Top 5 compared
The best window vacs
Streak-free windows, mirrors and shower screens, and morning condensation gone without a soggy cloth.
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The top 5 at a glance
A window vac is a battery-powered squeegee that sucks up the water as you go, so there are no drips on the sill and no smears from a cloth. In winter it’s at its most useful clearing condensation first thing; the rest of the year it does windows, mirrors and shower screens. Most come with a spray bottle for proper cleaning; for condensation, the vac alone does the job.
Every one here runs on a rechargeable battery, weighs under a kilo and keeps the dirty water in a small tank that tips out. Battery life is what varies most between them, so it’s worth matching to the number of windows, and whether you’ll do the outsides too.
What matters
- A second, narrower nozzle for small panes.
- A battery display, so it doesn’t stop mid-window.
- A guarantee that runs past the first year.
#1Kärcher WV 6 Plus Window Vac
£75–£100
- About 100 minutes per charge
- Large 150ml dirty-water tank
- Spray bottle and cleaner included
The longest battery here: 100 minutes on a charge is enough for every window in a house, inside and out, plus the shower screen, without stopping to recharge. It has a 280mm nozzle, a 150ml dirty-water tank and a battery display, with a spray bottle and cloth in the box.
What owners say: Owners rate the battery life and say a window or a shower screen takes only minutes. Value divides opinion.
A closer look: Clean glass on a dry, overcast day if you can, as sunshine dries the cleaner into streaks before the vac reaches it. Empty the tank as it fills rather than at the end of the job, since a full one can drip back down the glass when the vac is tilted.
Best for: Longest battery life
- Battery
- 100 min
- Nozzle
- 280mm
- Dirty-water tank
- 150ml
- Weight
- 0.8kg
- Spray bottle
- Yes
- Extras
- LED battery display
#2Kärcher WV 1 Window Vac
£30–£50
- Light at 0.5kg
- Battery level display
- Two-year warranty
- No spray bottle included
The lightest here at 0.5kg, the WV 1 is made for a quick one-handed pass over streaming windows each morning. It has a 250mm nozzle, a 100ml tank and a battery display, and Kärcher rates the battery at up to 25 minutes, plenty for a round of condensation.
What owners say: Owners say it clears condensation easily and leaves glass streak-free, and that it’s light enough for anyone with sore joints. Battery life splits them, and several report it breaking after about six months.
A closer look: Empty the tank after each round, as condensation water left standing in it soon smells musty. On cold days it also clears the mist from the inside of a car’s windscreen and side windows before the blowers have warmed up, without leaving a damp cloth in the car.
Best for: Light in the hand
- Battery
- Up to 25 min
- Nozzle
- 250mm
- Dirty-water tank
- 100ml
- Weight
- 0.5kg
- Spray bottle
- No
- Extras
- LED battery display
#3Bosch GlassVAC Cordless Window Vac (set with two heads)
£50–£75
- Small head for narrow panes
- Battery level display
- Warranty extends to three years
Bosch says it draws on the wiper-blade know-how of its car business. The set has a large and a small suction head, so leaded panes are as easy as patio doors. It runs about 30 minutes and does around 35 windows on a charge, by Bosch’s figure.
What owners say: Owners like how quickly it does big glass and how well it handles leaded windows and smaller panes, and say it’s easy to set up; whether it leaves streaks splits them.
A closer look: Swap to the small head for the narrow panes beside a door or the glass in a cabinet, and keep the wrist strap on when working on a wet shower screen. It charges over micro-USB, and a full charge takes a little over two hours.
Best for: Wrist strap
- Battery
- 30 min
- Nozzle
- Large and small heads
- Dirty-water tank
- 100ml
- Weight
- 0.7kg
- Spray bottle
- Yes
- Extras
- Micro-USB charging
#4Kärcher WV 2 Plus Window Vac
£50–£75
- Spray bottle and cleaner included
- Battery level display
Kärcher, founded by Alfred Kärcher in 1935, makes the WV 2 Plus, the middle of the three Kärchers here: 35 minutes on a charge, a 280mm nozzle and 0.6kg, with a spray bottle, cloth and cleaning concentrate in the box. That covers a few rooms’ windows and the shower screen.
What owners say: Owners find it especially good on shower glass and quick at clearing condensation from windows, and say it’s simple to put together and charge. Streaks and battery life both get mixed reports.
A closer look: Spray the glass, loosen the dirt with the microfibre cloth, then draw the vac down from the top. After a shower, a quick pass over the screen and tiles stops water marks drying on before they turn into limescale.
Best for: Light, sprayer included
- Battery
- 35 min
- Nozzle
- 280mm
- Dirty-water tank
- 100ml
- Weight
- 0.6kg
- Spray bottle
- Yes
- Extras
- LED battery display
#5CubeTECH CTWV2 Window Vac
£20–£30
- Slim 17cm second nozzle
- About 45 minutes per charge
- Two-year warranty
A window vac with two nozzle sizes: a wide 28cm head for big panes and a slim 17cm one for small windows and awkward corners, with a spray bottle and cloth in the box. Its 120ml tank lifts out and empties without mess, and it runs about 45 minutes.
What owners say: Owners find it good at lifting condensation and leaving windows streak-free, upright or flat, and say it’s light. Battery life splits them, with some saying it stopped charging after a while.
A closer look: Wipe the rubber blade dry after each use and store the vac standing on its base rather than resting on the blade, so the edge stays straight and doesn’t start leaving lines. CubeTECH lists spare parts as available for five years, so a worn blade can be replaced rather than the whole vac.
Best for: Cost friendly
- Battery
- 45 min
- Nozzle
- 28cm and 17cm
- Dirty-water tank
- 120ml
- Weight
- 730g
- Spray bottle
- Yes
- Extras
- Two nozzles, 2-yr warranty
Side by side
How they compare
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| Feature | #1Kärcher WV 6 Plus | #2Kärcher WV 1 | #3Bosch GlassVAC | #4Kärcher WV 2 Plus | #5CubeTECH CTWV2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | ||||
| Picked Rating | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.5 |
| Price | £75–£100 | £30–£50 | £50–£75 | £50–£75 | £20–£30 |
| Battery | 100 min | Up to 25 min | 30 min | 35 min | 45 min |
| Nozzle | 280mm | 250mm | Large and small heads | 280mm | 28cm and 17cm |
| Dirty-water tank | 150ml | 100ml | 100ml | 100ml | 120ml |
| Weight | 0.8kg | 0.5kg | 0.7kg | 0.6kg | 730g |
| Spray bottle | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extras | LED battery display | LED battery display | Micro-USB charging | LED battery display | Two nozzles, 2-yr warranty |
| Best for | Longest battery life | Light in the hand | Wrist strap | Light, sprayer included | Cost friendly |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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