It rains in Ohio. I usually go 6 months between driving, much longer between driving in the rain. Before I moved here refills lasted years - and I used them occasionally in California.
NAPA had 2 kinds of refill for my vehicle, rubber and plastic. The 2 guys didn’t have an opinion on which is better. The people at AutoZone didn’t know that none of theirs fit my truck.
I think I have an unusual situation, a car sitting around in the sun most of the time. And it’s not a huge expense or a big deal. I didn’t expect a Spanish Inquisition. I expected somebody to have an experienced opinion.
The silicone wipers didn’t impress me but maybe they would be worth it in this situation. I never buy the cheapest wipers but don’t really think it is worth buying the best of the best either. Maybe in certain conditions this is the case but middle of the road works for most people.
I bought some of the “flex blade” wipers at a premium and was sorely disappointed in them. It seems that they don’t make proper contact if your windshield has much of a curve to it at all.
I’ve noticed that cars that were designed with them in mind seem to do well with them, whereas retrofitting them to an old car that didn’t originally have them is a roll of the dice
In any case, I find they do NOT last longer than conventional blades
And they’re generally not cheaper, so I don’t really see a point in buying them, unless your wiper arm won’t accept conventional blades
the ‘beam’ flexible blades are good for not freezing up like the hinges on the metal blades do.
If you can’t find the booted winter blades . .get the beam blades for winter. ( they might not curl down quite enough for that last 3" on the far right, but oh well. )
On both my 06 and 08 this winter with good results.