Yes, but the original cost is high compared to all the rest. BUT, the refills are on par with my local Wal*Mart prices.

The HeatFlexx are up there in price too, but I do like the internet video showing how to install them and use them. (just click on the product link up top their site)

Another item to watch out for is the price. Is it price per blade or price per pair?

With winter winding down, will the prices drop when demand is not high from these manufactures?

Everyone here has provided some great links! Good work indeed.

Peace!

Stev

 

has nobody tried the frameless design
http://www.michelinwiperblade.com/technology.php
i bought the knock-off brand from wal-mart for my caravan and mazda and just love them
i'll have no problem spending $30 again
with the old ones u get smearing and you have to soak the windshield with fluid to get them clean as well the snow/ice buildup
these new one's i only have to give a like squirt of fluid and its clean and no streaks/chatter/missed spots on the windshield

 

My temporary solution was to do what I did last year, I blocked the defrost vents so that the air they put out gets deflected away from the windshield. The down side is that by keeping the van colder I am also colder, with the execption of my feet which are dry. The other is it takes much longer for the condensation that forms on the inside of the windshield to evaporate as well.

For those blades it looks like I'll also need to get some adapter to clip the spray nozzels onto for washer fluid.

 

Hey guys, if you think $ 100.00 is a lot to pay for heated wipers that work, every time, all the time and cost $ 20,000,000 in R&D ya'llshould park your cars. Ifyou had to drive over 60,000 miles a year in all kinds of weather, you wouldn't be thinking that way. These wipers were not designed fordrivers whodrive towork, park the car for 8 hrs and then drive home or for soccer moms. These are a serious peice of equipment made for commercial travellers, highway rigs, school buses, and emergency vehicles.

 

You'd have a good argument if wiperblades lasted more than 30-60 before streaking. Your $100 wipers actually work out to $600-$1,200 a year. That's a good chunk of change regardless of what anyone does for a living. As far as the R&D costs, well the more common way for that to get recouped is with volume sales, not by gouging a smaller targeted group. Lower pricesgenerate more sales, more sales reduce production costs while maintaining profitability.

 

Personally, I highly doubt that it took $20 million to develop heat element wiper blades. At most, the R&D cost would not be more than $4 million.Most of the research has been down over the decades and those patents have generally expired.

The windshield wiper was invented here in Buffalo, NY by the Trico company.
In 1917 the John R. Oisheiinvented the very first rubber blade called the "Rain Rubber." Oishei is founder of Trico Products Corporation, one of the world's leading manufacturers of windshield wiper systems.

Trico is a big name in our Buffalo, NYarea. And everyone knows how a Buffalo winter can be. Heated wipers have been around since the 1950's at least.Trico doesn’t produce a heated wiper blade product since the OEM demand isn't high enough to warrant and the liability legal issues. It's always beenthe talk of the town why heated blades in our region are not popular enough.

The Safety Hotblades look the most promising application with the wire crimp connectors and inline fuse& socket.

As for soccer moms, they would really get those blades warm often enough. Our weather here changes every 5 mins depending on how much lake effect snow blows our way at any given moment.

 

I've been using Everblades for a little over 2 years, driving about 40,000 miles per. Same blades, winter and summer. Well worth the price.Switched to Heatflexx this winter because of the improved heating system and the "flexx appeal". It's quite simple realy, some of us can afford the best and others, well... you know.