Wiper Blades are critical for your car’s safety. Wiper blades can be the difference between being able to see the road ahead or not during a storm. However, there are a lot of blades out there with several style so it can be hard to decide what is right for your car.
There are three main categories of windshield wiper blades. These include traditional, beam, and hybrid. Beam are generally dependable, though depending on the hybrid these can be as good or better. What Are the Types of Windshield Wiper Blades?
The categories of wiper blades are the most important feature defining the differences between the types of windshield wiper blades you see on the shelf. These include traditional, beam, and hybrid blades. However, these names probably don’t mean much to you without more details so let’s get down to it.
Traditional:
Traditional windshield wiper blades are composed of a metal superstructure that connects to the wiper arm and has pivoting suspension points. These points help the blades stay on the window. Traditional windshield wipers are reasonably priced, typically costing less than $15 a blade.
Beam:
Beam windshield wiper blades are made entirely of rubber. Rather than being made of several different parts, they are one solid piece of rubber.
These wiper blades have a fin along the outer side of the blade that holds them against the windshield even at high speeds. These windshield work great in harsh winter weather due to their one piece construction.
Beam windshield wiper blades are costly. They generally cost from $15 to $30 dollars a blade. However, they are very durable and last much longer than traditional windshield wipers.
Hybrid
Hybrid windshield wiper blades consist of a metal frame with pivoting suspension points like traditional windshield wiper blades. However, these wiper blades are coated in plastic or rubber.
This coating helps makes hybrid windshield wipers much more weather resistant than traditional wiper blades. The cost of these wipers is somewhere between the cost of traditional windshield wipers and beam windshield wipers.
Varieties of Mounting
There are many ways to mount windshield wipers these are described well here.
The Best of Every Type Of Windshield Wipers
We used four different criterion to judge windshield wipers for each of the three different types. Then we chose the wiper we felt was the best of each type.
Criteria
Since cost, durability, easy installation, and functionality are very important features in windshield wiper blades, we are going to base our choices on these criterion.
Best Traditional Windshield Wipers Blades
Rain X Weatherbeater Wiper Blades
Our top choice for the best traditional windshield wiper blades is the Rain X Windshield Wiper Blades.These wiper blades are a great choice for anyone who prefers traditional windshield wiper blades.
These wipers work best for older cars that originally came with traditional windshield wipers. However, for anyone buying traditional windshield wipers, Rain X Weatherbeater Wiper Blades are the best choice. Listed below are the the reasons why we chose this wiper.
Cost:
At $10 to $15 Rain X Weatherbeater Wiper Blades are not the cheapest wiper blade you could get, but they are reasonably priced for the quality you’ll be getting.
Durability:
This wiper’s frame consists of galvanized steel which means its strong and won’t rust or corrode. Also, the squeegee consists of natural rubber which holds up well in poor weather.
Easy Installation:
This windshield wiper blade is adaptable to J-hook, side pin, bayonet, and large J-hook arms.s
Functionality:
Rain X Weatherbeater Wiper Blades function reasonably well even in bad weather due to having several press points. These points ensure that the wipes clear the windshield effectively.
Best Hybrid Windshield Wiper Blades
Michelin Stealth Windshield Wiper Blades
Our choice for best hybrid windshield wiper blades is Michelin Stealth Windshield Wiper Blades.These windshield wipers have a good aerodynamic design that works well in harsh winter weather This design keeps the wipers from clogging with snow or ice.
They also fit almost any car, so most car owners will have no trouble finding the size they need. We give the reasons we chose these wipers below.
Cost:
Michelin Stealth Windshield Wipers are priced reasonably at approximately $15 to $20. This is a particularly good price when the quality and durability of these windshield wipers is taken into consideration.
Durability:
These windshield wipers have excellent durability. This detail is confirmed by independent tests which show that Michelin Stealth Windshield Wipers outperform their competitors after 300,000 cycles.
Easy Installation:
Michelin Stealth Windshield Wipers install very easily with Michelin’s EZ Lok connector system.
Functionality:
These windshield wipers work quite well. They adapt to the curve of the windshield thus doing a good job keeping the windshield clear in bad weather.
Best Beam Windshield Wiper Blades
Bosch Icon Windshield Wiper Blades
Our top choice for beam windshield wiper blades is Bosch Icon Windshield Wiper Blades. They are high quality windshield wipers that come installed on a number of luxury vehicles. These wipers are made of graphite- blended natural rubber which helps reduce friction thus creating a consistently clean wipe.
They also run very quietly and work well even at high speeds. We detail our reasons for choosing these wipers below.
Cost:
They are actually quite expensive at around $50 a set. However, they are probably the best windshield wipers overall. So, if you want the best quality wipers, these are probably worth the cost.
Durability:
These windshield wipers are very durable. According to the manufacturer, they are 40% more durable than other wipers.
Easy Installation:
Bosch Icon Windshield Wiper Blades are easy to install and don’t even require any tools to install them.
Functionality:
These wipers function exceptionally well. They have tension spring arcing technology which help them create a very good fit on the windshield. The windshield wipers also have a shielded connector which helps visibility. In addition, the wipers have an asymmetric spoiler which allows them to function well at high speeds.
Final Take
These three windshield wipers do an excellent job keeping your windshield clear. Bosch Icon Windshield Wipers probably do the best job. However, for someone that does not drive much in bad weather, Bosch Icon Windshield Wipers may not be worth the cost.