Cheap wiper blade inserts - a warning

[shaothegreat]

I just wanted to alert other members of my recent bad purchase so they wouldn't do the same. I recently ordered a few sets of "Unifide" (misspelled intentionally?) 17" wiper blade refills off of Ebay because they were super cheap - BIG MISTAKE. The stiffeners seem to be made out of some kind of soft, completely unusable metal instead of the spring steel to which I'm accustomed to finding. Looks like I'm out $10!!!

[Eyes_Only]

When I used to work at an auto repair shop I just picked out all the windshield wipers from the trash that everyone else tossed out. Now if I need more I'll go to the junk yard or pay a visit to some of the mechanic shops in my area I'm friends with. You could also probably go through the trash cans outside of AutoZone and hit "pay dirt" but you'll most likely be asked firmly to leave by the store manager.

[WolfSpring]

Truck stops I'm told have dozens of wiper blades on the ground, in the dumpster. I'm lucky, I goto our TMP(Tsomething Motor Pool) here is Kuwait once a week and get 5 or 6 old wipers and strip them, the guy has started to get to know me so he puts some aside for me on saturdays.

[Eyes_Only]

Are the inserts from truck wipers any widerbigger than those used in regular passenger vehicles?

[tjweaver84]

Not on any of the truck wipers I have seen. Although I am sure that some of them are probably different. Most use the same wiper blades as passenger cars just different lengths.

[tberro]

I am not sure where I found it, it may have even been this forum but I found another alternative to the wiper blade inserts. If you can find a heavy duty packing staple (Like the ones used on furniture shipping boxes) they work great for homemade tension wrenches no cutting needed

[rockape1]

I have just stripped down a flat wiper blade from a volvo, and the inserts look great to make tools from as they are wider than the normal metal strip will let you now how I get on with them when I get time to make some up.

[lockmanstan]

I have just stripped down a flat wiper blade from a volvo, and the inserts look great to make tools from as they are wider than the normal metal strip will let you now how I get on with them when I get time to make some up.

You hacked the wiper blade off your volvo? haha, Just kidding. Looking forward to reading about the results!

[ElAbogado]

I just wanted to alert other members of my recent bad purchase so they wouldn't do the same. I recently ordered a few sets of "Unifide" (misspelled intentionally?) 17" wiper blade refills off of Ebay because they were super cheap - BIG MISTAKE. The stiffeners seem to be made out of some kind of soft, completely unusable metal instead of the spring steel to which I'm accustomed to finding. Looks like I'm out $10!!!

Stopped by my local Kragen's Auto Parts store a few days ago, during a rainstorm, and found 15 sets in the trash can by the front door free for the taking. Don't pay money for something that people throw away.

El Abogado

[loki-aka]

Generally truck (multi-axle tractor, technically in many states) have steel backed wiper blades, while
passanger cars are quickly being switched to plastic. I believe SOME trucks may have wider and thicker
steel backings compared to car wipers (those that still exist).

[greenman]

thats a pain in the donkey, i prefer to use hacksaw blades if youve got a grinder. Havent tried wiper blade inserts yet but some of them seem to work quite well.

[Stonebreaker]

I am not sure where I found it, it may have even been this forum but I found another alternative to the wiper blade inserts. If you can find a heavy duty packing staple (Like the ones used on furniture shipping boxes) they work great for homemade tension wrenches no cutting needed

Thanks, that's a great idea, I just made a couple of these that should work well with smaller locks. The staples measure just under 3/32" wide and my regular tension wrench is 1/8", can someone please tell me the width of a wiper insert and a street sweeper bristle?

[topsnooper]

I'm going through different wiper blades currently but have a very limited selection to choose from. Here's the two that I've got so far:
ADCO: 5/32"
MotorCraft: 3/32"

The most common width of commercial tension wrenches that I've got is 1/8", so I'm still looking for that size as the 3/32 is fine for smaller locks and the 5/32 is a bit too wide for most.

[vov35]

So far I've been using a roll of spring steel that I came by when the cable management mechanism on my cheapo brookstone headphones broke. They have a little automatic spool inside which is a thin spiral spring. Since the f***er jammed I broke it open and got a length of spring steel.

[Masterofthebuttons]

My local salvage yard charges $1 to get in and very minimal fee for scrap like these. I walked around for just a few minutes and came out with 50 stainless steel inserts from various vehicles. Total cost $5.00, guess it just depends on your area though for this method.