Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After learning that the much-touted Gutter Helmet gutter guard system cost my neighbor $30/ft to have installed, and realizing that both my daughter and I need some kind of leaf guard system on the gutters on our houses, I did some research with Consumer's Report and found that the Gutter Helmet system was not that highly rated. They did recommend a system that was also durable aluminum at 40 cents/ft, but a check on Amazon, and after looking at some Youtube installation instruction videos, I crossed that system off my list as not what I was looking for. But while on Amazon I did come across this FlexxPoint system and the users rated it highly, and it was the type of system that Consumers Reports liked. Price was right at 76 cents/ft, and the customers said they loved it and installation was easy, so I bought some a few weeks ago. So far, I have installed the FlexxPoint 5" white gutter guards on all 120 feet of my gutters, and done half of the gutters on my daughter's house (50 ft so far), and I LOVE this system. It is quite easy to install overall. You may run into some delays if the shingles curl down into the gutters slightly, which then requires you to work the guard back up under the shingles to get it seated properly, or to lift the shingles up with a long-handled screwdriver if necessary. This is usually not much of a problem - more of an annoyance than anything else - and would present itself no matter what gutter guard system you purchase. I found that just cleaning and hosing out the gutters, getting them ready for the guards, takes up about 1/3 of the total installation time. Using a power drill is a necessity, for drilling the screw holes, and then installing the screws. Remember to use the low speed when tightening down the screws to avoid stripping out the hole. Each box of 25 4-foot sections of gutter guards comes with a box of 100 size 8/18, 3/4 inch zinc plated screws for securing the backside of each gutter guard, and a box of 150 size 8/18, 5/8 inch zinc plated screws for securing the front side of each gutter guard (more than is needed, probably just in case). If you're worried about the long-term rust-resistance of the screws, put a dab of Rustoleum rust-proof primer on each screw head after installation using a Q-tip, followed up 24 hrs later with dab of Rustoleum white gloss rust-proof enamel - much, much cheaper than buying stainless steel screws (which are hard to find in this size anyway!) [Update 11/17/2015 - Mike at Flexxpoint informed me that they have recently switched to stainless steel screws provided with the gutter covers, although many contractors have told them that their experience has been that zinc-plated screws have held up very well over the years on gutters and are not a problem.] Be aware that, although each gutter guard measures 4 feet long, there is a 3/8" overlap tab on each end, so that your effective length is actually 3' 11 1/4 " for installation measuring purposes. This overlap is necessary to give rigidity and strength to the area where the sections meet. One reviewer concluded somehow that the aluminum used in these gutter guards is as thin as that of a soda can. Actually, after doing the measurement with a high-quality digital caliper, the Flexxpoint cover is almost six times as thick as that used in soda cans (.0025 in. vs. .014 in.). And my guess is that a stronger, more durable grade of aluminum alloy is used for gutter products that have to last for years than is used for single-use beverage cans. Curious, I made a phone call to Flexxpoint in Huron Ohio, where Mike confirmed that a much more durable aluminum alloy is used for gutters than for soda cans. Overall a very nice system that I would recommend to anyone.