WINBOT W1 PRO
Ecovacs' older mains-powered window robot, built for large everyday panes. Testers found it left glass clean and mostly streak-free, but it's loud, misses a strip round the frame and is being sold off.
See the alternatives below, or switch market.
The short version
The W1 PRO was Ecovacs' main window robot before the battery-station W2 models arrived. It's a 27cm square that clings on with a powerful fan, sprays cleaning fluid forwards and backwards, and wipes the glass with a microfibre pad in neat rows. Ecovacs is now pointing buyers to the W1S that replaces it, and its own stores show it as sold out.
It's simpler than newer models. It runs from a wall socket, with a small battery that only holds it on the glass if the power goes. You carry it between panes and swap or wash the pad yourself. It also needs panes of at least 30 by 40cm, so small and narrow windows are out.
Don't confuse it with the much smaller WINBOT MINI, a compact mains model for narrow panes and tight spaces.
Our take: Buy it only if you find one cheaply and have big, flat, upright windows near sockets. Skip it for sloping roof glass, small panes or windows ringed by deep frames, and skip it if noise bothers you. The W2S OMNI's battery station is better for big glass away from sockets, and the WINBOT mini 2 suits smaller panes.
Where it sits in ECOVACS’s range
- WINBOT MINIMuch smaller mains model for narrow panes
- WINBOT W1 PROThis model
- WINBOT W1SEcovacs' named replacement for the W1 PRO
- WINBOT W2 OMNIAdds a battery station, so no socket needed
What reviewers found
Three home tests from 2023. techreviewer.de lived with it for a few months and found it left glass streak-free, even pollen-covered panes after two passes. Reviews.org Australia was less impressed: the middle of each pane came up clean, but its bumpers stopped it reaching the edges and it left a damp mark where it stopped. Digital Reviews Network found it worked well on ordinary dirty windows. Techreviewer and Reviews.org both found it loud, and all three say it's best on big, upright panes.
techreviewer.de, hands-on, A few months at home, Feb 2023 · Reviews.org Australia, hands-on, May 2023 · Digital Reviews Network, hands-on, Jun 2023
Clean middles, missed edges
techreviewer.de saw no streaks, and even heavily soiled windows with pollen came clean after two passes at most. Reviews.org Australia ran two deep cleans on large, neglected windows and found the centres clear, but the edge-sensing bumpers kept it from cleaning up to the frame. Techreviewer also found a narrow strip left at edges and corners and still reached for a cloth. Expect clean glass in the middle and a quick wipe round the frame.
Loud while it works
techreviewer.de measured about 72dB, comparable to a robot vacuum. Reviews.org Australia found it sounded like a powerful vacuum cleaner at full strength, with a high pitch that was annoying enough that the reviewer waited until they were home alone before cleaning windows. Ecovacs' own figure is 72dB, give or take two, per the specifications. Don't plan on running it while someone's on a call or asleep nearby.
Strong grip, sensible backup
Digital Reviews Network had to wrestle to pull it off the glass, then unplugged it mid-clean: it dropped to low suction, beeped and asked to be plugged back in, and held on for as long as it took to make a coffee. techreviewer.de never saw it slip in months of use. The backup battery must be charged before it will start, which took Techreviewer about two hours the first time. Still tie the rope to something solid.
Big upright panes only
It needs panes of at least 30 by 40cm, and techreviewer.de found it refused to work on sloping roof and conservatory glass, turning in confused circles until the window was tilted more upright. Reviews.org Australia notes it navigates by bumping into the frame and turning, like an old robot vacuum, rather than mapping. Digital Reviews Network thinks it suits floor-to-ceiling glass in apartments more than a house where you can reach outside with a squeegee.
Fluid and finishing marks
Reviews.org Australia found it finishes in the middle of the pane, so lifting it off leaves a robot-shaped patch of cleaning fluid that sometimes dried with smears. Digital Reviews Network got through half a bottle of fluid on one set of glass doors, though the glass was dirty. techreviewer.de says any ordinary supermarket window cleaner works, as long as it isn't sticky enough to block the nozzles. Wipe the stopping point and buy cleaner in bulk.
All three reviews are of the W1 PRO and date from 2023. Techreviewer's review is the English edition of a German site.
Prices
Where to buy the WINBOT W1 PRO in Australia
Discontinued, remaining stock in Australia. Switch market above, or see the alternatives below.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Does it work on frameless glass?
Ecovacs says its edge sensor lets it clean frameless windows, per the specifications. None of the three reviewers tested it on frameless glass, so treat that as a maker claim. Keep the safety rope tied off if you try.
What happens if the power cuts out?
It stays put. Digital Reviews Network pulled the plug mid-clean and it dropped to low suction, beeped and held on while they made a coffee. It won't start unless its backup battery is charged, and techreviewer.de notes the battery can't run the robot on its own.
Does it leave streaks or edges?
Edges, yes; streaks, mostly not. techreviewer.de saw no streaks but a narrow strip at edges and corners. Reviews.org Australia found the bumpers kept it off the edges and it left a damp mark where it stopped. Wipe round the frame afterwards.
How long does one window take?
techreviewer.de timed two to four minutes for a 1.23 by 1.48m window, depending on the mode. Ecovacs quotes about 2 minutes 50 seconds per square metre, per the specifications. Add time to move it and rinse the pad between panes.
Can it do sloping or roof windows?
Not well. techreviewer.de found it only works when the glass is between 60 and 120 degrees from horizontal, and on flatter roof windows it just circled in confusion. Buy something else for skylights and conservatories.
Does it need a special cleaning fluid?
No. techreviewer.de says any normal supermarket window cleaner works, as long as it isn't sticky. Digital Reviews Network used the included Ecovacs fluid and went through it quickly. A bottle comes in the box.
Compare with
WINBOT W2S OMNI
Its battery station frees it from the socket, and Trusted Reviews found it cleared dust and water marks inside and out.
It's much bigger, needs panes of at least 30 by 40cm, and you still rinse the pad yourself.
WINBOT mini 2
It's far smaller for narrow panes, and its new corner brushes aim to reach the frame.
It's still mains-powered, loud, and you stand beside it while it works.
R3
Its narrow body suits slim panes, and CHOICE found it made a real dent in dirty windows.
Its round pads couldn't get properly into the corners, and it came off the glass once in testing.
Full specifications
Figures come from the manufacturer’s product page unless a source is named. A blank means nobody we trust has confirmed it.
Owner reviews
Own a WINBOT W1 PRO?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner reviews are shown separately from expert tests and never mixed into the score.
Sources
Everything cited on this page. Expert scores are shown as the reviewer gave them.
- techreviewer.de: ECOVACS WINBOT W1 Pro Review – the window cleaning robot really is that useful! · 8.1 / 10Hands-on, A few months at home
- Reviews.org Australia: Ecovacs Winbot W1 Pro review · 3.5 / 5Hands-on
- Digital Reviews Network: Ecovacs WINBOT W1 PRO Window Cleaning Robot ReviewHands-on
- ECOVACS: WINBOT W1 PRO product page and specificationsManufacturer