Hobot S6 Pro robot window cleaner – for big jobs (cleaning review)

07/06/2024
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews

The Hobot S6 Pro robot window cleaner has the power of 600 times-a-minute dual reciprocating cleaning pads – far faster than good old elbow grease.

Hobot is a leader with its Legee robot vacuum/mop cleaners and Hobot window cleaners. It focuses on these two technologies and does them very well.

We all hate washing windows – Hobot makes you hate less.

Let’s start with a caveat or three because you need to have a reasonable expectation of what robot window cleaners (all brands) can and cannot do.

If your windows are in bad shape, dirty or dusty, with bird poo, insects splatter, and deep grime, you will need to get them into good shape first. That is a manual job with a soft scourer, dish detergent, perhaps a pressure clean after, and a lot of effort. A robot cannot be expected to do more than a maintenance job.
Robots cannot clean unattended. Our test windows are 630mm x 2800mm or 1.764m2. A single pass on one side takes 7.5 minutes or 4.25 minutes per square metre. Hobot recommends a dry run first (to remove dust) and a wet run next. That is four runs (2 x 2 sides) or 30 minutes per pane. Of course, you can cut time that in half for cleaner windows – let’s call that a maintenance wash. And different, faster program cleans may suit you better. But you need to be there to move it on.
While this does a decent job of edge cleaning, you still have to use a ‘Chux’ (microfibre wash cloth) to clean the frames and a few millimetres of the edges.

The moral of this story is that robots do a good maintenance wash on glass in good condition, say every 60-90 days.

We have a guide Window cleaning robots – sparking windows can be easy. You should read this before buying anything.

Spoiler Alert: In our experience, the Hobot S6 Pro is the best we have tested yet.

Australian Review – Hobot S6 Pro window cleaning robot (prices at 7/6/24)

Website	Hobot product page Robot My Life distributor page Manual
Price	RRP $850 excludes any special promotional sales, including Australia-wide shipping and a 30-day money-back guarantee. EOFY sale $750.
From	Robot My Life online shop
Warranty	24-month ACL from Robot My Life covering motors and PCB boards. The warranty does not cover tanks and pads as these are consumable items.
Made in	Taiwan
Company	Robot My Life is an Australian company based in Victoria. It designs and sources robot vacuum cleaners, robot mops, robot mowers, robot window cleaners, stick vacuum cleaners, cleaning fluids, and accessories. Hobot is a Taiwanese company founded in 2010. Unlike the masses of generic Chinese-made robovacs, Hobot has followed its path, and all its products are designed and manufactured in Taiwan.
More	Hobot news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – Pass+

I have been using a Hobot window-cleaning robot since mid-2021, so I know what to expect. Mine uses dual rotating mops, but we have also tested the vibrating platten style.

Hobot S6 Pro is a complete package – the robot, three sets of pads, window cleaner solution, two replacement micro sprays (should you ever need them), safety cord, IR remote control and power supply (with a long cable).

it is 260 × 260 × 89 mm x 1.65kg.

Window Prep – You must do it

We have covered the initial window prep to get the glass condition back to where it can use a robot. I stress that if there is dust on the windows, the robot will turn it into streaks. You have the option of a dry run or, as I prefer, a quick pressure clean, which needs the minimum amount of effort. The glass must be dry before you use the robot to clean it.

Setup – Pass+

You can immediately use the Hobot S6 Pro out of the box. Fully charge the UPS (uninterruptible power supply to prevent power outage falls), add the cleaning solution to its dual tanks, switch it on, place it on the glass, attach the safety rope, and press the start button.

Alternatively, you can use the remote control to change cleaning patterns, 2X cleaning and adjust water spray.

You can also control it from an Android or iOS app, which is useful for periodically updating the firmware. The app has the same functions as the remote.

Safety Rope – yeah, nah

In all the time I have used a Hobot window cleaner, it has not fallen. But that is not an invitation to be blasé about it either. The 4m carabiner rope should be used whenever there is a risk, such as cleaning tall outside windows where a fall onto a hard surface could break it.

It is not always easy to find a tie-off point either. Some use a pool-cleaning pole; others place old pillows under the window to break the fall.

Intelligence – Pass

It has a combo accelerometer/gyro to maintain its direction (up/down/sideways) and uses bumper corners to change direction.

You can place it anywhere on the glass, and it will climb to the top and start cleaning in an overlapping U-shape down the glass before climbing back to the top and then to wherever it started. It. It did not miss any areas of glass.

The cross spray comes from two nozzles on the left and right sides.

Glass Types – Pass+

The glass must be >3mm and flat, transparent, coloured, or opaque. It can have a slight tilt – we tested it to about +/-30°. To start, hold it against the glass, apply power and press the start button.

You should be able to use it on mirrors and shower screens as it can clean frameless glass (no edge frame required for boundary reference).

Skylights, curved, and or irregularly shaped glass – no

It cannot clean irregularly shaped glass (triangle, round, etc.) as once it bumps off the glass frame; it heads off in a different vector direction.

The Hobot S6 Pro can clean the outside of a skylight but not the inside. It will handle up to +/-30° inclines.

Door handles and screens – maybe

You must keep it away from glass door handles. In our tests, it managed to edge around handles. You need to remove fly screens if you clean the outside of a window.

Cleaning speed – Pass+

Its fastest speed is 2.6 minutes per m2. In its most comprehensive cleaning mode, it takes 4.25 minutes per m2. Remember that most windows have two sides.

That means you must be there to move it to the next pane. That may also involve reattaching the safety tether to another point. It uses a ribbed rubber caterpillar track on each side. If these get too wet, there could be slippage. It is a good idea to clean/dry these when you clean the microfibre pad.

Sound – Pass

Approximately 70db. No overly obtrusive.

Power – Pass+

It uses a 240V to DC 24V/4.16A/96W powerbrick to connect the robot. You can reach it from a power point within about 5 metres. It has a backup battery UPS for about 20 minutes to prevent falls during a power outage. It uses about 100W maximum.

The device has sufficient vacuum strength to lift the cable. The cable and brick are not IP-rated, so keep them dry. We recommend you use an RCBO like the HPM Electresafe Power Centre with two USB outlets REPC410USB (review).

Cleaning Test – Pass+

Overall, it does a terrific job on well-maintained windows. It cuts through light window grime with ease, leaving a streak-free finish. We suspect that is due to the Hobot Cleaning solution – more later.

Like most robots, it cannot remove bird poop, insect impacts, paint splatter and gunk. You should remove these first.

If the windows are not well maintained, the 2x mode helps. It doubles the cleaning time and the amount of cleaning fluid. The caveat is that you don’t expect great results on really dirty or salt spray windows unless you manually clean them first and use this for a regular maintenance clean.

Cleaning pad – Clean it frequently – Pass

It comes with three pairs of microfibre cleaning pads that attach via Velcro to the underside. First, slightly dampen the pad (not too damp, as a wet pad will leave streaks) and attach it.

The pads need regular cleaning and changing. A tell-tale sign is that they start leaving snail-track streaks. This can be due to a dirty pad or getting too wet from the micro-spray.

Cleaning is a matter of rinsing under running water and removing the grime. We used a Dishmatic Dish brush with a general-purpose pad and some dishwashing detergent to clean the pads. This is faster and more effective. The caveat is that you must rinse the pad thoroughly to remove any trace of detergent and dry it before use. It comes with two spare sets.

Our rough guide was to clean the pad about every 10m2 for inside and 6m2 for external use. Remember, our windows are dirty, so a visual pad inspection is best.

The replacement pad price is not yet available, but expect around $20 for a pair.

Cleaning solution – Pass+

We used a 220ml bottle (2 x 26ml tanks – four refills). A five-bottle bundle is $60, but it is also on EOFY special at $18 plus freight.

Ingredients include deionised water, sodium laureth sulphate (detergent and surfactant from palm oil), K9N (1.5% MIT/CMIT surfactant), Ethelene glycol Monobutylether (solvent), Azo (disinfectant), dyes turquoise blue, and Citrus oil (solvent). You don’t dilute it! It covers about 60m2 of glass.

Do you have to use it? It provides superior cutting and drying power compared to tap water. We tested tap water on a well-maintained window; it left streaks and did not dry quickly. But if your tap water contains too much calcium or salts (soft), it can create scale (just like a coffee maker) and block the nozzles.

Additionally, the micro-spray nozzles could be blocked if other liquids are used, voiding the warranty.

Our take – use it.

Maintenance – Pass+

The only consumables are the cleaning solution and cleaning pads. After use, wipe over the Hobot and clean the tyre tracks and roller sensors.

We applaud that the micro-spray nozzles are user-replaceable (two spares are provided), and they should not be needed if you only use the approved cleaning solution.

There is no reason that it will not last many years.

CyberShack’s view – The Hobot S6 Pro is a great window cleaner that can help keep windows in reasonable condition.

If your windows are well maintained, this will give terrific, clean, streak-free results. If they are very dirty, you should pre-clean them first.

We found the key issues were constant supervision, the need to clean pads frequently, and edge cleaning. However, this is similar to the other robots I have tested.

Should you buy the Hobot S6 Pro?

Frankly, it will not save a lot of time, but it will save back-breaking work. If you have a lot of glass or a pool safety fence and want to keep them clean and sparking, this is one of the better solutions.

The robot can also do high-level external windows requiring a ladder to reach.

Rating

Please be aware that pre-2024 ratings used 80/100 as a pass mark. This has been reduced to 70/100 to allow us more headroom to reward excellence. If you read any pre-2024 CyberShack reviews, deduct 10 points for a fairer comparison.

Features: 80—It has all the expected features: a remote control, app, and spare inbox.
Value: 85 Window robots require a lot of technology to stay on the glass and are more costly. From what we see, this is a fair price. It would be better if you got it on the EOFY sale.
Performance: 80—Provided your windows are in reasonable condition, it will give you a streak-free clean inside and out. If you are not happy, talk to Robot My Life about its R3 rotating pad robot.
Ease of Use: 80 – It does the tedious work, and you do the edge clean and move it on
Design: 80 – Well-made and locally supported. Good 2-year warranty.