Alright everyone, Springtime is upon us, and for some of us, that means spring showers and thunderstorms. I’ve always regarded wiper blades being an absolutely essential safety feature on any car. Its often overlooked, however.
If one were to replace their wiper blades, you’d find that there are literally tons of options: Beam blades, Teflon, silicone, ones that are so expensive that you’d expect them to make you breakfast in the morning for you, and ones so cheap, you might think they “smear” rather than wipe.
This leads to a discussion: What are your favorite wiper blades? What’s the best out there in your experience, whats the worst? Is it worth to spend upwards of 50 bucks for a new set? Do you take the time to replace the inserts, or do you just replace the whole blade?
My favorite wiper blades are the ones you can refill yourself. In my area the only parts store that sells refills (@ $4.99 ea.) is NAPA. The brand of blade doesn’t matter to me, they all seem to be about the same.
Whatever the brand of blade I’ll use refills and keep the blades for a long time.
As wiper blades come from different manufacturers, it’s near impossible to sell , or buy , the correct refill on the first try. Hence, Ford stopped even trying and at Auto Zone it’s a crap shoot as to which kind of blade is on the customer’s car.
The el-cheapo all plastic ones are junk.
I’ve tied beam blades yet found nothing better than the Ford OE ( made by Trico ) and their parts house equivilants.
the best blades you can get are ones that fit properly. I made the mistake of picking up 2 blades the same size and the one kept coming loose when I used it; thankfully I used RainX, so I didn’t need to use them often. I didn’t realize until I replaced the blades later on that I had gotten 2 20" blades instead of an 18" and 20"
I like both the Bosch micro-edge and the cheaper Michelin at WalMart.
On my Toyota (and previously Honda) I bought the rubber inserts that fit the original blades.
I buy them online for less than the aftermarket blades.
I’ve had good luck with Bosch Icons, they are beam blades. I paid about $40 for a pair about 2.5 years ago. They still work great, no streaking or chattering. I’ll probably replace them this summer out of principle. Best wiper blades I’ve ever used. Previously I had used conventional Trico wipers, I don’t think I ever had a set of those last more than 10 months or so. But I got them free from my neighbor who worked for Trico, so I can’t complain too much.
I always replace the whole blade.
Every three years I go to Wal-Mart and get new Anco wipers.
I buy the cheap ones…they work great and are easily replaced when need be. Your barking up the wrong tree
I wasn’t trying to bark up any tree at all. I just wanted to create a discussion and see what was on peoples minds. Maybe give others who read this some ideas. I myself am a fan of the expensive Bosch Icons, they last me at least 2 years, and I replace them out of default. I know some people, like a friend of mine, who doesn’t replace the blades until the rubber is practically ripped off, and replaces them with awful ones that last 2 weeks anyway. Its just what he does.
I agree that the Michelin blades sold at WalMart are a great value. For about $5-$8 depending on the length they work very well and last a long time.
My only experience with the newer style “beam” blades was on a friend’s VW and they did not work nearly as well as the traditional “wiper” style.
I have a set of Bosch Micro Edge Excel blades on my car. They have been on there for over six years and 70k miles. Sometimes during light rain they streak and chatter a little bit, but still perform well during heavy rain. I have a new set of blades for that car in the trunk and may replace them soon just because they are so old. Those blades cost around $8-10 each when I bought them in late 2004.
Anco Contour wiper blades have worked exactly the way blades should with no streaking, summer and winter. I have can’t comment on their longevity with three years on one car and one on the other and they are expensive. I WILL by another set when needed. That’s the best endorsement I can give them.
I hear ya. I buy the cheap ones and live in a land where its winter 6 months out of the year and cant see how wipers could only last 2 weeks. Mine last ???Long time. I put the current ones on over 8 months ago and they are still going strong. Your friend may need to put some washer fluid in…
My cheap blades never streak. Maybe you people have just never used cheap blades
I like Rain-X Latitudes, Bosch Icons, and Trico Neoforms. I suspect the Icons and the Neoforms are the same. I’ve had much better luck with the beam blades in the winter. The bracketed type blades get clogged with ice and no matter what I do, they leave a huge unwiped spot right in front of my face. I also use Rain-X glass treatment, which makes the ice much easier to scrape off in the winter, as well as repelling water in the warmer weather.
Cheap ones.
I usually buy Anco at WalMart, but I’m going to discontinue the practice. I bought new ones and my driver’s side one had a small tear that left a streak. I got a replacement and that one screeched like a mouse caught in the talons of a hawk. I’m guessing those may have in the back stockroom for awhile.
I bought the “house brand” at an AutoZone and it’s working perfectly.
I’m a stinker for clear windows, so I changge mine 3 or 4 times a year.
Tried 'em all.
I go either cheap - rubber refills into the stock metal frame - replace as needed, usually every 6-9 mo. for me
OR
Silblades - install and wait for them to go bad. I JUST replaces a set for a customer, 9 or 10 years and 230k mi. after installing them for him. This is not atypical for Silblades.
We are talking salt spray in the winter and ALL conditions my cheapos failed in less than two years. These have been the best bar non.
I’ve been using Tricos but want something better so I recently bought Michelins for a little more money. If Michelins are not better, then I’ll try a 12 dollar blade. If a 12 dollar blade turns out to be good for two years, that saves a little work changing blades.
Next question: Why doesn’t the car biz finish the job of standardizing wiper blade mounts?