The A-M Gutter Guard is a perforated aluminum panel that screws to the front lip of a 5-inch K-style gutter. This Old House found it effective against large debris such as oak leaves and twigs, but noted that dirt particles and pine needles can pass through the holes. Bob Vila liked that it cannot be seen from the ground and is easy to cut around brackets, and disliked that the self-tapping screws it needs are not in the box.
Full review
A perforated aluminum panel, not a mesh
Bob Vila describes the A-M guard as an industrial-grade aluminum panel with 380 1/8-inch holes per linear foot, sized for 5-inch gutters and sold in 23-, 50-, 100- and 200-foot lengths. This Old House reports that the company uses .018-gauge aluminum, which it says can withstand most weather conditions and debris without denting.
The panel fits inside the top of the gutter. Bob Vila calls it virtually invisible once installed and lists the fact that it cannot be seen from the ground among the things its tester liked.
What it stops and what gets through
This Old House installed the guard on a mock roof and gutter and found the perforated design effective against large debris, like oak leaves and twigs. The same test showed its limit: smaller debris, like dirt particles and pine needles, can pass through the holes and cause a clog. It recommends the guard for homeowners on a budget who live away from wooded areas, and lists overflow under heavy rainfall as a con.
Bob Vila reached a similar verdict after its own testing. It says the guards do a good job of allowing water flow and collecting debris, but that the system will clog with larger debris and will need light maintenance eventually.
Installation: secure, but bring your own screws
Bob Vila found the panels easy to cut and install, even around brackets, and praised the reinforcement ridges that run the length of the guard. Its complaint was the hardware: the guard attaches to the gutter's outer lip with self-tapping screws that are not included, while every other system it tested that needed fasteners supplied them.
This Old House says the screw-down design gave the most secure connection of the DIY guards it tested. On a separate page it cautions that installation requires power tools and metal shears, and it lists the guard as designed only for K-style gutters.
Warranty details are thin
A-M advertises a lifetime guarantee. This Old House reports that it was unable to find the terms, so it could not say what the company would cover if a defect appeared. Buyers who care about warranty coverage should ask the manufacturer before ordering.
Strengths
- +Blocks large debris such as oak leaves and twigs, per This Old House
- +Easy to cut and install, even around brackets, per Bob Vila
- +Screw-down mounting gave the most secure connection in This Old House's testing
Watch-outs
- −Self-tapping screws are not included, per Bob Vila
- −Dirt particles and pine needles can pass through the holes, per This Old House
- −Designed only for K-style gutters and overflows under heavy rainfall, per This Old House
How it compares
The A-M Gutter Guard 5-Inch Aluminum is a perforated aluminum panel, where the Raptor Gutter Guard Stainless Steel Micro-Mesh and the Waterlock Micromesh 5-Inch Gutter Guard use stainless steel micro-mesh and the GutterBrush 5-Inch Gutter Guard is a bristle insert. Raptor includes self-tapping screws; A-M does not. GutterBrush needs no fasteners at all, while A-M is screwed to the gutter lip.
Rating sources
Our 4.4 score is the average of the 1 scored review above; 11 more reviewed it without printing a score and are not in the average. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
