Is there a such thing as decent windshield wipers?

Mine suck. They streak horribly, especially on the downward stroke. I can't recall ever having a really decent pair. Does such a thing exist? I would even do mail order if necessary.

My family usually uses the Bosch ones. At the AutoZone by my house the blades are about $12 each and the refills are like $6. Problem is, for some reason, they just stopped carrying the refills, so we have to order refills over the internet now. It's a proprietary refill so you have to buy a matching blade.

I'm actually want to try some I heard of called "Triple Edge." It's a silicon blade instead of rubber. It's supposed to be tons better but of course Wal-Mart is out of them in the size I need /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

At Canadian Tire, they sell Teflon wipers, both in winter versions (rubber encased) and regular. Work really well, but just a bit pricey. I'll buy them again. No streaks.

i spend extra money on wipers..
and i coat my windows with Windblade.

I just get the NAPA brand ones. They work great, I replace them twice a year when i change over to or from my snow tires.

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BlindedByTheLite said:
and i coat my windows with Windblade.

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What is WinBlade? Is it like Rain-X? Better? What does it do?

I have often wondered if windshields need to be cleaned with a certain chemical to remove calcium and silicon.

Maybe some JetDry in the water resivoir?

Speaking of JetDry, I always put a squirt of dish detergent in my windshield washer fluid as a wetting agent. Helps reduce streaks. Also, since I live in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, I dilute my windshield wiper fluid by 50%. It rarely goes below -15 C here so I save a buck or two.

i think so.
it's like a waterproofing/stain repelling agent that 'causes any sort of condensation and moisture to bead up into larger beads.. most large enough to roll off the windshield on their own.
but it improves the performance of my wipers nicely too.

i need it big time around here 'cause our winter/spring transition lasts longer then most places, so we have very wet/muddy weather from March until June or even July.

some Jet Dry might work, as long as it wouldn't corrode the windshield fluid reservoir.

I've tried lots of brands and keep coming back to Bosch MicroEdge. They cost a little more, but are worth it for a crystal clear, quiet wipe.

Just remember that no matter what kind you buy, they need to be replaced at least annually -- not so much from deterioration, but because they capture road grime and lose smoothness.

Dave

All it takes is one pass across an icy windshield and those brand new blades will have a serrated edge similar to knife blade I replace mine at least twice a year and if you live in or downwind from a large city, acid rain accelerates wiper blade deterioration also.

I bought the Bosch MicroEdge several months ago (blades & arms) and they work much better than the OEM wipers that came with the car.

Spend a few dollars more and get them. It's money well spent.

Marty

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smokinbasser said:
All it takes is one pass across an icy windshield and those brand new blades will have a serrated edge similar to knife blade

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That's why you carry an ice scraper in your car too. Windshield wipers are for rain and water, not ice. Using them if the arms are iced up or when there is a lot of ice on your windshield puts extra strain on the wiper motors also.

Don't forget the windshield errosion.

I keep coming back to Bosch also. I get mine at Firestone.

After years of trying just about everything, I always come back to Bosch Micro-Edge. Nothing else even comes close!

Saaby, can you actually buy Bosch refills on-line? Where?!?

I use Anco most of the time now, but have had good success with Bosch too. Supposedely the new ones from PIAA are supposed to be great, but they are $20-25 each, kinda pricey. The main thing is to buy a decent pair and replace the blades at least every 6 months. I use Rain-X on my side and rear windows on occasion, but never on my windshield.

-Keith

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Saaby said:
My family usually uses the Bosch ones. At the AutoZone by my house the blades are about $12 each and the refills are like $6. Problem is, for some reason, they just stopped carrying the refills, so we have to order refills over the internet now. It's a proprietary refill so you have to buy a matching blade.

I'm actually want to try some I heard of called "Triple Edge." It's a silicon blade instead of rubber. It's supposed to be tons better but of course Wal-Mart is out of them in the size I need /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

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Don't risk your life with them they are crap. I bought a set and the first time it rained I had to drive with my head out the window to the nearest auto parts store to buy new blades. Those triple edge streaked so bad I couldn't see a thing.

Re: Is there a such thing as decent windshield wip

I use silicone windshield wipers that I got from Walmart. (I can't remember the brand - they are the only silicone ones that they had.) Although these cost about $6 vs $2 for plain rubber ones, I have used a set of wipers for about 3 years. Only replaced them because of slight streaking on the driver's side and a bit more on the passenger side. Compare this to the rubber ones that came with the car which fell apart after about one year. The silicone ones are still going strong despite frequent use.
These wipers + periodic RainX (2x per yr)+ $2/gallon wiper fluid keeps the water beaded up. If I drive at least 55mph, I can usually keep the wipers off during rain that is not too misty. Better rain performance than any other car I have ridden in.

Re: Is there a such thing as decent windshield wip

Wal-Mart has 2 types, Triple Edge and Siliconex or something like that. Eugene claims to have had the tripledge so maybe rayearth has the other kind?

Re: Is there a such thing as decent windshield wip

These were tripledge brand that I tried. I have seen teflon blades before, haven't tried those yet.