I've got the "Gutter Guard' system on my house and haven't had any problems. They ARE pricey, but I haven't had to get on the roof in the last 4 years (which my wife likes). The guarantee say if they ever clog, the company will come out and unclog/fix the problem. I understand that a lot of the systems (mine included probably) don't work well on steep pitched roofs (mine's 4&12). The water tends to "shoot" past the gutter instead of "rolling" into it. I notice that in torrential downpours I have water getting past the gutters, but regular gutters (even with no leaves) probably couldn't hold that much runoff. Worth looking into.....