Plastic Framed wiper vs metal

[jtphl]

As I have noticed, the 10th gen corolla seems to have a plastic framed wiper, previous gen wipers are made of metal. any significant difference when it comes to wiping quality ?

Any reason why they shifted from metal to plastic?

[Schroeder64]

looks a lot more nice and smooth

[trucknut1]

in cold climates metal framed wipers tend to ice up at the joints and stop effectively clearing the windshield, only thing i can think of... maybe its cheaper for them... the car is 3/4 plastic anyway

[Super Blue]

I believe it's purely for the looks, it does looks a lot nicer and more expensive.

[lowincash]

it's not just for looks...it seems the ones with no metal frames hugs the windshield better and cleans more evenly without streaks and stuff.

[flamedrgn]

Looks nice and cleans better. probably cheaper too (for manufacturing).

[Timbits93]

And let me add,

Aerodynamics