Texas_Ace

Sure, thought I posted an update awhile back.

Well last year (2011) was the hottest summer in Texas record. If you are not from here, that means it was REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY stinking HOT! The nighttime temps didn't get down much below 90 degrees for much of the summer. It was also real dry all year.

Another thing to note is that due to my methanol injection setup I was using 100% methanol to clean my windshield for the last few years. Methanol is known for drying out rubber so I am gonna guess that it might have played a role in these blades as well.

That winter when it started raining I noticed the blades still worked but didn't seem to clean quite as good as before. Then I tried using them over ice as I had done many times before and noticed that 1 of them started having minor streaks every now and then.

Fast forward a few months and earlier this year (2012) 1 blade had a semi-consistent streak and the other was just not cleaning as good as it used to (but still good enough to drive, about like normal blades will look like after a few months).

So I decided to see how good the claimed 5 year warranty actually was. I called them up and told them the issue to see what they would say. I first found out that silblades is now under new management, same name but new company.

They still honored the warranty though after I emailed them a copy of the receipt (which I kept for just such an occasion). So a week later I had a brand new set of blades! Very impressed with the customer service.

After getting the new blades I did notice that they had changed them slightly from the old ones I had. The silicone for the blade itself was a little different color and had a little different feel.

I swapped them out and I was back to clean windshield. I did notice that I think the old style blades were a little better new. I think they changed manufacturing to cut costs since you can now get them for $12 on amazon.

Still works great and for the price they are now they are a no brainier. The older blades were a little nicer though IMO but not enough to make them worth 2x the price from what I have seen so far. Maybe an extra few bucks worth of better. Both leave the windshield dry after a pass over it.

I have had the new blades for 9 months I guess now and they still work great, they actually seemed to have "broken in" and work a little better now. Except for the rear wiper, the old one worked a lot better for some reason but I think that has to do with the frame and not the blade.

So overall I am still completely and totally satisfied with the blades and can report that they do indeed stand behind the warranty as long as you have the receipt.

For the ~$12 they are going for now days online, I don't know why you would run anything else. I ordered a set of them for my dads car last Christmas and they work GREAT, much better then any of the other blades he has tried.

So Sillblades gets an A+ rating from me still 5 years later. We will see how these new blades hold up for the next 5 years along with my dads.

hrt4me

thanks for the update, I'm going to have to order some now!