Customer Reviews

Gilmour D1 1-Pound-Capacity Dry Application Garden Duster

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Although this unit will not perform like the crank models that cost 3 times as much...it will be fine for smaller area applications like roses or potato patches, etc. ...just expect to do some shaking of the unit while pumping in order to keep the duster primed. The large fill mouth is a real plus! I am not much of a plastic fan, but this unit feels stout and it will not corrode like the old tin units used to.

This duster is pretty good. It gets the dust under the leaves without spraying into the air. The wand tends to fall off if it isn't pushed on tightly - twist it on snuggly. Easy to clean and store.

I had a bug problem in my home garden and I had owned an ancestor of this type of duster. It was given to me by an elderly gentleman when I gardened out in the country here in North Carolina. It was misplaced years ago. I had since used a pump liquid dispenser for SEVIN. It was OK but liquid SEVIN is very expensive. You cannot imagine my joy to find it here on Amazon.com. I immediately put it to use.
This is a simple yet very durable tool. I just dump some SEVIN dust in it, screw the top on and I am ready to go. One can dust as lightly or heavily as he or she wishes. Just be careful not to breathe the dust in. It is easy as one can see the way the dust is blowing. Use this in 'no wind' or 'slight wind' situations for best results. Morning or evening is best.
This duster is stoutly built, but not unbreakable. It is built of plastic, but a very durable thick plastic. I judge it to be as durable as any duster made. It is better than the metal duster I once had.
This duster is a LOT more economical to use (with SEVIN) than any liquid duster I owned. There is no maintenance to it - just keep it in a dry place when storing it.
I gave it a five star rating -only because I could not give it six stars.

We bought this to dust our carpet with fluffy diatomaceous earth (DE)for fleas.
- It distributes the dust evenly and lightly, just as I wanted.
- It is easy to fill.
- As others pointed out, the wand tends to fall off unless it's twisted on really tightly.
- A bit of dust comes out the pump end, probably because the DE is so ultra fine, but not enough to be a problem.

Great for dusting the soil in my vegetable garden with diatomaceous earth for sowbugs, earwigs, ants and other pests that heavily invade my vegetable growing area.

The extension that's provided is kinda whimpy and it's difficult to distribute the powder evenly with it ...so I don't use it. It's made sturdily and I'm hoping to get many years of use from it.
I guess the only negative comment I might have is that each time I pump it, it gives off a loud squeak. I don't think I'm suppose to oil it since it may not function if I do, but since there aren't any instructions regarding the squeak, I'll have to put up with the annoying squeal.

I've used it on my woodpile, and the DE repelled the spiders, leaf wasps, and other creepy crawlers that usually find a place to hide between the logs.

I purchased this duster after reading a lot of these reviews and even going to my local do it yourself bug store in my neighborhood. The guy at the counter was not very complimentary about this product. I couldn't find these items in the local big-box DIY stores - only on-line. Yes - I agree with the comments that there are no directions, the manufacturer could do better, maybe even post a video, hence my rating of four stars, not five.

My experience using this duster has been very good. Let me qualify this as you may not be using it for the same thing as I. Recently, I read about Diatomacious Earth (DE). I live in Arizona where I get very little rainfall. As DE is only effective when it is dry, I thought it would be a good fit for me. Yes, I have no more whitefly. In fact, my ant population has been significantly decreased. However, this is not a review about DE, just the Gilmour duster. DE's consistency is like very fine flour - so I can't vouch for any other materials used in this device.

Construction - it is made from pretty heavy duty plastic with a metal plunger. The cap is well threaded and opening it is very easy. The threads are thick, so unless you are a gorilla or extremely strong willed, it is very unlikely that you will cross thread the lid. If you are having problems, put the duster down, go get a drink, then come back - take a few breaths. Really, it's not hard. Don't leave it in the sun, after all, it is plastic.

I also read in other reviews that it wasn't a good idea to fill the hopper to capacity, so when I added the powder into the container, I filled it about half-way. TIP: Use 'rare sense'. My Dad says there is no such thing as 'Common Sense' and the older I get, the more I see how right he is. If you push the plunger in strongly on the first pump, you are going to get a lot of material out - duh. Give it a half-pump or even less. Back up a little from your target. Better yet, try it out a few times on the driveway - you can hose it off. NOTE: It's a device used to distribute a powder. When you pump the handle, it's going to make a funny squeaky noise. If you are going to dust at midnight, your neighbor's dog may get agitated. Your neighbor may get agitated if they don't have a life and are wandering around in their yard when it's pitch black. No, mine isn't very loud, but it does squeak. I paid $20 for it, I can live with the squeak. When you aren't getting much out of it, give it a shake. Be prepared for more dust to come out on your next pump. Bear in mind, this is a 'low tech' device, the only moving part is the handle. In fact, if you are doing a large area, give it a shake as you pump it and you will find that the dust comes out fairly consistently. When you aren't getting any more out, open it up and see if you are out of dust.

Lastly, don't be a whiner, this item costs less than $20. If you expect this to perform like a commercial dusting unit that costs $200 or more, then you have some fairly unrealistic expectations. I used it to dust my entire front and back yard (about 0.25 acres) - got some nice exercise - no, I don't work out every day - I'm a slightly above average couch potato, after all, I do get out into the yard to use this thing once in a while.

This garden dust applicator is just fine. It works, and it holds a good supply of powder. Though plastic, it seems to be pretty well made, fits up nicely, and is sturdy. But you do have to hold it just right or you get almost nothing coming out....I dunno, maybe that is the case with all dusters of this type. And it makes a dreadful squealing sound with each stroke of the pump, but it doesn't affect the function. All in all, I would say it was definitely a good buy and certainly a much cheaper option than a power duster.

I think it works about as good as you could expect. Being made of plastic I think is a benefit, although I've never used any other model, reading other peoples' reviews led me to think that metal dusters were not as easy to use. This one is fairly easy, however, I do have the problem of the leading extension hose popping off periodically while I'm dusting. But that may be due to excessive speed and force on my part. It does distribute well, and the main issue of benefit for me is to place as much distance between me and the dust, which this definitely does. I would recommend this to any gardener who knows what they need this for. Makes a good difference

I bought this to inject pesticide into a wall through access holes I drilled. Worked well, although (when tested outside) I expected a little more "poof" output. All plastic, it it seems sturdy and was easy to clean - shouldn't rust/corrode like the old metal dusters. Good capacity, but works best when half filled. The deflector tip will make dusting underside of leaves easier. I had trouble finding dusters locally (end of season?) and when I did find this one it was about 50% higher than on Amazon.

At first I loved it: setup was easy and I was able to reach the tops of my tallest tomato plants; but after the first few pumps I noticed that every time I pulled the handle dust was shooting out at me from the shaft hole. About as much came out the wrong end as went out the right end. There's no telling how much dust I inhaled before I realized I was dusting myself. There is no instruction manual, the instructions are printed on the duster canister and are simple: open container and fill with up to one pound of dust. The warnings on the container instruct to wear protective clothing and don't spray people or animals. I had to go online to find the customer service number. Needless to say I will be returning this.