A TikToker named Jeff (@itsstilljeff) was astounded to see windshield wiper blade prices. He attributed the $20-a-blade piece to inflation, and stated in a viral clip he’s only going to buy one. Numerous commenters who responded to his video, which accrued 60,000 views, debated wiper blade pricing.
Furthermore, the Daily Dot spotted older Reddit posts that seem to suggest the cost of windshield wiper blades hasn’t gone up that much in recent years. Moreover, other offerings from online retailers feature more affordable prices than the one Jeff mentions in his clip.
Jeff begins his video walking through the aisle of a store that shows a wide variety of different windshield wiper blades.
“Hey, this inflation’s gone too far. $20 a wiper blade? You mean $40 for a pair? We’ll just buy one for the driver’s side,” he says as he walks away from the automotive aisle.
Are pricier windshield wiper blades worth it?
One Redditor posted to the r/frugal sub asking this question. Interestingly, the recent spike in inflation hasn’t seemed to affect wiper blade prices. That’s because this particular post was uploaded in 2014. The Reddit user queried, “I just spent ~$20 for a single 28″ wiper for my vehicle. There were options from $8 all the way to almost $30. I landed somewhere in the middle, but still feeling like I spent too much. I see that there are different wiper technologies – the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ versions? Is it worth the cost?”
One responder penned that they believed the windshield wiper blades were indeed worth the cash. “In my experience, yes. The cheapest ones work well for about the first three rains, then never again. Source: 15 years and counting in Seattle,” they wrote.
Someone else echoed their sentiment, writing, “Ditto. My cheap ones are pure crap. I wish I spent the extra money.”
Similarly, folks who responded to a Quora user who pondered this same question provided nearly identical responses. According to them, better wiper blades kept water from beading on their windshields. Additionally, they did a better job of wiping water off and keeping it off with each stroke.
More wiper blade love
According to the automotive seller Lithia Motors, not skimping on windshield wipers is a wise choice. The company writes, “They will end up costing you less money in the long run and will function better when you need them.”
The business also adds that “beam blades are better” overall when compared to conventional offerings. So if you’re able to spring for premium offerings, which Lithia names as Bosch and Rain-X, this could improve visibility. Despite being better made, however, Lithia does recommend replacing windshield wiper blades once a year.
Additionally, selecting the right type of blade and size for your vehicle is paramount. The brand recommends consulting your vehicle’s owner’s manual to find the right fit. Also, just because your car comes with conventional blades doesn’t mean you can’t upgrade. Lithia writes, “Wipers come in many different lengths to properly fit windshields. Even if your car originally came with frame-style wipers, you can often replace them with better beam-style blades.”
TikTokers had varying opinions
One person penned that windshield wiper blades cost significantly less at Walmart. “8 bucks a wiper at Wally world,” they penned.
Someone else echoed this sentiment, stating that the TikToker could’ve shopped elsewhere. “I mean Amazon is a lot cheaper, you don’t have to go to AutoZone,” they said.
“$7.99 @ costco,” someone else said.
Others, however, wrote that they too were feeling the fiscal burn when replacing their windshield wipers.
“It was 45 a peice when I replaced mine last month,” one said. Another replied that getting ready for winter driving is now considerably more expensive than it was: “Bro spent 200 to get ready for winter that’s an oil change and windshield wipers.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jeff via TikTok comment for further information.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
