Short answer: Valor Gutter Guards earned the highest rating in NCR's archive: 5 out of 5 overall, first place in the results table. It scored a full 5 in protection, reputation, strength, water throughput and durability, and 4.5 in value.
Scores
Scores are out of 5, from NCR's June 2017 results table.
Valor Gutter GuardInside miter corner, installedMicro mesh close-up, shingle grit on top
Photos from Sharp Gutter Solutions, a Valor dealer.
What NCR wrote, in their words
On the company, from their intro:
“Valor Gutter Guard was founded in 2013; they have come up with a clever design and manufacture 100% of their gutter guards in the U.S., California specifically. The guards are extraordinary well-made and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that they are price competitive with many of the foreign made micro-mesh counterparts. We have tested the product multiple times alongside competitors and thus far, they have stood up to every test.”
Value — 4.5/5.
“We have found that Valor sets a new bar for price in the micro mesh category with the total cost of install being the lowest among the micro mesh category.”
Protection Coefficient — 5/5.
“Our testing revealed that the Valor Gutter Guard system has a similar type of mesh as the Gutter Dome guard (holes per inch), which in all of our previous testing has demonstrated that this is the optimal micro-mesh design. One huge benefit of the Valor system over the Gutterdome system is the lack of the dome shape, because the dome shape has shown that debris can pile up before the midway point in the GutterDome screen. The Valor system does not catch and pile up debris and therefore does not have this issue. Moreover, with Valor's inside miter, the inside corners' issues of overflow (even at very high rates of rain) are completely resolved.”
Industry Reputation — 5/5.
“Valor is a relatively new company (2013) and is still establishing its reputation, while all things are good at this point we will monitor and update as time goes by.”
Strength — 5/5.
“Valor Gutter Guards easily withstood the force of an 8lb weight landing directly on the guard and it did not affect the performance of the gutter guard.”
Water Throughput — 5/5.
“Valor Gutter Guards are exceptional for water throughput, and represent an enormous leap forward in gutter products with the raised S design and addressing the inside corners where debris buildup and overflow are always a gutter guard challenge.”
Durability — 5/5.
“Valor Gutter Guards are sturdy and well designed. It is clear that this product is of high quality and is not made with any manufacturing shortcuts and it will stand the test of time.”
Overall — 5/5.
“We are enthusiastic about Valor Gutter Guard entering the market with such a unique and durable product. The company is fantastic, the product is strong and well designed, the idea of addressing the corners and debris buildup is excellent. Overall, this company is a 5/5 because they have elevated nearly all our standards by simply entering the market.”— NCR Consumer Advocacy Group, gutterprotectionreview.org, archived June 1, 2017
Questions about Valor
Where does Valor rank?
First. Valor scored 5 out of 5 overall in NCR's archived results table, ahead of GutterDome (4 out of 5) and every other guard listed.
How does Valor's price compare?
NCR's review found its total installed cost the lowest of the micro mesh guards it covered, while priced in line with imported micro mesh competitors.
Where is Valor made?
NCR lists Valor as made 100% in the USA, in California.
What sizes and roofs does it fit?
NCR lists gutter sizes from 3.5" to 10", fitting all roof types.
