what kind of wiper geometry do you prefer the most?

[jut703]

Only thing I don't like with the short-long combos is the high height of the middle triangle in relation to it's base width. Minor thing, but I was used to near isosceles triangles of the 90's.

I've always been a fan of banana wipers (colloquial term for the flexible ones) since they came out. Got our Corolla a nice Bosch pair when it was new. Then, China came along and now they're as cheap as conventional metal blades. The uniqueness is gone, but it does help a car look less old when it has that kind of wiper blade.

In comparison with conventional blades, Bosch metal blades still wipe better than China banana blades. However, comparing same quality levels, I've noticed less jitters (especially on the longer blade, the driver's side one) with the banana blades. In theory, it should be smoother, because unlike metal blades, which have around a total of 12 joints to apply pressure throughout the length of the blade, banana blades would be like having infinite joints because the whole blade in itself is designed to bend inwards, thus creating a downward pushing force on the windshield.

All is well then for the frameless banana wipers...not. The question now is, why do car manufacturers still use framed wipers? Though it's important to note that these framed wipers look different from before (compare 01-08 Altis wipers to 08-current Altis wipers and there's a difference in design), it's still weird that they haven't really gone for the frameless type.

[niky]

Probably cost-savings. Good bananas cost quite a bit... staying with regular wipers allows them to use cheaper wipers without compromising quality or safety. Cheap bananas flap in the wind.