Product test

Winbot W1 Pro review: are window cleaning robots worth it?

13/4/2023

The Winbot W1 Pro promises to automate the tiresome chore that is cleaning windows. Superficially, it works quite well. However, window cleaning robots haven’t been fully developed yet.

Windows are the interdental spaces of houses. They only get cleaned when it’s too late, and even then so hastily that it doesn’t really do much.

For example, when your parents are about to visit. It’s then that the sun usually shines through dirty living room windows at just the right angle. Fingerprints and smudges glimmer like Mariah Carey on stage in a glittery catsuit. Hasty attempts to get rid of the dirt with glass cleaner and newspaper fail miserably. The dirt is so engrained in the pane that the only thing that would remove it is professional cleaning with a smorgasbord of tinctures and remedies. It’s the same with interdental spaces – except that only my dentist gets to see them.

Fingerprints and graffiti adorn my window.
Source: Simon Balissat

But when my parents come to visit, dirty windows are eyed with criticism. I get unsolicited advice like «I told you. Just a bit of water and vinegar will bring them up clean,» or «do you have a window squeegee? I’ll bring you one next time I’m round.»

To make sure a situation like that never happens again, I want to automate window cleaning with the help of a robot. I just worry that this gadget will end up like floss, mouthwash and interdental brushes for my interdental spaces. In other words, gathering dust in the cupboard.

Window cleaners

Ecovacs Winbot W1 Pro

Cleans loudly, but slowly and not thoroughly

For a window cleaning robot to be worthwhile, it has to meet three requirements:

Be ready to use quickly and clean windows swiftly.
Clean thoroughly.
Be quiet.

In my experience, the Ecovac Winbot W1 Pro doesn’t tick any of those boxes. It probably has to do with my set-up in that I live in an old flat. But we’ll come to that.

The robot in action.
Source: Simon Balissat

1. Speed

The robot is ready to use quickly. You pour in 60 mm of the cleaning fluid supplied, plug in the power cable and turn it on. What’s more, you can connect this cleaning robot to an app. One that unfortunately requires an account. It lets you specify if you want to start quick or intensive cleaning, and if you’d like the robot to clean intensively in one area or return to the corner. Once I’ve selected the cleaning method, I stretch the bottom of the square Winbot with one of the two microfibre cloths provided. But first, I moisten it slightly. Then I put it on the window. There’s also fall protection, but I carry out the job without it. If the Winbot falls down, it’s not going to travel more than two metres. Admittedly, it’d be onto the beautiful parquet floor. But hey, I like to live life on the edge.

A distorted voice screams at me from the device to indicate that the «light» cleaning cycle is now starting. At that, the Winbot sucks itself onto the window and goes about its work. First, it moves to the upper right corner of the window and turns 90 degrees there before cleaning down the entire pane from left to right. Austin Powers nailed a better three-point turn.

This drama goes on for about two minutes. Or about three on the balcony door that almost goes down to the floor. For each pane of glass. As each of my windows boasts four panes (two inside and two outside), I have to unhook the robot 28 times and attach it to the next window. While the distorted voice does tell me when the cleaning is done, I rarely notice because I always get well away from the noise. More about that in point three.

2. Thoroughness

Once the robot has completed its work, the panes initially look clean. But the device still clings to the window like lovestruck teenagers. The vacuum only subsides when I press down the button for a long time. Then I can grab it by the leather strap. If the windows are very dirty, I change the microfibre cloth before letting the robot loose on the next pane. There are distinct marks where I remove the Winbot, which I have to clean again. Moreover, it doesn’t clean well along window edges, so I also have to touch up those again by hand. Which is disappointing for a device that’s meant to do my household chores for me.

I have to press the button down longer before I can remove the robot from the window.
Source: Simon Balissat

3. Noise

If household robots were an orchestra, the Winbot would be playing first violin. But a violin that’s out of tune and has been used and abused by a four-year-old. The noise the robot makes is quite simply unbearable. Not even headphones with active noise cancellation help to lessen the shrill screeching. I can’t be in the same room as the Winbot, so I don’t notice when it’s finished after two minutes. As a result, the robot whimpers to itself for a while until I finally send it off on a new task. Theoretically, it’s meant to take 45 minutes for the robot to clean the six double windows in my flat inside and out, but it actually requires twice as long. If I did it by hand, I’d only need about an hour to do all the windows. So, there’s no time saving there either.

I recorded a brief video to give you an idea of how the Winbot works. Specifically without annoying background music so that you hear the unadulterated noise for yourself.

Verdict

Constantly needing to reposition the device, having to put up with obtrusive noises and being left with unfinished cleaning all combine to render the Winbot unusable for me. I’d rather clean the windows less often but thoroughly myself. Besides, I wipe away mucky bits from windows every now and then when I’m stressed. That being said, I can still imagine places where the Winbot could come in handy. It would clean large window fronts and conservatories well and save you time, especially if you’d normally need a ladder. However, sooner or later, you’ll still have to clean them by hand. And the robot won’t get any quieter.

The Winbot is nicely packed in a case and ready to disappear into the basement. Where it will stay.
Source: Simon Balissat

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Simon Balissat

Teamleader Editorial

Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.ch

When I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.

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