Bosch Icon Wipers?

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Tdbo
I have had good luck with the MicroEdge in the past, but IMO the pair of Icon's I had were horrible.

This is the issue I have with wiper blade reviews and testimonials. Were the Icons horrible, or were they horrible in your application? Is there any wiper blade out there that gets glowing reviews better than even 75% of the time?

Some blades may have better build quality than others. However, much of one's experience is simply application specific. If I reviewed wipers based solely on my F-150, just about every blade on the planet would be absolutely wonderful. After all, every blade I've ever thrown at it, from cheap old style blades, to more expensive old style blades, to the various types of beam and hybrid blades, have worked flawlessly on it.

Yet, trying the exact same brands and models on my old Audi 200 indicated to me that everything out there, aside from traditional style blades, was absolute garbage.

Or, should I reference my old Town Car? The only blades that actually fit on the thing were Motorcraft ones. Therefore, all aftermarket blades are garbage, right?

So, how much of this is how good a blade is? Most of it is how good a blade performs in one specific application.

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Tdbo
I have had good luck with the MicroEdge in the past, but IMO the pair of Icon's I had were horrible.

This is the issue I have with wiper blade reviews and testimonials. Were the Icons horrible, or were they horrible in your application? Is there any wiper blade out there that gets glowing reviews better than even 75% of the time?

Some blades may have better build quality than others. However, much of one's experience is simply application specific. If I reviewed wipers based solely on my F-150, just about every blade on the planet would be absolutely wonderful. After all, every blade I've ever thrown at it, from cheap old style blades, to more expensive old style blades, to the various types of beam and hybrid blades, have worked flawlessly on it.

Yet, trying the exact same brands and models on my old Audi 200 indicated to me that everything out there, aside from traditional style blades, was absolute garbage.

Or, should I reference my old Town Car? The only blades that actually fit on the thing were Motorcraft ones. Therefore, all aftermarket blades are garbage, right?

So, how much of this is how good a blade is? Most of it is how good a blade performs in one specific application.


Of course, my evaluation is based on a specific application. That should be a given.

I can say that IME that when I replaced two year old Microedges with brand new Icons and saw little to no difference in the performance of my wipers, that the pair of Icons that I had were horrible. When I replaced the Icon blades six months later, I noticed great improvement in the Tricos that I purchased considerably cheaper with a MIR. In fairness, I could have had a set of defective Icon's. However, that's the opinion of someone who used Bosch wiper blades for 20 years, and I'm sticking with it.

I never issued a scientific treatise on the subject. I am not, do I aspire to be Consumer Reports. If you want lab testing, that's the source.

 

[Garak]

I tried Bosch Icons, specifically, on the F-150. They were fantastic. On the Audi, I had to pitch them in short order and replace them with the conventional style Bosch blades.

Up here, everybody complains about the so-called hybrid blades. It gets cold, they get frosted up, and people pound them against their windshields to dislodge the ice. Because the wipers are cold as heck and frosted up and have ice in the joints, they bust into a million pieces when people do this.

My point simply is that any wiper you can name will have certain applications where they fail miserably, and some wipers, no matter how cheap and junky they appear, will perform wonderfully in some applications.

I guess that is why I do not pay attention to wiper blade reviews any longer, except to gripe and rant.

 

[Jordan_FX4]

I've found Bosch Icon's to be excellent as well. The ones I put on my truck have held up great for well over a year including surviving Illinois winter, without streaking any yet. I had good luck using Rain-X Weatherbeaters before, but they normally needed replaced every 6 months so it's Bosch from now on.

 

[CharBaby]

I am currently using the Rain-X Latitude Beam Wipers on 3 vehicles and I/we love'em. Buuuut, I am noticing that the wiping edge is tearing away from the rest of the blade in ~ +/- 2 years.

I started buying these R-X blades about 3 yrs ago when they came to market and now have been buying them at the closeout stores such as BIG LOT's & OLLIE's for a great deal less($5-$10/blade) all sizes.

I may switch to the Bosch ICON(or Michelin) Beam Style Wiper Blades if this tearing keeps up with my current sets on all cars and when my small stash runs out.

I have been enjoying the Beam Style Wiper Blades and find them to be the best of their breed but, haven't tried other brands YET!

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
Just wondering about others experiences--do they last longer than the cheaper wipers and are they worth it?

I just replaced the Icons; they lasted just a few days shy of two years. They could have lasted the few additional days, but I opted to replace them today. I have never had a set of blades last 2 full years in Texas--heat, sun, and heavy rain wipe them out rapidly. I replaced them with another set of Icons that were only rollback at WM. I can now answer my own question--they are worth it hands down. I would have had at least 3 sets of the Trico/Anco blades by this point. YMMV