Pactool Gecko Gauge Siding Tool – One-Person Installation for Hardie® Fiber Cement & LP® SmartSide® Engineered Wood, Durable Grip, Heavy-Duty Support for 12’ & 16’ Planks

Works just fine. With these I was able to get 2/3 of my house sided over the winter just by working on the relatively few decent days we had. Other reviewers have complained they are made of plastic, so what, a lot of things are made of plastic. I dropped these a couple of times from 20 feet up on a ladder on concrete with no damage. Are they perfect? No nothing is but they do work and make it possible for one person to install siding. They did fall off a couple of times but it was because I didn't have the clamp set right. Again so what. They do work.

Don't have to wait for a partner to help hold the other end of the boards. It save lots of time and is a great investment. Very sturdy and hangs well.

Work great, i highly recommend.

I did a siding job with these and there are some pro's and con's. Pro's are that you can do a lot of work with just one person (for the most part). They can hold boards for you as you nail, and they will space out the boards evenly. Cons are that they don't hold the boards all the time. sometimes they slip down because a gap is created when you tighten the grip to the previous board. The gap is almost always present so it's something to work around and be aware of.One more thing to think about. I was doing a repair of the bottom half of the siding and the boards were previously not evenly spaced. That made matching them with these very difficult. They are still a helpful starting point, but not 100% foolproof.

Great tool!

We are currently putting Hardie board planks up and these make it so easy you can do it yourself! They slide in under the second board and space it where it you want it. It is adjustable to make the spacing different sizes as to if you want a straight line on either side of a door or window. They work great! Originally bought a set at Lowe's, but returned them as I needed to get a building permit to do this work so I had to wait. Then I found them on Amazon. Less expensive and shipped out immediately. If you are a homeowner as I am and doing this work yourself, don't forget to wrap your house with the correct tape and use the Gecko's. They make putting it up so easy!

So good, so worth it.It's like having 4 hands. Going up a ladder with a plank, a nailer, and a level, you still do not need another person to help you with this. If you are working alone, I actually am not sure how you side the house without these. I'm sure you would have to fabricate something similar. Even working with another person, I found these to be amazing. Have the other guy be cut man on the ground, and keep sending you up pieces that you set perfectly each time without having to re-measure.For the first 1/2 of the house I did, were were constantly re-checking level, and our layout and it was a good thing we did, these gauges take getting used to. Make sure you flush the gauge all the way up to the bottom of the board. Sometimes they can sit in an angle, and that 1/8th inch on 1 board can get out of hand in a couple rows if you aren't paying attention. Also make sure you keep the height adjustment bolts tight. I actually lost one of my plastic washers, but was able to find the bolt. Probably not that hard to replace, but just a hassle.If you are going to have these higher than a few feet over anything but grass, buy these and not the plastic ones. I dropped mine on concrete from about 20 feet and dented a corner, still works perfectly. These hold real well, I felt comfortable in how well these held on to slide in 12' boards from a ladder 10' away. Even with the tight grip, there was no damage to any of the boards. The locking handle moves super easy, doesn't take hard wrenching or anything that could be problematic on a really high ladder.Does only 1" increments for reveals. 5",6",7",8". Probably not an issue for most, but something to keep in mind. Still an excellent tool for holding a plank in place, even if I had to fudge a board 1/4"-1/2" or so to adjust my layout.I bought these for 1 siding job and found them to be worth the money. I sold them to my carpenter for 50% cost, but I'm sure you could do better if you wanted.

This tool made the installation of our smart board easier. It insured each board was evenly spaced. Good buy!