and trimming them isn't necessary or an option. Vacuuming out gutters isn't a practical option for those who no longer want to clean or pay someone to clean their gutters.

You comment plays well into this video: ruclips.net/video/4uvdiZSedx0/видео.html. It's important to find the BEST gutter guard FOR YOUR ENVIRONMENT. There are hundreds of gutter guards on the market. If you pick the wrong one, it can be a waste of money and effort, leading to experiences like yours. Follow the steps in the video above and it'll help you pick the best gutter guard for your environment every time!

The warranty covers clogged gutters not leaves and debris sitting on top of your gutters. In fairness, this is the same warranty virtually everyone else in the industry offers. In the case of LeafFilter, they know that the interior of the gutters won't clog, so I guess that's why they charge to even look at it. That or it's a stiff enough disincentive to follow-through on your end. If they didn't do it right the first time, what makes you believe they'll get it right the second or 3rd time? If you're not getting any help from them, file a complaint with your local BBB. They'll be forced to take action. A big problem with LeafFilter and other hangers-on is that they outsource all the work to 3rd party guys and gals who may or may not have any experience installing the gutter guards. We find that 90% of the time, gutters need a good tune-up before installing gutter guards. Not just cleaning, but actually resetting the gutters to drain properly and positioning them on the fascia boards to have the proper forward slope required to shed leaves and debris. Since LeafFilter doesn't pay subs much to do the work, what's the installer's incentive to jump through hoops for you or them? It's too late for you, but the best recommendation we can provide to homeowners who are looking at gutter guards for the first time, do your homework before hiring Leaffilter or any other company. Check the BBB, Google and Yelp reviews. In the case of LeafFilter, there have also been a series of lawsuits, including a couple of class action lawsuits in which they paid millions of dollars to homeowners. That and the thousands of complaints on www.bbb.com should be warning enough to proceed with caution.

Yeah, they’re everywhere. Take a look at more of the testing videos and factor that into your environment and situation. If you like the micro mesh concept, look for MasterShield. It was the 2nd generation micro mesh invented by the same guy who created LeafFilter. It’s much improved and was the top performer in our tests. Visit MasterShield.com to get more info.

Homes that have long overhangs are candidates for no gutters. These often include homes built in the 1940s and 1950s. If you have a 2-3 foot overhang, and the earth slopes away from your home, then you may be able to go for it. I have also seen homes in some western states, such as Colorado and California without gutters. Lack of rain and heavy snow loads are often reasons to skip gutters. Not everyone has that luxury. Here in the Midwest, where we have lots of rain and sometimes folks have no overhangs whatsoever, we've seen plenty of water damage resulting from water cascading downs the side wall. Even on my own house, when it was remodeled well before I lived there, the contractor left off a gutter due to a strange roof transition. Water rolled down the walls for decades and turned the wooden Pella window frames into dust. I always say that the best gutter is one that is open and unclogged. Unfortunately, that's not an option for everyone. Good luck with your gutter removal, and thanks for your comment.

If the building has traditional k-style and box gutters. Where are you located?

New Jersey

LeafBlaster was more or less covered by the Easy-On gutter guard that we reference as Easy-on and LeafBlaster. The screen pattern is a bit different, but you should expect similar results. We hope this helps!

Thanks for your comment and question. I think MasterShield would be the best bet in the micro mesh category. There are different factors that impact pollen. If it’s dry and breezy, then pollen isn’t a problem. But if rainwater combines with pollen, things can get sticky, and it can and will adhere to stuff. I’d probably buy a gutter guard that will best handle leaves and debris and know that you may have to wash pollen off a gutter cover at some point. And that takes me back to MasterShield. It has a very fine screen. Pollen can’t really penetrate it or cling to the screen, but you might find spots here and there where it mats down on the screen. Valleys might be one of those areas. Also areas protected from wind. Otherwise, you should be good. A leaf blower or good nozzle attached to a hose may be all you need to remove it from the screen. If you opt for a solid gutter cover, you may have to hose off the nose where pollen will stick. If you go with a perforated panel, such as Gutter Rx, then you may or may not have to blow off the tops of the covers. No system will be perfect. Buy for your environment and budget and know that pollen can be easily dealt with if and when it settles in. In any of these scenarios, most water should still pass through into the gutter, and it may resolve itself without intervention.

I believe Leafless in Seattle sells MasterShield. They used to sell LeafFilter back in the day, so they have a lot of experience with two popular micro mesh gutter guards. The key to the success is forward pitch. If it is designed to sit flat in the gutter, then, logically, debris will accumulate on top of it. If it installs with a decent forward slope, such as MasterShield, that shouldn't be much of an issue. I wrote a blog story that compares perforated aluminum gutter guards to micro mesh gutter guards. The article's premise is that both gutter guards install relatively flat within the gutter. Here's a link: www.gutterguardsdirect.com/customer-case-studies/perforated-vs-micro-mesh-gutter-guards-which-is-better/. MasterShield is designed to install with a forward slope, so it remedies the problem of the "shelf-like" gutter guards. You can always have them install a few panels to see how it works before you make the leap, but if you or they follow what we talked about in this video, then you shouldn't have any problem. I'd take the pie-in-the-sky stories you hear from contractors with a grain of salt. We had heard from a manufacturer last year that that LeafFilter bought 1 million feet of their perforated gutter guards. It's possible that they were swapping out LeafFilter with an alternative. If true, the article above is all the more important. In terms of removing 80 million feet of product from houses, I've never heard that. It would take years to remove that much material and somebody would have reported on it. It doesn't seem plausible nor does it seem like something LeafFilter would do for its customers. After the sale customer service isn't their strong suit nor is admitting that their plastic gutter guard has a lot of warping issues (see this video: ruclips.net/video/aLln7h4lso0/видео.html) I'm leery of solid gutter covers in heavily wooded areas. If you have oaks and pine trees, it can be a real disaster. Buying a properly installed micro mesh gutter guard that installs at a good angle (25+ degrees) is the way to go.

Yes. We tested it, but haven't posted the videos yet. If I recall, it did pretty well with water, but definitely allowed in debris through the slots. I'd say that it's better suited for larger debris than small debris. If you have maple tree seeds (aka helicopters and whirligigs), you may find that the fins get stuck in the slots.

Yes, and our problems are 2 honey locust trees. That is a challenge. Thanks for replying!

@@Lisa-yp5pm Small leaves and the stems that hold the leaves together probably wouldn’t play nice with Raindrop. That was one of the trees in our test environment, and it wreaked havoc on a lot of the gutter guards.

That's consistent with our findings, too.

That's just not true.

Were you able to get your money back and if so how

Me too. Leaf Filter is the worst gutter protection system EVER. Mine continue to clog and are all warped and uneven. Also a bad installation. They are terrible !

Not really, David. Gutter Rx and similar types of gutter guards do a nice job of keeping most debris out of the gutters. The issue with Gutter Rx and any gutter guard that sits flat -- perforated or micro mesh -- is that leaves and debris can build up on top of it. The advantage of a system like this is that you won't have to dig out the gutters each and every time open gutters clog. If anything lands on top of Gutter Rx, Shur-Flo and similar systems, sweeping or blowing them off is an easier chore than cleaning the interior of the gutters. The wire mesh balls at the top of the gutter outlet could clog after a few leaves attach to them, which is why we'd steer clear of that remedy.

Because they didn't invent the product and don't own the patents on the technology, I believe the inventor has tied their hands. Also, they don't really care about solving problems, just selling as much product as possible. If you are looking for a good gutter guard, there are other options, made from aluminum, that are better than LeafFilter. Since LeafFilter is plastic, it will likely warp over time, too.

Thanks for your comment. LeafFilter did a good job keeping debris from the inside of the gutters. Depending on which videos you watch, there were times when it had more or less debris sitting on top of it. It did a better job on the south side of the garage than the north side. In terms of installation, it was installed correctly. Not sure what you think the correct angle is, but we used to be a dealer of LeafFilter, and know what we were doing.

Most warranties are not worth the paper they’re printed on. LeafFilter, LeafGuard and every other company only warrants that the interior of the gutters won’t clog. LeafGuard and GutterHelmet - solid gutter covers - are more susceptible to internal clogging. Micro mesh gutter guards are less susceptible to internal clogging. Money back warranties are also limited, and I’m not aware of anyone paying those out because they’re generally related to material damage to one’s home, which could be tough to prove was specifically caused by a gutter guard. LeafFilter generally knows that it’s unlikely that their gutter guards will clog, so they charge up to $300 for service calls after the product has been installed. The best approach is to find a gutter guard that works best for your environment. If you do that, then odds are the gutter guards will outlast the company that installed them.

@@gutterguardsdirect sorry, I thought you knew about gutter guards.