What happened to cheap wiper blades?

Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by Vern_in_IL
People, urbanites have bought into the "hype" of beam/aerodynamic wipers, and making them one piece prevents refills, stupid marketing.



If you call spending $25 every 3 yrs for blades "hype" vs $10/yr for el cheopos then so be it.


There are no wiper blades that last 3 years. I haven't found any that even last 6 months regardless of price, and the cheap ones last just as long and work just as well as the expensive ones, so there's no sense in wasting money...

You have obviously never purchased PIAA wipers. In actuality, they're less expensive than changing blades every 6 months. As I stated earlier in this thread, mine are now 6 years old and work well. So, if you've replaced yours every 6 months for the last 6 years, you've bought a dozen sets and I've bought one set. Hope you like your "cheap" wipers; I like my PIAA....I've got better things to do with my life than change wiper blades.
 
I don't buy cheapo wipers anymore. IME, they all begin sucking in a few months. Some may like to change wipers frequently but I don't. I have Denso Designers that I refill with Honda/Toyota inserts. They last a year on my cars that are parked outside. Another excellent one I get a year out of is the Trico TeflonShield, available online for less than the overpriced garbage wipers sold at most auto parts stores.
 
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I bought a set of Rain-X beam style blades for I think $30 for a set from Wally World. I’ve had them on over a year and they’re still as good as new. I moved to AZ in August but the rest of the time they got plenty frequent use since I lived in Houston. I do not miss the days of cheap-o wipers that I had to change several times a year and the only beam ones being Bosch for $50 a pop.
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by Vern_in_IL
People, urbanites have bought into the "hype" of beam/aerodynamic wipers, and making them one piece prevents refills, stupid marketing.



If you call spending $25 every 3 yrs for blades "hype" vs $10/yr for el cheopos then so be it.


There are no wiper blades that last 3 years. I haven't found any that even last 6 months regardless of price, and the cheap ones last just as long and work just as well as the expensive ones, so there's no sense in wasting money...
Weird, I’ve lived in an extremely cold climate (Buffalo, NY), extremely hot and humid climate (Houston, TX), high elevation (South West, Colorado) and extremely dry and hot climate (Scottsdale, AZ). I’ve only had two occasions where wipers didn’t last a year. One was some Michelin blades from Costco, clearly a licensing job on some terrible blades, and the other was when I accidentally bought some blades in packaging where some scumbag returned their used blades in the packaging (found that out on my first drive home in a snowstorm at 1am). Rain-X, and Trico beam style for the most part on way too many cars over the years.
 
I use cheapo blades since I can no longer find refills in my area. I usually only have to change mine roughly every 9-15 months. When I wax my car I also wax the windshield and have found my wipers last much better. Back during the summer I ordered an alternator from Rock Auto and checked their wiper blade prices. They had 14" Anco blades that fit the passenger side of my Versa for $1.21 each so I bought two of them and put them in the trunk for future use. I think 2 blades added an extra $1. to the shipping cost. Last weekend we were cleaning out the trunk in one of the other cars and found some wiper refills in it that I'd forgot I had. I haven't been able to find refills for years so I have no idea how long they've been in the trunk.
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by Vern_in_IL
People, urbanites have bought into the "hype" of beam/aerodynamic wipers, and making them one piece prevents refills, stupid marketing.



If you call spending $25 every 3 yrs for blades "hype" vs $10/yr for el cheopos then so be it.


There are no wiper blades that last 3 years. I haven't found any that even last 6 months regardless of price, and the cheap ones last just as long and work just as well as the expensive ones, so there's no sense in wasting money...
Wait WHAT? You must have some very specific scenario, I have never ever had any wiper blades last only 6 mos. Unless it was due to turning the wipers on while frozen to the windshield, which, live and learn, I haven't done in recent years.

I usually get close to 2 years a set. I could pay 4X as much for silicone and get 4 years, but the math doesn't work for that. Besides, if I want a silicone protective layer, they make sprays for that. Just don't overdo it or you'll end up with a film on the windshield.
 
Expecting snow/frost/freezing precip? Put the wiper arms up...should be pretty common knowledge for those in winter climates. That being said I've gotten 3+years out of Bosch Icon blades...pretty happy with that. Anything with exposed linkages are prone to in effectivity in the winter zones when ice accumulates, so IMO beam is the only choice.
 
Wait WHAT? You must have some very specific scenario, I have never ever had any wiper blades last only 6 mos. Unless it was due to turning the wipers on while frozen to the windshield, which, live and learn, I haven't done in recent years.

I usually get close to 2 years a set. I could pay 4X as much for silicone and get 4 years, but the math doesn't work for that. Besides, if I want a silicone protective layer, they make sprays for that. Just don't overdo it or you'll end up with a film on the windshield.
I treat my wiper blades with the same approach as I use for my tires; the newer the rubber, the better the performance. I buy the cheap Michelin blades sold at Walmart for about $6 each and they wipe perfectly for about 6 months, then I replace them. They would probably go longer, but for $6 a piece, why mess around with the clarity of my vision while driving.? When I buy tires I buy the least expensive tires I can find with the most aggressive tread. They are usually 40K mile rated. Sure I could spend more on 80K mile rated tires, but I'd rather replace my tires with new ones at 40K miles than drive that amount of time putting the last 40K on a set of 80K mile tires. Tires ride better when new, get better traction, and have less road noise. Rubber gets harder as it ages, so the newer the tires, the better...same with wiper blades...
 
Originally Posted by GZRider
@ Dave9 - Cool story about a product you've never tried D$#%@!, but you're full of s#%. The PIAA's are a favorite of rally cross drivers because they are made from a type of platinum cured silicone, which is much stronger then traditional rubber as well as being more resistant to UV exposure and oxidation. The material is also stronger (hence why aftermarket high pressure radiator hoses use it) and thus resists tearing from branches and other debris or say from them being caught in ice. I used them for years in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest and never bought another set of wipers on those cars, they are worth every penny.

then why are the reviews on Amazon so hit and miss?
I hope nobody ever takes any Amazon reviews seriously as most are hit/miss for every item. I'm sure some will post whatever as part of a promotion/compensation too.
 
I treat my wiper blades with the same approach as I use for my tires; the newer the rubber, the better the performance. I buy the cheap Michelin blades sold at Walmart for about $6 each and they wipe perfectly for about 6 months, then I replace them. They would probably go longer, but for $6 a piece, why mess around with the clarity of my vision while driving.? When I buy tires I buy the least expensive tires I can find with the most aggressive tread. They are usually 40K mile rated. Sure I could spend more on 80K mile rated tires, but I'd rather replace my tires with new ones at 40K miles than drive that amount of time putting the last 40K on a set of 80K mile tires. Tires ride better when new, get better traction, and have less road noise. Rubber gets harder as it ages, so the newer the tires, the better...same with wiper blades...
I 'treat' my wiper blades with Lucas Slick Mist every 1-2 months and I am certain it helps them last longer and perform better over the lifespan. I do buy quality blades and don't mind spending $20+ each, but I do average about 3 yrs. out of a set before they actually start to fade and need replacing.
 
I 'treat' my wiper blades with Lucas Slick Mist every 1-2 months and I am certain it helps them last longer and perform better over the lifespan. I do buy quality blades and don't mind spending $20+ each, but I do average about 3 yrs. out of a set before they actually start to fade and need replacing.
Anything you can do to keep them soft will allow them to work better. Instead of treating mine, I just replace them...at $6 a piece, why not?
 
Anything you can do to keep them soft will allow them to work better. Instead of treating mine, I just replace them...at $6 a piece, why not?
Yeah totally agree as we all have different ways to reach the same end result. I will say I find it a bit hard to find even the cheapest decent blades that cheap. My ride also has a weird size pairing, so maybe that has something to do with it.
 
The supertech blades seemed pretty good, some walmarts don't seem to carry them anymore. Summertime seems to just deteriorate the rubber on any blade i've bought so I just get whatever is cheapest.
 
You have obviously never purchased PIAA wipers. In actuality, they're less expensive than changing blades every 6 months. As I stated earlier in this thread, mine are now 6 years old and work well. So, if you've replaced yours every 6 months for the last 6 years, you've bought a dozen sets and I've bought one set. Hope you like your "cheap" wipers; I like my PIAA....I've got better things to do with my life than change wiper blades.
So you hate changing oil and wiper blades but you're on a forum about changing oil and wiper blades? 😂
 
Yeah totally agree as we all have different ways to reach the same end result. I will say I find it a bit hard to find even the cheapest decent blades that cheap. My ride also has a weird size pairing, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Michelin blades sold at Walmart...they should be close to the same price at just about any Walmart...
 
The supertech blades seemed pretty good, some walmarts don't seem to carry them anymore. Summertime seems to just deteriorate the rubber on any blade i've bought so I just get whatever is cheapest.
I think the Michelin blades sold at Walmart are better, and are just as cheap...
 
Cheapest wiper blades out there is Dawn, water, and a rag …
… some will be surprised what a good cleaning does for wiper blades …
 
I usually buy run of the mill wiper blades or wait till they go on sale etc.

Lately I've been getting Michelin wiper blades but have good luck with bosch and trico
 
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