Gutterglove review -- Good & Bad
Had Gutterglove installed about 15(+/-) months ago. These are pretty high-end guards, which feature a very heavy aluminum "chassis" and a very fine stainless steel mesh screen that pine needles, shingle grit, etc., can't get through. I got the top-of-the-line "Pro" version installed. Learned about the product from the "ask the builder" website. Wish there had been more customer reviews on the net when I bought. I can't use the regular mesh (had them) or brush style guards, or even the ones which rely on surface tension, because they all allow in the pine needles, oak catkins, and maple seeds. All that stuff eventually rots and decomposes in the gutter, turning into "gunk". I really did want a "permanent solution", and I didn't mind paying extra for it. Mastershield looks identical.
Here's the good / bad / ugly as I see it since having it installed on my homen (Baltimore County, MD). The home is surrounded by Pines, Maples, Oaks. Others too, but these cause the real problems with the tiny needles / seeds -- for big leaves I suspect anything should work. The "Pro", is their top-of the line guard, but without a heater strip -- which my installer / dealer did not recommend.
THE GOOD: The product works great for rain -- I have never seen rain run over my gutters since installed (yes, I checked several times when it really rained hard). They definitely keep out pine needles, maple tree seeds (helicopters), oak catkins, and even asphalt shingle grit. The debris doesn't seem to build up -- not sure if rain or wind takes care of that. They do exactly what they claim. The salesman was willing to negotiate on the cost, and the installer was courteous, finished on-time, cleaned up after himself, etc. No issues.
THE BAD: Here's what I've learned, and what they don't tell you: In the winter, even with a well ventilated attic, and proper insulation, these products can contribute to ice-damming and icicles. In my case, I have a dark roof. The gutters (and the guards) have air flowing in/around them. If the roof gets to 33ºF, but the guards are 32ºF or below, the melting water hits the guards and freezes. Eventually, you get ice build up. Before having these installed, we had leaf & crud-in-the-gutter issues galore. No longer. But now we have 4' long icicles each time it snows, and probably some ice-damming as well. They should at least be painted or anodized black to capture some sun. I've since noticed that all my neighbors with gutter protection have the same issue -- none have the same brand as me, but all of theirs use a "reverse-curve" strategy which works by taking advantage of the waters surface tension -- I'm the only one (I think) with a micro-mesh type of filter.
In summary: The product does exactly what it claims -- everything is true. But, I wish the salesman had warned me about ice formation that I suspect is caused by any sort of cover. I would have stepped up for the "Icebreaker" version if not too much more.
Of the gutter protection products I've seen -- and I researched them pretty heavily -- I still think the Gutterglove (or Mastershield) are best if you have little seeds or pine needles like I do. But if you get snow, you may want to consider either getting no guards at all, or getting them with a heating element type of feature, or at the very least, have the installer reinforce your gutters with hidden fasteners (the screw-in type) every foot. Once you cover them, you don't want to have to uncover them, and you want to make sure they can hold the weight of the ice.
Hope this helps someone.