Roof guy in Kalamazoo says caps are a waste of money, I say he has never watched a raccoon rip one off
Spent 4 hours on a Tuesday pulling 3 raccoon kits out of a chimney in Portage after the cap got torn loose, and now I am stuck between the old school crowd who swear a tight mesh spark arrestor is all you need and the folks who say a full stainless cap pays for itself the first time a coon tries to move in, so which side are you on?
A tight mesh spark arrestor does the same job for a fraction of the cost, and a raccoon is going to wreck whatever is up there no matter how much you spend. The chimney in Portage probably had a rusted out base or a loose fit, not a cheap cap problem. Fix the install and save your money.