At one point in the winter I went out to shovel my car out of one of the few storms we had only to find not one but both of my wiper blades had had the rubber torn off of the rest of the assembly, presumably from use. (They were pretty old) Since I was replacing the wipers, I was determined to find the best wipers I could for the car, and given the car spends most of its time in either Rochester, NY and Maine, that meant tough wiper blades able to withstand winter weather. Upon doing research online, I ended up narrowing it down to two different wiper blades. The Bosch ICON series, and the RainX Latitude series. Both seemed to be nearly on par with each other, though supposedly RainX has the edge (heheh... edge...) on functionality, doing a better job at squeegeeing off a windshield, but Bosch supposedly had the edge on longevity, being better able to handle tough conditions. Both are supposed to be great at both of those things in general, and ultimately I sprang for the slightly more durable Bosch blades.
Since the car I currently drive is a 2000 Honda CR-V, I purchased the appropriate sizes, which in my case were
19B
and
20A
. (I'll be honest, I copied and pasted this review for both blades, thus I linked to both.)
Taking one of the old mis-matched blades off my car was a pain as it used a rather unfriendly latching mechanism, however, putting on these Bosch ICON blades was super easy and I'm sure taking them off will be to, once I finally have to. These blades are well designed and easy to install, which is a huge plus!
Once it rained and snowed, or when I got salt and dirt on my windshield and needed to wash it off, I was able to put these wipers to the test, and they did an excellent job taking the water off leaving a totally dry clear windshield! This made me quite happy and it was then I knew I made the right choice! Bugs, however, splattered on the windshield... most wipers struggle with those, these seem to be no exception as far as I can tell, however, I can't say that with 100% certainty as I only ran into bugs after a certain incident.
On my way from New York to Maine, someone seemed not to have liked that I was passing them and a truck in front of them. They sped up, cut me off, and splashed a liquid out the window that I assumed was water. When it landed on my windshield, I turned on the wipers and they did take it off the windshield... but then I noticed black marks where my wipers had started to dissolve. This guy splashed acetone or some other solvent on my car on the highway. My less than a month old super high quality wipers. And they left marks in the clear coat on the hood. Needless to say I was very upset...
The wipers seem to still work just as well, so that is a testament to just how durable these wipers are, however it is the reason that I can't say with 100% certainty that they don't normally have issues with bugs.
Some time a few months later, I was on a trip with my father and we had to purchase new wiper blades for his truck on the fly. I recommended the Bosch ICON series, and we went in to the auto-store to get them, because we really did need them right then, and they were quite expensive. (Rightfully so.) I think he ended up going for a cheaper, but still good, Bosch blade. It wasn't as easy to mount and it didn't seem as nice, and it was about the same as what I paid for these blades online, so I DEFINITELY recommend you purchase these from Amazon as they're actually a really good deal here.
Another note is that my family does tend to go for higher quality blades, even though are vehicles are far from high quality, (because seeing is important) and they can last probably a couple years if they're really good. I had always taken this for granted until I was talking to my roommate who says he replaces his wipers about twice a year. This is yet another reason I recommend high quality blades. You really do get your money's worth in the long run.
Over all, I am extremely satisfied with these wiper blades and I would most certainly recommend them to anyone who wants super durable blades!
| Manufacturer | Bosch |
|---|---|
| Brand | Bosch Automotive |
| Model | 17A |
| Item Weight | 3.84 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 21.1 x 2.7 x 1 inches |
| Item model number | 17A |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Exterior | Black Plastic |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 17A |
| OEM Part Number | 17A |
