REVIEW – Let’s just get this out of the way right now – When it comes to cleaning, I’m lazy. I like a clean house, but I really don’t want to be the one that cleans it. That’s why I love my Neato Botvacs, so I don’t have to vacuum the floors. Lately, I’ve been on a quest to find a robot to clean my windows. I’ve already Albohes Z5 Robot Window Washer robot which did little to nothing to improve the cleanliness of the windows. When Ecovacs asked if I wanted to review their WINBOT X window cleaning robot, I told them about my previous attempt and that I wasn’t sure window cleaning robots were to the level that I think they need to be yet. They still sent me one to test out, so let’s take a look.

What is it?

The Ecovacs WINBOT X is a battery-powered window cleaning robot that will clean a window automatically or by using a handheld remote control.

What’s in the box?

WINBOT X
Safety pod
Power adapter
Remote control (with batteries)
Cleaning solution
Cleaning pads x4
Finishing cloth
Manual

Design and features

The WINBOT X is made of white plastic. On the top of the cleaner is a large power button on the handle, an LED status LED, and socket for the Safety Pod tether.

On the front and back edges are bumpers which help the robot find the edges of the window frame as it’s traveling back and forth across the window as it’s cleaning it.

The bottom of the WINBOT X has two sets of driving treads, the suction fan in the center, power button and status LEDs, and the cleaning pad around the edges.

The cleaner comes with four cleaning pads which can be washed and reused.

The pads attach to the bottom of the WINBOT X and are held in place with Velcro.

To use the WINBOT X, you first have to charge the main unit for 2.5 hours which will allow for up to 50 minutes of cleaning time. The Safety Pod is powered by regular alkaline batteries which come pre-installed. The Safety Pod is a suction cup that makes sure that the WINBOT X does not cause an injury if it happened to fall from a high window by providing an 8.2ft tether. The WINBOT X will not even suction to a window without the Safety Pod first being attached.

Once the WINBOT X is fully charged, you can connect the Safety Pod to it by inserting the cable into the jack on the WINBOT X and locking it in place. Then you flip the power switch on the bottom of the Safety Pod and stick it to the window and turn on the WINBOT X using the power button on the handle. The status LED on the WINBOT X will glow green if the Safety Pod is correctly attached. Then you squirt the cleaning solution on the cleaning pads and hold the WINBOT X against the window, press the power button, and the fans will turn on and create enough suction to hold it to the glass.

See it in action

Clean or not

The Ecovacs WINBOT X can be used on windows that are at a minimum of 19.7 x 19.7 inches and with a frame no narrower than 0.2 inches.

I did my testing on a large window which you have already seen in the video above and it started out with smudges, some dirt, dust, spots, etc. on it like most exterior windows, but it wasn’t filthy as I had already cleaned it using the other window washing robot a few weeks ago which was followed up by a manual human (me) cleaning session.

The WINBOT X will choose whether to clean in up/down swipes or side to side swipes. You can also use to remote to move it around manually and can also press the deep clean button which will clean first in up/down and then inside to side so it goes over the window twice.

I cleaned the outside and the inside of the window. I had to wait until the sun started setting before I could really see if the WINBOT X had really made a difference and I’m sorry to say that it didn’t. You can see the results yourself by clicking on the image above. You can see the spots and streaks that were left after the cleaning sessions.

I even let the WINBOT X run a 2nd time using the deep clean setting and couldn’t tell much of a difference after it completed the cleaning session. The water spots were still there as were some of the smudges and streaks. Did it clean off dust and some dirt? Yes, but not enough to really say “wow, those windows are clean!” I’ll have to say that the result was a minimal improvement.

What I like

• Comes with cleaning solution
• Cleaning pads are reusable
• Battery powered

What needs to be improved?

• Better scrubbing/polishing action
• Price

Final thoughts

I’m swiftly coming to the conclusion that an effective window washing robot may not be available yet. Until a window cleaning robot can actually scrub the window to clean off the crud, it’s not going to be a robot that I think is worth using/buying. I’m not giving up hope, but my hope is quickly dimming and the reality is setting in that the best window washer may be me and not a robot.

Price: $449.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Ecovacs.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Cleaning, Robot

Ecovacs WINBOT X window cleaning robot review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 28, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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REVIEW – I’ve been spoiled by my robot vacuums, so why not continue that trend with a robot window cleaner? I was offered the Albohes Z5 robot window washer for review, let’s see if it’s a viable alternative to a bottle of window cleaner, paper towels, and some human elbow grease.

What is it?

The Albohes window cleaning robot is exactly what you would guess that it is, it’s a robot that has been designed to clean windows.

What’s in the box?

Albohes Z5 window cleaning robot
7 sets of cleaning pads
2 cleaning rings
Safety rope
Remote control
Power adapter and cable
Extension cable (4 meters)
Spray bottle for cleaning fluid
User manual

Design and features

The Albohes window cleaning robot is a white and grey plastic device that has a large knob handle on top, a power button, power jack, and status LEDs.

On the bottom are two circular cleaning pads with removable cleaning cloths.

The soft terry-style cloths pads are removable and replaceable. Seven sets are included with the cleaner.

The pads snap on to the cleaner with the plastic cleaning ring that is inserted into the cloth. You can also see the attached safety rope and carabiner. This is used to secure the cleaner if you’re using it to clean windows above ground level and want to avoid the cleaner falling on someone below.

A remote is included with the cleaner along with 2 AAA batteries. The remote is used to control the cleaner, or you can also use an app for your phone. I decided to skip the app and just did my testing using the remote.

I don’t do windows but I hope this robot does!

I decided to test the Albohes Z5 robot window cleaner on my largest window which is perpetually filthy due to bugs, birds, and all manner of outdoor dirt. I usually wash the window inside and out once a year and complain about it the whole time. So my hopes were high that I could employ the Z5 to do my bidding.

The first thing I had to do was get an extension cord, connect the included power adapter to the robot, and plug in the cable into the extension cord. Note: the Z5 has a built-in battery that will keep the cleaner from falling off the glass in the case of power loss. It won’t run/clean on the battery though. It has to be connected to power.

Then I pressed and held the power button on the Z5, placed the two dry cleaning pads against the glass and let the suction hold it in place. As recommended in the manual, you’re supposed to run the robot on the window with clean dry pads first to clean off any sand and dirt. I’m not sure about sand, but the window was definitely dirty.

With the robot stuck to the lower left corner of the window, I pressed the Auto Up button which is supposed to make the robot move up and then down. The robot wiggles back and forth as it moves across the glass and even dirty window, the robot held to the glass and never slipped. But it seemed to get confused and would only move across the glass for a short time and would then stop. I tried sticking the Z5 in different areas of the window and pressed the different auto movement buttons but it would not work unattended. It kept stopping in the middle of a session. I’m used to using a carpet cleaning robot which requires no intervention, but the Z5 didn’t seem to be that type of robot cleaner.

After let the Z5 move around the entire window it was time for the cleaning session. While the robot comes with a spray bottle, the bottle doesn’t come with any cleaner and there’s nothing in the manual that tells you what type of cleaner to use, so I decided to use good old Windex. The instructions do advise you to only spray just a few squirts on the bottom pad. You DON’T want to saturate the cleaning pads because it can cause the cleaner to slip on the glass.

See it in action

The robot didn’t have any problems sticking to the glass and never fell off accidentally. But as far as cleaning, I wasn’t very impressed.

The window in the image above may look nice and clean and I even thought it was and was pretty happy with the job the Albohes Z5 robot window washer had done.

But later in the day when the sun hit the window and I could see all the smears it left behind. UGH! It also did not clean off lots of little specks of dirt. I ended up getting a roll of paper towels and a bottle of window cleaner and washed both sides of the glass by hand. In the end, it took MUCH less time doing it myself than running the Z5 twice on each side of the glass and then being disappointed with the results.

What I like

• Nothing

What needs to be improved

• Takes too much babysitting
• Have to run it more than once to clean a window and it still leaves streaks and smears

Final thoughts

Robot floor cleaners are awesome but if robot window cleaners are all like this one, I’m going to stick with cleaning my windows the old school way, with my own two hands.

Price: $169.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Albohes.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Cleaning, Robot

Albohes Z5 robot window washer review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 10, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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