The wiper blades on the new car were shot. I picked up a RainX rear blade from Walmart and decided to get the Costco's Michelin blades for the front since I used them on the Prius. That was my first mistake…

The Michelin's passenger-side blade always leaves a big streak on the way up, right after the stop point, and it seems to accumulate over time. You literally have to clean the windshield to get rid of it. I had started noticing the same problem lately with the Prius but dismissed it as the car was older, etc. So much for the new design. Back to the drawing board.

I did a bit of research, asked around, etc. and finally decided on the Bosch Clear Advantage. That was my second mistake.

I could not find them locally, had to order them online. They worked a lot better, no streak. A couple of issues, though. First, the driver-side blade splashes on its way down. Meaning that if you do a single wipe, you're left with splashes on the passenger-side. Second, the adapter mechanism made this awful squeaky noise when flexing. I first thought they were scraping or something, but no. The plastic mechanism is just very noisy when you push on it. I suspect that it might not happen with every car, but it sure does on our Kia Soul.

Since I've had no problems with the RainX rear blade, I picked up a the RainX Expert Fit Beam from Wallmart, for about $10 a pop. That's what I should have done in the first place. No streak, no squeak, no splashes.

No way to know how long they'll last, but the Michelin's never lasted very long. Maybe I'll have to try silicone blades next time…