I’ve had both styles too, and honestly, I wanted to like the links more than I did. They look great when it’s just a light rain, but once the wind picks up, it’s chaos—water everywhere, and I had to scrub mud off my porch more than once. Cups are heavier and just seem to handle Midwest storms better. The price difference stings a bit at first, but not having to constantly clean up or untangle things is worth it for me. If you’re somewhere windy, I’d lean cups every time.
- Not saying links are perfect, but I've seen them work better than expected in some windy spots if they're installed with decent anchors at the bottom.
- Cups definitely handle volume and wind, but they can clog up with leaves way faster in my experience.
- One client put in thick gauge link chains and ran a gravel bed underneath—said cleanup was about the same as cups, just different kind of mess.
- Midwest storms are no joke, but sometimes it comes down to how much debris your gutters see versus just wind.
- Price is a factor, sure, but I wouldn't write off links if you like the look and don't mind tweaking the setup a bit.
Honestly, I’ve seen both styles get wrecked in a good Midwest thunderstorm, but links with a solid anchor at the bottom do seem to whip around less than I expected. Cups are great for volume, but yeah, the leaf clogging is real—especially if you’ve got maples nearby. I’ve had clients complain about cleaning out cups way more than links. If you’re not afraid to tweak the setup and maybe sweep up some gravel now and then, links aren’t a bad call. Just depends how much mess you’re willing to deal with after a big blow.
I’ve noticed the same thing with cups getting clogged, especially in the fall. The links seem easier to clear out, but I’m always a little worried about how much water actually makes it down during a heavy rain—sometimes it looks like half of it just splashes off. Has anyone tried adding a splash block or some kind of basin at the bottom to help with runoff? Curious if that helps with erosion or if it just makes cleanup worse.
sometimes it looks like half of it just splashes off
Yeah, I’ve seen the same thing with the link style. I switched from cups to links last year because the cups were a pain to keep clear—leaves just love to pile up in there. The links are easier to deal with, but when we got a big storm, water was flying everywhere. I put a cheap plastic splash block at the bottom, and it helped a bit with the mud, but honestly, it still made a mess on the lawn. If you’re worried about erosion, maybe try a wider basin or even some river rocks? The splash block alone didn’t really solve it for me.
