Both of these are beam wiper blades that provide better coverage over modern curved windshields. Their exclusively treated rubber polymers reduce smears and streaks over the screen, helping you drive safely in rain. Plus, the pre-installed connectors make these accessories user-friendly as they allow DIY installation in a few simple steps.
To make things easier, lets take a quick look at both wipers:
- Both of these wiper blades specify beam designs.
- Both have pre-installed connectors and can be conveniently mounted.
- Both have an aerodynamic, asymmetrical spoiler for consistent blade-screen contact.
Silicone AdvantEdge
- Has synthetic silicone wiping edge with better water repellency.
- Produces less chattering due to reduced wiping friction.
- Shows better resilience against weather, ozone, and extreme temperatures.
- Is more durable and carries a longer warranty.
Icon
- Is molded from natural rubber and offers comparatively less efficient wiping ability.
- Contains two precision tension springs and presents better arc adjustment to match screen curvature.
- Has a weather-shielded arm connector, ensuring safety from rust and dust.
Silicone AdvantEdge shows a curved beam design with a silicone squeegee. Its proprietary rubber formulation is credited for its premium water repelling capability.
On top of it, the spring tension system maintains a consistent pressure along the whole length of the blade and you get enhanced screen coverage.
On the other side, Icon specifies the DynamicFit beam design from Bosch. Its structure takes advantage of an asymmetric spoiler and dual precision tension springs, offering smooth wipes and clear windshield screens.
FX rubber offers optimized wiping ability and reduces smearing.
Compared to Bosch Icon, Silicone AdvantEdge shows better rubber composition, enhanced water repellency, superior weather endurance, and carries a longer warranty while Bosch Icon features an improved arm connector and a more efficient spring tension system for curvature adjustment.
Table of Contents
Side By Side Comparison
| Silicone AdvantEdge | Icon | |
| Available blade sizes (inches) | 14 to 28 | Hook Arm (13 to 28) OE Arm (13 to 28) |
| Blade type | Beam | Beam |
| Blade Material | Rubber concealed steel bar | Rubber concealed steel bar |
| Warranty | 90 days | 30 days |
Material and design Comparison:
Icon spoiler is constructed through Bosch beam technology and natural rubber composition is enhanced through graphite additives.
Its internal structure specifies dual precision springs for well-managed curvature adjustments.
Plus, it has a weather-shielded adaptor which allows secure connection and smoother functioning over a long time.
Silicone AdvantEdge also specifies a beam design characterizing a synthetic rubber composition, an aerodynamic, flexible spoiler, spring beam construction, and precision-engineered squeegee.
The improved rubber profile gives it an edge over the competitor.
However, its precision tension system is less efficient in comparison.
| Silicone AdvantEdge | Icon | |
| Composition | High-strength steel Synthetic Silicone rubber Graphite coatings | High-strength steel FX dual rubber (Graphite blended coatings on Natural Rubber) |
| Frame | Aerodynamic spoiler | Aerodynamic frame |
| Additives | Graphite coating | Graphite coatings |
Which has a better Rubber composition?
Icon squeegee is made from natural rubber polymer which makes it score lesser for the rubber composition. However, rubber treatment with Bosch ClearMax 365 technology improves its wiping ability.
This technique results in FX dual rubber formation because the softer rubber core is enveloped in a hard, graphite-blended rubber through powder coating.
In contrast, AdvantEdge is molded from synthetic Silicone rubber and shows improved water-repelling and glass cleaning abilities.
This latex compound is specially manufactured to give smooth wipes in a wide temperature range spanning from blazing hot to below freezing temperatures.
Besides that, it is also covered with graphite coatings to enhance water removing ability.
Frame type and shape Differences:
The spoiler and internal squeegee structure give the Icon an edge over its competitor.
It presents a curved shape due to its beam design specifying an asymmetric, bracket-less, aerodynamic spoiler.
This design utilizes heavy winds to its favor, maintaining a thorough blade-to-screen contact.
Bosch has used DynamicFit technology, employing dual precision tension springs that custom contour the blade according to the curvature of the screen.
Resultantly, no part of the screen is left wet and dabbed.
Silicone also characterizes a similar curved, beam design but its precision spring system is less efficient than the competitor.
Nonetheless, its aerodynamic spoiler shows reliable performance by using wind pressure to sustain a firm connection with the screen.
Arm connectors of both:
Icon’s arm connector is user-friendly and comparatively durable as well. It comes mounted with the product and all you need to do is to open the outer cover and install it to the wiper arm of your car.
This blade does not have a replaceable adapter but you get the choice to opt from OE and hook variants of the product while purchasing.
The major advantage it provides is that it keeps the connection safe from debris/ snow build-up, corrosion, and dust due to the weather-shielded cover.
Silicone also provides easy DIY installation through its Instalock adapter.
This arm connector fits many hooks and tab-style wiper arms.
Moreover, this wiper comes with an additional connector to fit pin-type arms.
However, this connector ranks lower for durability as it has no protective cover to safeguard against rust and build-ups.
| Silicone AdvantEdge | Bosch Icon | |
| Pre-installed connector | Yes | Yes |
| Mounting type | Large J-Hook, (9×4 mm) Small J-Hook, (9×3 mm) Small Pin arms (3/16 inches) Large pin arms (¼ inches) Pinch tab I & L clone tab Regular P and H Narrow P and H Regular PTB Narrow PTB | Side Lock (22 mm) Side Lock (19 mm) Top Lock Narrow (16mm) Top Lock Large (19mm) Pinch Tab BMW Top Lock |
Water repellency of both wipers:
Synthetic silicone squeegee places Rain X at a higher ranking for water removing efficiency.
This polymer adheres to water droplets and takes them off the screen as it moves over the windshield glass.
Icon also efficiently clears water droplets from the screen as its graphite blended FX dual rubber presents good moisture removing abilities.
Yet its performance is comparatively lesser as natural rubber shows minor water repellency than synthetic polymers.
Which wiper is more wiping-efficient?
The Icon shows a good wiping efficiency due to its precision-cut construction.
Dual tension springs in the internal structure make its arc adjustment ability twofold than the competitor.
Hence, it maintains a uniform contact with glass while sliding over different sections of the windshield.
Alongside that, its curved spoiler uses wind force to maintain a consistent pressure all over the blade length.
But the natural rubber squeegee is what makes it stand below the competition as water repellency is the main factor for the functional competence of a wiper blade and natural rubber presents lower water adherence.
Conversely, Silicone also has the features to maintain consistent blade-to-screen contact including an asymmetrical spoiler that directs wind flow in a way to create a downward force on the wiper and a precision tension spring to adjust the beam arc but this single tension spring offers less efficient curvature adjustment than the competitor.
Nonetheless, it gets a high score for wiping ability owing to the benefit of better squeegee composition. Synthetic silicone wiping edge offers smooth wipes as it faces lesser wiping friction and its water-repelling ability is also higher.
Which works better in extreme climate?
The AdvantEdge shows better damage resistance from climate change owing to the benefit of its silicone rubber composition.
This rubber is manufactured according to the proprietary climate defense technology of Rain X and resists damage from UV rays, ozone, extreme temperatures, moisture, dirt, and grime.
It has been proven to bear temperatures from -20°F to 194°F during third-party testing. It also remained crack-free even after 148 hours of dynamic ozone exposure.
However, its connecting adaptor is comparatively more prone to damage because it does not have any protective casing.
Icon also shows a good ability to endure climate extremes owing to the protective arm connector, FX rubber additives, and aerodynamic spoiler design.
As it possesses a weather-shielded arm connector, the blade-arm connection is protected from rust and clogging due to snow or debris.
Another feature that keeps this blade rust-free is that none of its metallic components is exposed to air moisture or rainwater.
The asymmetrical spoiler saves it from lifting off due to wind turbulence because it gets pressed on the screen under the wind pressure rather than swinging away.
Graphite coatings also add some benefits of extreme temperature, UV, and ozone protection.
However, its rubber compound is comparatively less robust and shows lesser weather endurance.
Durability and Warranty comparison:
Both wipers are durable due to beam structure and graphite coatings but the resistive ability of Icon rubber is comparatively minor and renders the wiper squeegee less durable in comparison.
Thus, Bosch offers relatively a shorter warranty spanning up to one month.
In contrast, the silicone rubber of Rain X wiper is not only resilient against weather damages but also faces lesser wear and tear due to wiping friction. Hence, it lasts longer than the competitor and carries a 3X longer warranty (90 days).
