SilBlade isn’t as well-known as other wiper blades manufacturers. The reason is simple: their operation is on a much smaller scale. It’s a dedicated brand, and all they produce is wiper blades, unlike many bigger brands that manage to manufacture all sorts of car parts with varying degrees of responsibility.
Regardless, this brand makes great wiper blades, even if sometimes they seem cheaper than their competition. The culmination of their manufacturing might is their line of Premium Silicone blades. They invested a lot of solutions into them – so much so, understanding what they really wanted to do might be confusing.
But here’s a digested overview.
SilBlade brand
SilBlade has been active since 1993. It’s a young brand, in comparison to some big players in the industry. However, they grew to be amidst the top wiper blades manufacturers, and that’s something you should keep in mind. For a new and specific brand, they are pretty successful.
As clear from the name, they use silicone compounds extensively. Silicone is known for its durability and smooth work. It’s especially beneficial to use in wiper blades manufacturing. It fits very nice, and SilBlade heavily banked on it – much to their gain.
Yes, silicone turned one of the best materials for wiper blades, and this alone can prompt you to consider silicone-based blades for the purchase, understandably. Well, SilBlade exists so that people know where to look.
As for company’s service and proficiency, it’s not as clean, but it’s good enough. You’ll see.
Features
Many of SilBlade products are conventional blades. They are cheaper and rather less effective than other types. With that said, Premium Silicone line is, clearly, a premium option – they are the best this brand has to offer. And, therefore, they are costlier. But the cost is a topic for later.
Conventional blades are generally considered inferior to flat and hybrid blades. These are tensioned through a carcass mechanism. Basically, the pushing force meant to ensure the blade hugs the windscreen tightly is ensured by just a small number of pressing parts. There are six conventional pressure points on Silicone Premium.
The other types usually spread their pressure along the entire length of the beam, and that’s much better. Much to people’s surprise, Silblade used this technology on a smaller scale. The flexor on the side opposite to the contact area is supposed to distribute the pressure across the entire rubber blade.
It’s basically a small tensioned piece of metal, and it’s mildly effective. In conjunction with the carcass, they make up a good tandem that ensures the blade is firmly attached to the windscreen without being too cumbersome to move.
Furthermore, the carcass also has some qualities from the hybrid type of blades. That is, they made an effort to make it as aerodynamic as possible, under the circumstances. It’s not particularly good against the wind, but you likely won’t complain about the blades flapping at high speeds.
The main shtick of the carcass is not that it’s aerodynamic, however. The frame, reportedly, is made from high-class steel covered in durable paint to protect against nasty elements, such as ozone, heat, cold and so forth. Some parts are plastic, which is probably inevitable.
It’s clear what they aim at if you condense what the materials are meant for – durable and efficient wiper blades at smaller-than-usual cost. The blade design also answers this aim, although it might not be so clear at first.
The main rubber body is made of silicone, covered then in graphite and Teflon and modeled into an optimal form to efficiently cover the windshield surface. This compound has very beneficial properties.
Silicone is a sturdy material that can work with temperatures up to 200 °C completely unfazed. More than that, its natural greasiness and simultaneous hydrophobia ensure that it works smoothly and quietly. What’s more, it’s actively lubricating the windscreen with its hydrophobic formula. As a result, the water groups together and falls off even when the wipers are off.
Graphite (or carbon black, sometimes) is just a strengthening solution. However, Teflon enhances the silicone’s properties with its own, which are quite similar – it’s heat resistant, hydrophobic and smooth.
Is it worth buying it?
Although this compound sounds fantastic, SilBlade often screw it up or the carcass sometimes. The excessive squeaking that shouldn’t happen with pure silicone and Teflon happens often enough, so it’s not accidental defects. What’s more, the carcass is known to fall apart because they did something to the involved materials.
As a result, the durable and weather-resistant beam materials become either uncomfortable to use or useless because the carcass fell apart. Instead of the warranted 5 years SilBlade promised, you often only get 2. It doesn’t happen all the time, but often enough to worry.
However, the good thing about these blades is that they don’t cost much. The usual price is 20 USD, which is average for the quality blades. These, however, are supposed to be top-quality (and they are, when they work fine – around 90% of them). If you’re sure that your specific blades work, then they are absolutely worth it.