Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased this duster after reading a lot of these reviews and even going to my local do it yourself bug store in my neighborhood. The guy at the counter was not very complimentary about this product. I couldn't find these items in the local big-box DIY stores - only on-line. Yes - I agree with the comments that there are no directions, the manufacturer could do better, maybe even post a video, hence my rating of four stars, not five. My experience using this duster has been very good. Let me qualify this as you may not be using it for the same thing as I. Recently, I read about Diatomacious Earth (DE). I live in Arizona where I get very little rainfall. As DE is only effective when it is dry, I thought it would be a good fit for me. Yes, I have no more whitefly. In fact, my ant population has been significantly decreased. However, this is not a review about DE, just the Gilmour duster. DE's consistency is like very fine flour - so I can't vouch for any other materials used in this device. Construction - it is made from pretty heavy duty plastic with a metal plunger. The cap is well threaded and opening it is very easy. The threads are thick, so unless you are a gorilla or extremely strong willed, it is very unlikely that you will cross thread the lid. If you are having problems, put the duster down, go get a drink, then come back - take a few breaths. Really, it's not hard. Don't leave it in the sun, after all, it is plastic. I also read in other reviews that it wasn't a good idea to fill the hopper to capacity, so when I added the powder into the container, I filled it about half-way. TIP: Use 'rare sense'. My Dad says there is no such thing as 'Common Sense' and the older I get, the more I see how right he is. If you push the plunger in strongly on the first pump, you are going to get a lot of material out - duh. Give it a half-pump or even less. Back up a little from your target. Better yet, try it out a few times on the driveway - you can hose it off. NOTE: It's a device used to distribute a powder. When you pump the handle, it's going to make a funny squeaky noise. If you are going to dust at midnight, your neighbor's dog may get agitated. Your neighbor may get agitated if they don't have a life and are wandering around in their yard when it's pitch black. No, mine isn't very loud, but it does squeak. I paid $20 for it, I can live with the squeak. When you aren't getting much out of it, give it a shake. Be prepared for more dust to come out on your next pump. Bear in mind, this is a 'low tech' device, the only moving part is the handle. In fact, if you are doing a large area, give it a shake as you pump it and you will find that the dust comes out fairly consistently. When you aren't getting any more out, open it up and see if you are out of dust. Lastly, don't be a whiner, this item costs less than $20. If you expect this to perform like a commercial dusting unit that costs $200 or more, then you have some fairly unrealistic expectations. I used it to dust my entire front and back yard (about 0.25 acres) - got some nice exercise - no, I don't work out every day - I'm a slightly above average couch potato, after all, I do get out into the yard to use this thing once in a while.