Wiper blades insanity

[1998Exp]

The rear wiper was leaving streaks and the fronts weren't great either, so I stopped at the local O'Reillys. A bit of fighting the little computer with the almost completely discharged battery, and I have my recommended part numbers. Suspecting nothing, I pick them up and walk to the counter. "That will be $97 (and some change) after tax," the friendly associate declares. I look at him with utter disbelief: nothing special about those, no ice-scraping, or any other wonderful features, just three run-of-the-mill blades, two of them 18" long and one 14" that I used to buy for $20 or so - total. "I can find you something a bit cheaper, and also help you install," he declares. I thank him for his generous offer, leave them on the counter and walk out.
Never bought wiper blades online, because I buy them when I need them, not wanting to wait a week - or pay more for shipping than they are worth, but looked them up this time. It's sheer confusion - every manufacturer has a couple dozen different names that appear to be coined just for the outlet which sells them, so no way to compare anything to anything else. Rockauto has dozens of dirt-cheap blades, but most of them don't even have the length specified, and who knows if they even fit. Not to mention, no customer reviews. Amazon has reviews, but the prices are not much better than at O'Reillys. Of course, none of the names sold at any of those three outlets match anything sold by the other - go figure what is what!
So here is my question: can anyone recommend a set of wiper blades for my '98 that don't require taking a second mortgage, will wipe reasonably well (just water, not snow or ice ) and last six months? Thanks!

 

[Hacra]

1998 FORD EXPLORER 5.0L V8 Wiper Blade | RockAuto

Cheapest one being 1.1$, last time i changed my wiper blades, i ordered few, no problems, if you choose their most expensive model, that'll be 7$ a piece, i'd call that affordable.

Edit: they had most expensive one at 12$, still. cheap.

Ps. i use the el cheapos without issues.

 

[XLTrunner]

You're correct about the ridiculous number of different blades available. You've also found that buying them from local auto parts stores is stupidly expensive.

Even though I've always lived in a snowy climate, I've never used the "snow blades". Just don't like the bulky looks of them. Instead, this past Fall, I decided to break from the std style blades and go with a beam style. Did some searching and ended up buying a set of Trico Force premium beam blades from Rockauto for around $7/ea. They aren't marketed as winter blades...but, they just looked like they would perform better and last longer than std blades. Just checked the price for the same blades at O'Reilly and they want $26/each. Even with shipping, RA is one third the price. So far, I've been happy with them this winter.

Like shocks, you're going to get as many different recommendations as responses...which will only further confuse you as to which ones to go with. Just keep in mind, you generally get what you pay for when it comes to rubber wiper compounds.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I recently bought a pair of Trico Ice extreme weather blades for my '02 Sport Trac on sale for $10 each at a local farm and home store with a large auto department. Regular price is $13.99 I think. They're $17.99 at Advance Auto. I'm almost certain these are the same as I put on the truck 2 years ago. They've been on every day since, and the passenger's side is just now beginning to chatter when it's just misting. Driver's side doesn't clear well in misty conditions, but in wet conditions both still work well.

 

[koda2000]

I've been using Bosch Icon beam-style wiper blades for years now. I live on the southern U.S. so I don't need ice blades. Local auto parts stores get around $25 each for the Bosch Icon blades, but I can usually find them on eBay for less. I have found these blades to be the best I have ever purchased/used. I find they last me around 5 years before they degrade in performance and this is true on my vehicles that are always garaged and even the ones that live outside 12 months a year. There are other premium blades on the market now (RainX and Michelin for example) which may also work well, but I see no reason for me to try them as they are untested (by me) and they are also expensive. I used to buy medium quality bridge-style blades (Anco, Trico) but I always found their performance to be less then great straight out of the package and that I'd have to replace them 2-3 times a year in order to keep them quiet. No real savings in using lower quality if you have to replace them 3 times a year. If you get 4-5 years out of a $25 blade that comes to less than $6 a year. Hard to beat that. JMHO.

 

[masospaghetti]

RockAuto is a great place to buy blades, get the regular Anco-branded ones for between $2-3 each, I usually buy a few sets at a time (or wait until I have to order something else anyway) to save on shipping.

Personally I haven't noticed that the premium blades last much longer than the regular ones. They have better frames, but it's the rubber element that always wears out, not the frame.

A few years back Costco was selling Goodyear beam blades for about $7 each that were made in the USA. I haven't been there recently to see if that's still an option.

 

[toypaseo]

Spring, summer, fall: 2000(?) F150 OEM 19" wipers with Trico refills
Winter: 18" Anco winter blades

 

[BTR]

Bosch Clear Advantage. In a YouTube video comparison, they had the best performance for the lowest price.

 

[CDW6212R]

I have tried many blades/brands too over the years. Same here, most don't last long enough or start to make noise, or streak, sooner than you'd like.

The first pair I bought of Michelin blades I loved, they were from Walmart and not expensive, $8ish each. Those were silent for many months and I forgot when I actually changed them, but I'd bet it was over a year. Since then(2004), I've bought the same blades and had them make noise soon after new, so I again hunted elsewhere.

The rubber is the magic part, that's what wears out, and its shape determines if it works well, or makes noise sooner than later. The rest is virtually all hype, thus price. Any brand probably has decent choices, but the quality control of the rubber forming process, that's what makes or brakes each individual blade.

 

[BTR]

So here is my question: can anyone recommend a set of wiper blades for my '98 that don't require taking a second mortgage, will wipe reasonably well (just water, not snow or ice ) and last six months? Thanks!

Since you want to wipe only water, and you're looking for blade longevity, then get blades made of silicone, not rubber. This will narrow-down your search quite a bit... and you'll get blades that last longer.

 

[MartyD]

The rear wiper was leaving streaks and the fronts weren't great either, so I stopped at the local O'Reillys. A bit of fighting the little computer with the almost completely discharged battery, and I have my recommended part numbers. Suspecting nothing, I pick them up and walk to the counter. "That will be $97 (and some change) after tax," the friendly associate declares. I look at him with utter disbelief: nothing special about those, no ice-scraping, or any other wonderful features, just three run-of-the-mill blades, two of them 18" long and one 14" that I used to buy for $20 or so - total. "I can find you something a bit cheaper, and also help you install," he declares. I thank him for his generous offer, leave them on the counter and walk out.
Never bought wiper blades online, because I buy them when I need them, not wanting to wait a week - or pay more for shipping than they are worth, but looked them up this time. It's sheer confusion - every manufacturer has a couple dozen different names that appear to be coined just for the outlet which sells them, so no way to compare anything to anything else. Rockauto has dozens of dirt-cheap blades, but most of them don't even have the length specified, and who knows if they even fit. Not to mention, no customer reviews. Amazon has reviews, but the prices are not much better than at O'Reillys. Of course, none of the names sold at any of those three outlets match anything sold by the other - go figure what is what!
So here is my question: can anyone recommend a set of wiper blades for my '98 that don't require taking a second mortgage, will wipe reasonably well (just water, not snow or ice ) and last six months? Thanks!

If only they still made Triple-Edge wipers! I had these on multiple vehicles from the time when you could only buy them on TV to end of production. I only had to replace 1 blade on one vehicle over the life of the vehicles (the time I owned them). Never squeaked or smeared. I figure the reason they went out of business was no built in obsolescence! No one makes anything like them as far as I can tell.

 

[56_F100]

I've been using Bosch Icon beam-style wiper blades for years now. I live on the southern U.S. so I don't need ice blades. Local auto parts stores get around $25 each for the Bosch Icon blades, but I can usually find them on eBay for less. I have found these blades to be the best I have ever purchased/used. I find they last me around 5 years before they degrade in performance and this is true on my vehicles that are always garaged and even the ones that live outside 12 months a year. There are other premium blades on the market now (RainX and Michelin for example) which may also work well, but I see no reason for me to try them as they are untested (by me) and they are also expensive. I used to buy medium quality bridge-style blades (Anco, Trico) but I always found their performance to be less then great straight out of the package and that I'd have to replace them 2-3 times a year in order to keep them quiet. No real savings in using lower quality if you have to replace them 3 times a year. If you get 4-5 years out of a $25 blade that comes to less than $6 a year. Hard to beat that. JMHO.

Like Koda 2000, I've used Bosch for many years since that was the brand on the Explorer when I purchased it new in 1997. Prior to selling the vehicle (160k on the odometer), I had placed an Icon on the driver side and a Clear Advantage on the passenger to test which worked the best and lasted the longest. Windshield was new thanks to a rock hauling truck with no cover. I couldn't tell any marked difference in performance or life from either blade. They were on the truck for 3 years and not streaking when it was sold. Even better performance with Bosch on the rear. I purchased these from Amazon - best price. BTW - I'm in eastern Washington state so lots of de-icer and other crud on the roads.

 

[RickOTR]

I use nothing but Michelin blades on my truck; 19" on front and 15" on rear. They're 6$ at WalMart and have had nothing but positive things to say about them.

 

[1998Exp]

Sincere thanks to all who responded!