there is rubber & silicone. beam blades with no external frame, contoured. then there is the normal oem bracketed blade. most tests i have read do not really differentiate much between most blades. depending on winter conditions present & performance after 6 months, most blades perform somewhat similar. the newest technology would be a combination of silicone beam blade. the beam blade (rain-x latitude or bosch icon) advantage is that there are not individual pressure points caused by the external frame. that frame's pivot points is where the hardest contact is applied, leaving the tail edge always streaking due to non-contact. so, the beam or curved blade hugs the curvature of the windshield. some cars have less/more curvature, so a beam blade may not be best. for the accord coupe, i can clearly say that the rain-x latitude crushes & embarrasses the oem blade w/ the evident contouring of our windshields. the silicon blades apply the same principle rain-x was founded upon. the silicon blades leavee behind a miniscule film to aid in the blades movement, not only clearing/cleaning better, but also prolonging life. tests have shown a 20% increase in longevity w/ silicone blades. there is a new silicone beam rain-x, i would go for that. i always apply rain-x during every wash. i use it on allllll the glass, even the side mirrors. but, i have had my latitudes for over a year now, they perform the same as day 1. they are also aerodynamic. i have a pair on my porsche that sees 140mph+ alll the time & these blades have no issue. the normal porsche designed blades did have issues at high speeds in the rain. moot point w/ a honda, but still. thats good technology in a cheap package. well, not cheap, but the same price range as any top tier blade. hope that helped.
edit - - the newest rainX beam blade is called the rainX Repel wiper blade series. it has the same backless (newer beam technology with more even pressure along the blade, according to bosch, piaa, & rainX) tech & also applies rainX water beading solution after being activated for 5mins. this is on their main website. this blade would be my choice over the bosch silicone b/c after 6months, all reviews say they **** or perform mcuh worse. all reviews i have read for the latitudes say they last the longest whilst maintaining great performance. i can definitely concur with that. they are silent beauties when i need them. i usually just pull the lever down once or twice. i rarely have to turn them fully on b/c of the rainX applications.
