Wiper Blades: Are those new types worth it?

[byez]

Going to be changing my wiper blades shortly. I have been thinking about trying the new types which have beam blades.

Do these perform any better than conventional?

Do they really perform better in winter conditions?

Are they worth the cash or am I better off changing blades twice as much for half the price?

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I'm curious as well. I made a post in the other thread about changing windshield wipers and nobody replied. Hope this thread gets more answers.

I ordered a pair of Trico Neoforms and a pair of Innovisions. Would have gotten two pairs of Neoforms but Amazon ran out of one of the sizes that I need. Anybody have experiences with either?

 

[Johnny]

These are the best blades that I have ever used. I have had a set on all three of my cars the past 18 months and they work perfectly. When it come time to replace them I will use this brand again.

http://www.rainx.com/Products/Wiper_Blades/Latitude.aspx

 

[HTSS_TR]

Just installed Bosch Icon frameless wiper blade on '00 E430, it looks good on the car but the car was not driven in the rain yet so I don't know how good it is compares with standard wiper blades.

I think many newer car models have frameless wiper blades, I saw new Honda, Toyota, BMW, MB, Audi ... with these wipers. Many manufactures have these new wiper blades tell me that they are better functionality and stylu

With $20 rebate for a pair of Trico Neoform, the cost for 19" or smaller is only $12/pair which is not much more than standard blades.

 

[The Critic]

My dad just installed a set of Anco Contour blades on the '96 Saturn. There's a $15 mail-in rebate on those blades as well.

My mom says that they are the best blades that she has ever used. I haven't tried them yet, but if my mom noticed a difference, they must be good.

 

[byez]

They have two brands of these blades at Wal Mart. The more expensive one being Rain-X.

I was comparing them earlier today and if you look closely they are both Made in Korea and they are almost identical.I believe they are one of the same. I think I am going to go ahead and purchase them.

Thanks

 

[kingrob]

I've used them before, the Trico Neoform. They're good blades, but not worth the purchase price IMHO. They do perform well, but then again so do Pylon for 1/4th the price. They last just as long as conventional blades. Then again, I don't see a lot of rain, I put UV protectant on my blades, and I wax my windshield. Not too hard for me to get three or four years out of a set of ANY blade.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I think the Florida sun puts a toll on the rubber on the blades. Performance is usually decreased in a year, even with the set of pricy Bosch Microedge Excels I got last time.

 

[Brett Miller]

I've had Bosch Icon blades on my Civic for about a year. They are still working well. I would definitely buy them again.

 

[Solo2driver]

Agreed, when the Icons came out I got them immediately. My wife had ALWAYS complained that on both of her cars the blades were terrible, shuddered, and wore out quickly. That all changed with the Bosch Icons, and they can also last a very long time-- more than a year and a half on my old Impreza (and nearly 70K miles). I'm waiting for a good coupon deal to get them for the Legacy. PS-- the non-Bosch versions do not last as long, I have tried the Michelin and Rain-X versions, and I still prefer the Bosch.

 

[artificialist]

I use Trico Neoform blades on my car, my dad's car, and my mom's car, they all hold up well.

I used to use Valeo beam blades, until they were no longer available where I lived. They were about 70% as durable as Trico Neoform blades.

 

[MGregoir]

I have Rain-X Latitudes on my car, and they work as advertised.

 

[Carbuff]

The Honda Fit has beam-type blades and the rubber blade inserts can be replaced separately for about $12. They have had some complaints of shuddering and have wiper arm springs available with a different tension to fix this. Still, I like the fact that ice doesn't build up on the beams in winter.

Good point about the sun deteriorating the rubber beam cover.

 

[Gary Allan]

I wish I knew what changed from the 70's. We didn't have 12 variations of quality level. Replacement was relatively cheap. Now you can buy cheap and have lousy performance/longevity ..or you can go MEGA expensive for something that appears to work.

I really don't see the complicated technology that's involved here. Now stuff that probably wasn't present "back in the day" was/were a few environmental aspects that may alter the view. UV and whatnot ..but I can't see UV stabilizers adding too much to the retail cost of the product.

 

[paulo57509]

I've found that OEM Honda blades work and last the longest on the Legend.

The problem I have is with the Lumina. It has the pin-type of blade attachment and most if not all the aftermarket blades that use the "rotate-and-snap-onto-the-pin" type of attachment that tends to unsnap and allow the blade to fly off at the most inconvenient time.

I did find a brand of blade that uses a press tab (that fits in between the nubs of the pin) that is very secure, but I forgot what brand of blade it is.

 

[97prizm]

I picked up a copy of a recent Consumer Report Mag from my local library. They tested 15 different wiper blades several being of the "beam blade variety. A video was posted of this as well Consumer Report Hope this helps. There were some surprising results

 

[wantin150]

I use Anco's and just replace them more frequently.

 

[mstrjon32]

Had a set of Bosch Icon's on my old car, I was less than impressed with their longevity, though they were very good when first purchased. My new car came with OEM beam type blades (Chevy) which I just replaced with 36K miles on the car. They were starting to streak a bit, but at this point it's been almost three years from the date of manufacture. Went with the Trico NeoForm's this time, so far the performance has been outstanding, but time will tell how they hold up.

 

[Hirev]

It rains a bunch here. I've just about given up on aftermarket wipers. None of the aftermarket wipers I've tried over the years are worth a hoot after a year. Most start out OK but 4 - 6 months later the performance drops off considerably.

Have had the poorest results from Bosch and Trico brands over the years.

I've had the best luck with OEM wipers. I usually get 2 to 2 1/2 years out of Toyota OEM wipers.

 

[Buffman]

I use the first version Trico came out with the for their frameless design. Didn't last but about 6 months till they started to chatter. Guess I can't blame them being on a 13yr old windshield.

Someone discovered you could put the hook style wiper arms off a newer Buick Lesabre on our B-cars. Stock we have those stupid pin arms. I went to the RainX Latitude blades. At the time I found them on ebay for $27 a pair unlike the $40+ the store wanted.

They work great. I always try to keep up on the RainX treatment on the window, but sometimes I forget, and these things have no problem doing their job. I use regular rainX blades on other cars and they work almost as good. Amy had a pair on her cavalier for almost two years until one snowy morning she decided to use her wipers to clear the ice instead of the scrapper and she ripped the rubber off one.