After Over A Hundred Years, We Eventually Have Wiper Blade Developments That Can Actually Be Recognised.

At first glance, Car Wiper Blades seem just the same nowadays as they looked when Mary Anderson first invented them in 1903. Since then, there’ve been quite a number of advances along the way, e.g. Vacuum and later Electric Power overtaking hand cranks, new materials in the form of Silicone Wiper Blades, Rain Sensitive Controls etc.

However, until recently, a quick glance at Car Wiper Blades could easily leave you with the notion that nothing much has changed. This all changed not long ago with the arrival of Flat Wiper Blades

Lack of space between the trailing edge of the bonnet and the windscreen, cost constraints, product reliability, aero-dynamic drag, looks, pedestrian impact legislation, have all pushed vehicle designers & their counterparts in the component industry to come up with something radically new. Finally here is an innovation that we can recognise; Flat Wiper Blades or Beam Wiper Blades as they’re often referred to within the manufacturing companies.

Serious campaigns by vehicle manufacturers, are in hand to dramatically reduce vehicle fuel consumption. This means windscreens are becoming more inclined, and this requires longer Wiper Blades, which in turn require more powerful motors & transmission systems, all with a reduced weight & occupying less room than previously.

Flat Wiper Blades have a lower profile than normal Car Wiper Blades, making them more visually striking as well as ensuring they are aerodynamically much more efficient, both in terms of cutting drag and improved contact with the windscreen, especially at elevated speeds. Flat Wiper Blades don’t have joints that could seize or clog with ice and snow in cold conditions. This ensures a much safer and clearer wipe on those cold dark and dangerous freezing mornings. If you combine the technology of flat Wiper Blades with Silicone Wiper Blades, you have an exceptional winter wiper blade, thanks to the jointless design & silicone’s low temperature flexibility and resistance to the solvents used to stop screen wash freezing.

Most European manufacturers are specifying Flat Wiper Blades on all new models, and have been doing this for several years now. At first vehicle owners were faced with some crazy prices for renewing Flat Wiper Blades because there was no competition to pull the prices down to acceptable levels. However in the last two years, we’ve seen many competitors coming into the market place with Flat Wiper Blades both as replacements for the Original Equipment, and also as retrofits which permit owners of vehicles with traditional Wiper Blades to modernise the appearance, Performance and safety of their car.

Maybe the next big innovation will be the first vehicle to be fitted with Silicone Wiper Blades as original equipment. The average working life of a rubber wiper blade is six months, although the average European vehicle owner will make his Wiper Blades last at least 3 times that. Silicone Wiper Blades usually last three to five times longer than rubber Wiper Blades, and can be found at similar or slightly lower prices than branded rubber Wiper Blades.