PacTool Gecko Gauge Artisan Kit - 5/8" Fiber Cement Siding & Hardie HZ6

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.

Idk people have issues with these. Use them correctly. I own a siding business and I have about 10 pairs of these and they’ve been working great since I bought them 10 years ago.. we put them thru very rough use, negative temps up into triple digits. The only thing wearing on them is the rubber to grip the siding but they still hold and don’t have any issues. Very much worth the money. They’ve lasted about 500 houses worth of siding with the average house being 34 square

Everything went well and the best part is the seller used USPS to my PO Box. So glad 😁. Price was a little bit more for the product, but I needed it to hold up to it's intended purpose. Thanks for helping me out! DK.

The piece where the board rests is a small piece of hard plastic. It seems to chip the edge of the board sometimes. Also they like to go on at an angle, be sure to make them flat. The first row using this was weird for us, but it did not have the house behind it, because it over lapped our foundation. Once you get to where you have actual house behind it the work great. We bought the other original plastic ones and they seemed to be slightly better on the boards. Maybe it’s our learned use. I would recommend the original plastic over the aluminum geckos. These support the board great.

These things are amazing. I don’t know how I could have done the job without them

I've seen folks use these before, but this is the first time I've used them. They work exactly as advertised. They have a precision fit for 5/16" thick siding. Lifting the cam lever will put force to hold the bracket and next lapped plank in place. DO NOT over tighten, and your tool will last much longer. Read the instructions. They're very short, but important. Be careful of the screws and nuts. I put mine on finger tight after adjusting to length, but after several uses, the nut came off. You'll need a helper to get your first course set, but with this tool lapping the rest of the siding is a one-man job. Super time saver!

I’ve done a lot of construction in my life both in my own business and for myself, friends, family. One of the hardest things to install by yourself is hardi lap siding especially anything over 6’ and or with cutouts. I am rebuilding my deck and decided to replace the siding on that part of the house both under and above the deck for appearances sake. This is one of those jobs that your friends and family disappear when you need them. This jig showed up on the front page of Amazon as if the website KNEW I needed help. Read the directions, set the height on the gage for my siding and off I went. Package says it saves 50% time, bit I can attest it saved significantly more for me. Note: if you’re starting near the ground you will have to install a second course in order to use them. I did put a level on top of each piece before nailing just to make sure they wernt getting out of wack and they never did. I love them!!!

I can’t recommend these clamps enough. I sided a 2200 sq ft house with Alura cement plank siding almost entirely by myself. Some reviews say that they scratch the planks - but I think if you’re installing pre-painted materials you’re asking for such trouble. Thats just not the way things work, and if you try you’ll be disappointed. Putting a finish on materials before installation is like washing dishes before you eat. Reviews also say they dont’t hold the planks well, or there is a gap that the plank can slip into. I can see how this might happen, but on this whole house i had a clamp slip once, and that was because i was trying to slide the plank along the clamp without lifting it - obviously an unsafe move. Under normal careful use the friction clamp seems to work fine. The gap issue wasn't a problem for me - its easy to get then to grip without over-clamping them and creating a gap. Honestly, if you can’t figure these out, you should not be building or repairing your house. You’re goinna poke an eye out or something. I would recommend that you buy some fiberlock nuts to replace the “acorn” nuts that hold the cam pins in place - the repeated use loosens them and the fall 20 feet off your scaffolding and you never find them. At Ace fiberlock nuts are like $0.35 each. So for an extra dollar i got a perfect tool. Not sure how long the friction pads will hold up - like i said, after one house they work fine, but Professional use might wear them out. But if you’re a professional, are you going to worry that an inexpensive tool only lasts 5 or 10 houses? I think just the materials for my siding project came out to over $4000, plus $1400 in scaffolding rental, blah blah, $$$$. Replacing this tool when it wears out is not going to cut into your profits much. Even if they were single-use it would be worth it, these clamps are so helpful.

Used these gauges for installing Hardy Plank on my shed. As one of us cut the planking, the other installed onto the shed. Like any construction product - preparation simplifies the process. My helper had used them before which sped things along quite quickly. For two old guys - we planked the shed in two days.

put siding up on verandah wall. could not have got the same result without this tool. easy to use and well made. highly recommended

My husband used this clamps for cladding front and back of the house on his own. Five star definitely.

Great quality product

Works well, robust aluminium design. Bit expensive.