Best Wipers

I got a set of the PIAA Silicon wipers about 3 months ago, I was actually going to start a thread about them. They are significantly better than any others I've used (Bosch with spoiler, Halfords, Lidl/Aldi), they're a whole new level above them.

They glide perfectly smoothly across the windscreen and are very quiet, even when changing direction. And of course they clear every drop of water in their path.

But best of all, as they wipe they leave behind a small layer of silicon. This coating causes any water to bead, making it much much easier to see through and at higher speeds (about 80kph+) the drops simply blow off the screen. I've driven at night on a motorway in very heavy rain and can see almost as well with the wipers off as with them on. Even at slower speed where there isn't enough wind to push the droplets off, because of the way they bead you can still see very well.

So I find myself using the wipers less, and tend to have them at slow intermittent speeds when before I would have needed them on full, and when I do use them they are so much nicer than any previous wipers I've had because they're so smooth and quiet. They're supposed to last longer too, not sure if this is because you use them much less or that they are actually more durable.

The only slight downside is that because of the silicon (I presume) there is a slight streak behind the wiper as it moves. It's faint and disappears instantly and I don't even notice it anymore so it's not really a problem.

They're not cheap, I ordered two sets from the PIAA website and IIRC they came to about €70 but a lot of the cost was shipping so if you're buying a few sets that takes the cost down a bit. They're not a lot more than store bought Bosch really. And like the OP I've always thought of wipers as being very important, and every set I've had before has annoyed the hell out of me, but I love these so for me they're definitely worth the extra.

tc20 wrote: »

@ stevenmu - i have to say i hadn't heard of the PIAA silicon wipers before, but the line about them depositing a layer of silicon on the screen. For the last number of years i've used Rain-X, with similar results to which you mention. €8 or so for a bottle, which will last for a couple of applications, each application lasting about 6 weeks or so. I'm not undermining the outlay on the PIAA wipers, but you can also obviously coat the side & rear windows with Rain-X. It's cool the way the rain just beads and runs off as you mentioned.
as others have said, wipers are not for scrimping on, they're worth the investment

I had ruled out the Rain-x because I heard it can leave bad smearing when you use the wipers, but I've heard since that it doesn't if it's applied properly and works really well. It seems like a good option, and more cost effective than the PIAA wipers, if I already had wipers I was happy with I'd probably go with the Rain-x, but the PIAA wipers are so much better than any others I've used that I'm inclined to stick with them.

Although I might try some Rain-x on the other windows too