WORX Universal Fit Gutter Cleaning Kit w/ 11' Reach for Leaf Blowers Expired

This subject is a rabbit hole that I have spent a lot of time going down lately. I will share with you what I have found so far.
The talk about weight and flopping around is not an exaggeration. If you plan on doing anything higher than a ranch style, you are going to need more length. And then it will want to start to collapse under its own weight.
I have not tried a shop vac yet. But I have tried a blower.
I have a Hitachi handheld blower. I always thought it was a fairly powerful until. I will tell you now. If you do not have dry and loosely packed leaves, using a handheld blower will have about the same impact as you just blowing through the pipe like a giant straw. A handheld is worthless for this.

Now you might be thinking...maybe a backpack blower will do a better job. I had this thought to. And I was searching for the backpack blower that would have enough power to really get the job done.
When I was talking to a Stihl and Echo rep though, he explained that these extensions are ONLY for handheld blowers. When you move up to a backpack blower, the increased air power over the handheld changes the back pressure on the blower enough that it can easily damage it. I have wondered if he was being overly cautious...but I don't know why he would want to discourage a sale. I even asked about the limited time of the gutters and he stated that even this could damage the blower.
Maybe somebody can challenge this....but this is what I was told.

So...for those keeping score...
Maybe a shop vac will work.
A handheld blower is not strong enough.
The backpack blower will push enough air to damage the unit by changing the back pressure.
Anything reinforced enough not to collapse will get heavy and hard to manage. (Keep in mind...it is not just the weight...it is holding it and moving all at one end)

This pretty much has ruled out the blower approach.

Now you are possibly thinking about just going to the ladder approach. This might be a decent option for some. But for me, I would need a 40ft ladder. Keep in mind...it is not just the height of the house...it is the extra ladder length you will need as the ladder is not going to stand straight up. It will need extra length for the angle of laying against the house.
There are real problems here too. Aside from costing as much as a Buick, to get a ladder long enough will likely weigh in at around 75lbs...minimum. This seems to be the lightest that you will find for a 40ft ladder.
And if you are thinking...I can lift 75lbs..... can you lift it and maneuver it from one end? This is what led me to looking at blowers. That ladder is a workout that you will be feeling for days...and there is a real chance of losing control at some point and hurting yourself.

What I have been told is to take a closer look at a pressure washer and telescoping wand. Of course you want to be careful here also as ...depending on the power, you can potentially damage the gutters.


I welcome input from anybody that has found a good solution. So far, there are a couple of possible options...but unless I learn how to fly ...I am not seeing a lot.

Hope this helps.

I bought this last time. I wouldn't consider myself a bodybuilder, but this thing gets pretty difficult to wield once you add any meaningful length. Not even using every section of the tube, it was hard to perform the task with one arm while using the blower in the other.

Don't forget to pick up a raincoat with the hood when you blow out that gutter.