While there are many brands out there most including the less expensive ones will do a good job. Environment has a lot to do with performance. You can try taking a small amount of alcohol and wipe the blades edge. Many times it’s just a matter of cleaning them. Many of today’s blades are quite long and do lose their tension against the windshield over time.

Our Florida heat is really tough on blades and replacing them as a maintenance item every 12-18 months is better than finding out in a blinding rain storm that they no longer are working.

Many of the new blades can be complicated to install. If you go to a real Auto Parts store instead of a box or online store, most of the time they are happy to install them for you at no charge.

I stick with the name brands line RainX or Michelin blades, buy a quality pair and never had an issue!

I agree with this poster. I too used them and they do not hold up as well as Bosch Icons, a blade that I’ve experienced as the best I’ve seen and used.

Probably all made in China anyway.

Bosch Icons
 

I put these on my car and love them. Yes they were pricy but I needed them asap and couldn't wait for a sale. I think I paid a total of around $75 for them but as Tony the Tiger says, "THEY'REEEEEEE GRREEAAATTT!

Try the dealer for replacement wipers?

I get my blades from COSTCO. They have them on sale at least twice a year, $7 each. They are made by Michelin. They seem to hold up as well as OEM. At that price I keep a spare set and change them at least once a year whether they need it or not. Over the years, they have changed the universal mount system a couple times. Not a big problem. If you can't follow the written instructions, they have car specific You Tube videos that walk you through it.

Recently got a new car and a 500 plus page owners manual. Somewhere in the book I read some cautions about using certain products while cleaning windows, and painting surfaces with self curing coatings. I believe they were referring to products with abrasives.

I'm going with caution and just using water at this time.

You can also just replace the rubber element in your wiper blades and save a lot of money, although some may find this challenging. Order "boneless" wiper blades from Amazon. "Boneless" refers to the fact that you re-use the existing metal supports in your blade frame. You can replace the rubber about 4 times for 5 bucks or less. But yes, it can be tricky.

Cleaning your wiper blades is always a good idea, but it’s not a good idea to use a petroleum based product. Rubbing alcohol or windex would be a much better option.

This issue may depend on individual wipers used but I have found a problem with RainX with some wipers. It makes the windshield so slippery that some wipers will not flip over on the return stroke and the windshield is not cleaned well.

I have used RainX since the '70s. I put on 2 coats every couple of months depending on use. The faster you go the better it is. My windshield wipers last for years.

But, there always a but? How much have spend on rainX. Not really fan going faster in down pour, but that’s me. :sigh:

I buy a new bottle every 4 to 5 years. I keep 5 cars treated. A bottle goes a long way.

Not a fan of going fast in a down pour, or even rain.

I bought my wiper blades from Amazon for $24 (set of 3). The dealer price for the exact same blades was $60.