One of the first problems I had with my 2016 Honda Fit was that I immediately discovered the front window wiper OEM blades dragged, stuttered and chattered horribly.
So bad that at the time I was considering pressing it as a warranty issue.
I think the dealership replaced the inserts....but to no avail.
I eventually bought some Bosch wiper blades, full one piece assemblies, and they did OK. Occasionally a slight stutter or drag, but overall functional and usable.
The quality of the Bosch was so good, that it took 3 years before I felt I could even consider replacing them. Very high quality rubber.

Well this was the Fall, that I felt I should replace the blades.
So I experimented with buying some cheaper wiper blades, of the older design. NOT one piece, the old fashion metal type that actually holds the blade insert in multiple attachment places. What everyone had, before one piece blades came along.

So far? They've been absolutely great. No drag, no stuttering, no chatter.

My opinion, is that the one piece blade...driver side is so long and being one piece it flexes too much as the wiper swipes. IMO the metal older type of blade assemblies? Don't flex as much. The metal is more rigid,

Anyway this is still an experiment. But so far? I'm for the "older" style of wiper blade assemblies.

These Blade assemblies were not as expensive as the Bosch, I don't expect the same life from the rubber blade itself. The Bosch wore very well. Those are really good quality blades.

But for my Honda Fit? If the older style assemblies negate any dragging or stuttering? I think I'd rather replace every year or so....and have NOT have it drag or stutter.

Maybe the metal assemblies don't look as "cool" as the one piece, but so far in my application, they work better.

If it's just a short lived illusion....a few months of winter will be the real test, I'll update with my results. But immediately, these are the best "functioning" blades I have had since I purchased the Fit brand new.

 

I would suggest for your next set of replacement blades the PIAA super silicone wiper blade. Silicone blades leave a slight residue on the windshield that makes the water bead up allowing the wipers to clear it more easily. And as such, the material glides over the glass much better, eliminating most noise. May cost more but they are longer lasting too.

 

I got rid of the OEM's immediately after I bought the car in 2016 and installed Bosch's. After a wash I will treat the blades with Armor All. There's no sign of these blades breaking down yet and necessitating replacement.

When I wash the front windshield, I apply NuFinish soft paste. It helps shed water as well as RainX and makes the surface smooth.

Silicone blades will be my next choice.

 

I don't know why you'd have problems with the wipers. My 2018 is running the OEM wipers and they have always worked perfectly, gliding over the glass smoothly, even after 2 years. Admittedly I don't get a lot of rain here to wear them out and the windshield glass is different starting in 2018 but I'm still kind of surprised that you would have seen a problem, especially from the very beginning. I do use Rain-X which I believe does put a bit of a coating on the glass.

 

I’ve run OEM wiper blades on my ‘15 Fit since it was new without an issue. I really think they work great.

 

I got tired of the OEM blades after replacing the inserts twice for the same reason.- chattering. So I installed some Michelin one's and they've been great. I replaced the rear wiper with Rain-X.

 

I have to say, I didn't have a problem with the Bosch, only very occasionally would they drag a little. I do use Rain-X treatment and the Bosch would only drag if I had gone too long inbetween treatments. And I was very impressed with the quality of the blades. I went 3 years with them, and probably could of gone one more winter. The only reason I didn't buy another set of Bosh was cost. They aren't cheap. I wanted to try this experiment.

As mentioned above, I use Rain-X treatment and I think it helps any blade I'm using.
If the Blades I've bought start to be a problem? Then I'll have to go back to Bosch or perhaps try something like the PIAA super silicone wiper blades.

For those of you saying you've never had any problem with the OEM blades?
Well good for you.
But I had problems with mine, really from day one. I bought my Fit in May...and I think I noticed the Blades were dragging horribly the very first time I tried to use the wipers.
I still have the original OEM blades, threw them in the closet, because at the time if the Bosch hadn't worked? I was going to try to force the issue with Honda as a warranty issue, because basically with the OEM wiper blades, I couldn't really use them.

I don't know if Honda changed the supplier in subsequent years, or simply had different suppliers at different times.
All I can attest to, is the OEM wiper blades on my 2016 Honda Fit were basically unusable.
I swear, if I installed them back today, they'ed be just as bad.

It's speculation and my own observational guess, but watching the OEM blades on my 2016, I felt the single piece blade of the drivers side being so large, just would flex too much as it pressed against the glass and tried to wipe. Which would cause drag and chatter. With the OEM this was happening even with Rain-X. Let the Rain-X wear off to any extent and the problem just got worse and worse.

The Bosch blade assembly was just a little less flexible, and seemed rigid enough to not flex and cause drag. Or at least empirically that's what I believed I saw the difference being between the OEM and the Bosch. It's not a scientific test, it was just what I think was the reason for the problem.

These new blades I just bought are "Old School" metal brackets. So far, they're working great.
So my conclusion at this point is you either want a top quality replacement such as Bosch, or you want to go Old School with the metal holding bracket type of blade assemblies.

 

I'm also not a fan of the OEM blades either. I'm still in a quest to find a set that work on my car well. I don't really have an issue of chattering, but they leave steaks. I've tried new oem inserts as well as new OEM blades, and all now going through aftermarket options. I'll try some of the ones suggested in the thread.

My other vehicles I've only ever used oem ones. My Odyssey for example, the OEM inserts with great. My old 4runner, the inserts wild last several years at a time.

 

^ Try the Bosch Icon I think they are called. Super curved but hug the windshield very nicely.

Some very different opinions on wiper blades lol.

I loved the OEM ones. Even bought OEM replacement inserts from Amazon because they were so great. Averaged 1.5-2 years for a set.

 

I really wonder if Honda didn't make a change.
Because my OEM's were just not usable.

What is frustrating is that we're talking wiper blades here. It's not really rocket science.
Varying degrees of the quality of the assembly and maybe more importantly the blade itself, but all we really need is something to automatically squeegee our windows in inclimate weather.

I don't think I ever upgraded my wiper blade assemblies with any other vehicle I owned because the OEM was always adequate...even good.

I'd love to like my OEM blades. It's a lot cheaper to just stop by the dealership and buy inserts as opposed to having to buy entire new High Quality blades.
And that is why it was one of the first, most disappointing discoveries about my Fit.

Yeah, Bosch Icons worked for me.They are great. But I bought a brand new vehicle-at the time, I kind of feel I shouldn't necessarily HAVE to invest into a wiper blade upgrade. It should come from the factory with blades that work.

PS.
What's funny to me, is that where I live it has been raining considerably. I install new blades that I'd like to test? And it's stopped raining and it's like spring has returned.

 

old school metal ones netted the same success for me. no more drag. and they're cheaper too

 

My first set of wipers that came with the car lasted me about 3 years. I had OEM installed again but this time they've only lasted one year. Hmm...

By the way, what length are the wipers suppose to be?

 

Judging from the rather binary responses...either people have problems with the OEM or they don't, I suspect that perhaps Honda at some point made a change to the assemblies themselves. Or that they have/had multiple suppliers with differences in the rigidness of the blade.
What year is your Fit?
Mine is 2016...and it does seem in subsequent years the problem becomes non-existent or at least much rarer.

 

Wiper blade showdown from Project Farm

 

Good post, GolNat. Of course every vehicle is different for wiper performance. Though I have heard about how good Bosch is especially for the price.

Over the years for all of my cars, I've grown to like the beam type blades, and if they have an aerodynamic aid, even better.

For my GK, I've grown to hate how awful the refills are, esp. the rear wiper.

I'm happy with my cheap Michelin Stealth blades in the front and the RainX multi fit in the rear. I've also got a Trico rear blade I will eventually replace it with.

 

Interesting video.
Really makes me take pause about my steel framed wiper blades because it does seem their construction does allow water to pass over and through themselves
That being said?
I think they could of done a better job simulating rain fall. That single nozzle, pretty much spraying directly in one spot isn't really how rain hit's your windshield. I would of liked to see a more dispersed flow of water.

Also, at least the Bosch blades I originally bought? Were very expensive. They might of been a upscaled offering from Bosch? But at my auto parts store, the Bosch blades were among the higher premium blades in price.

 

Did anyone notice in this comparison test, the Aero blade is aimed at the vegetarian market? The package label which Project Farm reads (but missed) actually says the wiper is "steak free". I think they meant "streak free" LOL