PIAA Radix Silicone Rubber Wiper Blade Review

Hi guys! Today I’ll be reviewing a car product and its the PIAA Radix Silicon Rubber Wiper Blade. What makes this wiper blade special is hybrid material made using rubber and silicone. Also, it comes with wiper treatment that makes your windshield beads water and repel them automatically. The SRP (Suggested Retail Price) for 1 wiper blade is 65 MYR (19 USD) and the Wiper Refill costs 35 MYR (10 USD). As a comparison to regular wiper blades, the cost of the premium PIAA price could enable you to buy 2 pairs of wiper blades swapping them every 6 months. Before diving into the review further, let’s take a look at its features and moving on to its packaging and wiper design.

Features

  • Durable: Silicone rubber lasts at least 2x longer than traditional blades. Has superior resistance to heat, ultraviolet ray, ozone and wear compared to natural and graphite rubber.
  • Performance: Silicone compound promotes water beading and quiet operation. No squeaking nor chattering.
  • Refillable: AeroVogue and Super Silicone wipers accept Silicone refills.
  • Better Value: Long-term costs are lower due to outstanding durability and refill capability.
  • All Climates: PIAA wiper blades maintain a sharp, clean edge and offer better wear resistance in all climates.

PIAA Silicone Coating

PIAA Radix Packaging

Packaging-1: Here is a picture showing the overall packaging for the front and rear. The packaging seems much longer compared to the wiper itself. I assume this packaging suits for all sizes that PIAA Radix has to offer which is up to 28 inches in length.

Packaging-2: Taking a closer look at the front, the PIAA Radix Silicone Wiper Blade model I purchased is WRX45EBR (18 inch ~ 450mm). This pair of wipers is purchased to replace my old and worn-off rubber wiper blades. Depending on your car, the wiper blade length may vary.

Packaging-3: Here is a closer look at the rear of the packaging. It describes on how to safely use the wiper, actions to be performed prior to installation, and how to maintain the wiper for long lasting use. This PIAA Radix Wipers are made in Japan and their official site is www.piaa.co.jp and www.pia.com. Check their site for more info for other models!

PIAA Radix Design

Design-1: PIAA offers 3 types of frame types: Conventional, Aero Hybrid and Flat Blade, and each frame uses a special wiper: Super Silicone, Aero Vogue and Si-Tech. The one I have with me uses Conventional Frame + Super Silicone.

Design-2: Here is an image taken from PIAA official website. This image displays the conventional frame with additional information on its structure.

PIAA Radix Before and After Effects

Before Installation: The rain drops smudges on windshield upon contact. When the rain drops merges, it amplifies the smudge effect until it looks like an oil painting as seen on the right side of the photo.

After Installation: The drain drops beads up upon contact on the windshield. The top corner of the windshield which isn’t covered by PIAA wipers are smudgy whereas the other areas which is wiped, the rain drops beads up.

User Experience and Verdict

After using it PIAA Radix Silicone Wipers for 2 months, I discovered a few noticeable things. First, the water droplets that comes into contact on my windshield does not smear. It just instantly beads up which improves visibility drastically especially in heavy downpour. Regarding PIAA’s claims on water beading up and flying off the windshield while driving, it depends on the size of the water bead. Large water bead will automatically fly off from bottom to top approximately 60~80 kmph, medium water beads requires 80~100 kmph and the smaller water beads will require 100~120 kmph based from my observation. If my car is stationary or without the wiper turned on, the water beads just merges into 1 giant bead and slides down easily. So does PIAA Radix really lives up to its expectation? Personally, I will say yes. The water beading magic only works where the wiper has contact/coverage with. I would look for alternative such as as Aquapel Glass (8 USD per piece) Treatment that can be applied to the entire windshield, hence the edges of the windscreen isn’t smudgy with water.

Pros

  • Hybrid Material: With pure silicone material, there is a higher risk for it to scratch the windshield but does not wear out faster than rubber whereas pure rubber will harden after using for a period of time. Having a mix of both materials reduces one of the other disadvantages and gain additional advantages too.
  • Water Beading Effects: This wiper not only just removes the excess water from windshield but also promotes water beading with each wiper swipe! The water beads slide down easily when car is stationary or water beads fly off when driving approximately 60 kmph and above.

Cons

  • Expensive: Quite expensive as each purchase does not come in a pair of wiper. 1 package 1 piece.
  • Quiet: It’s not exactly silent when the PIAA Radix is on wiping mode especially when used with very little water on the windshield. However, with a light drizzle, the squeaking sound will go off.

Others

  • Coverage only contact areas: The water beading effect only works where the wiper swipes. Therefore, the edges of the windshield will have smudgy water effect.

Disclosure: This review was made using my own PIAA Radix Silicone Wiper (18 inches), duly purchased at the retail price.

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