Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've used this sprayer, including its Gilmour predecessor (apparently Gilmour sold this sprayer to Chapin a few years back) for the last 7 years to spray weeds on my 2-acre property. I'd previously used the Ortho Dial-a-Spray, but it was quite "leaky" and the settings were not well calibrated. When I'm searching for a product, I pay particular attention to the negative reviews... as they are often not legit, including this sprayer. So.... I decided to comment on the following concerns about it not working well. 1. "Doesn't spray 30 feet". Of course not with the deflector attached. Common sense. Remove the deflector and you can spray a stream... maybe 30 feet... depending upon your water pressure. 2. "Leaks all over the place". There are 4 places that could be "not tightened enough" and would cause leakage. Make sure those are all tight and try again. This sprayer might leak a bit also, but not as bad as the Ortho. I always wear nitrile gloves when spraying. 3. "Doesn't syphon". Sprayer works on the Bernoulli Principle. Meaning, "it HAS to work... if the system is in working order"... there are no moving parts....fundamental principle of fluid dynamics. (If curious, you can look up The Benoulli Principle.) 2, places which can cause the syphon function not to work. 1. Syphon tube. It could be blocked at the bottom from debris or if the chemicals have acted together to form a bit of coagulation... which collects on the screen and prevents fluid moving up the tube. The tube may not be properly seated in the receptacle at the sprayer head, or there may possibly be a crack in the tube. 2. The "selector wheel". The wheel has a calibrated hole for each setting. It must be centered to work properly. The wheel centering can be just a bit off causing the sprayer to not work. The tiny hole in the wheel can also get plugged with debris and stop it working... happened to me once, though I can't imagine how dirt got into that tiny hole. To be sure you're getting proper operation, suggest including a "dye marker" in your chemical. I use a blue one. The dye will indicate whether the syphon is working or not. When you 1st start your spray, make sure the output includes the marker and adjust the wheel a tiny bit as necessary. 4. Flushing after use is essential. If the pathway gets gunked-up with dried chemical, it may be impossible to "un-gunk" because you won't be able to reach the clog. 5. "Another thing is the "pilot hole(??)" in the metering dial. It can shoot water out the hole.... caused by either/both (a) shaking the sprayer up and down as you spray, and (2) air in the water line. Solution... don't shake the sprayer up and down, and purge the hose of air before attaching the sprayer.