BLADE RUNNING
Scrubblade's windshield-scrubbing blades

By Zoran J. Segina Testing windshield wipers in Southern California summer months during a five year historical drought presents somewhat of a challenge. And yet, here they are – a pair of 24-inch, all-weather wiper double blades that, according to the manufacturer, wipe and scrub simultaneously – pressed against sixteen-year-old windshield on the test car – a BMW 740 iL. Fortunately, Blanca and Linda, and other tropical storms have provided enough rain for a meaningful test. Each Scrubblade is equipped with tiny triangular scrubbers which cut through dirt, bugs, and road grime. For a driver who regularly washes his car and drives on dry, insect-free roadways, the Godzilla cleaning power of the Scrubblade may not be readily evident. Throughout the test the Scrubblades performed fine, leaving the windshield clean. The blades have modern sleek design and become almost invisible behind the hood. After three months in the searing Southern California sun, however, the right blade lost some of its flexing which left the bottom right portion of the curved windshield unwiped. The left blade commenced bringing some of the water back when in the left uppermost position. But the rest of the windshield has been wiped as promised.

Of the supplemental Scrubblade products, the Wiper Tablets that convert water into windshield washing liquid is a stroke of genius. Handling bulky pre-made mixtures is cumbersome and leaves a lot of empty plastic bottles. The test team did not have the time to test Rain-B-Gone and Fog-B-Gone - two compounds that when spread on the glass surfaces inside (Fog) and out (Rain) keep them cleaner and more resilient to fog, dirt, dust, and smoke, but the full rainy season is still to come. With this array of products, a company like Scrubblade - that takes windshield care to heart - is welcome news for any driver who understands that situational awareness on the road starts with a clear windshield. And with El Nino coming this winter. . . Got something to say? Add your Facebook comment regarding this article here. For more information about Scrubblade products, go to scrubblade.com.