Tosima vs ECOVACS Winbot: WA9C Pro vs WINBOT MINI 2

Tosima WA9C Pro vs WINBOT MINI 2 at a glance

Head to head

The best result in each row is marked, based on my testing and the manufacturer specs. Where the robots tie, both are marked.

The tally is a guide, not my verdict. Whether you want an app and how high your glass is matter more than any single row.

Remote robot vs app robot

On paper these two look alike: compact, square, corded, with a safety rope and a backup battery. In daily use they feel very different.

The Tosima WA9C Pro is built around its remote. It has no app, no account and no Wi-Fi. You choose an N or Z route✕N and Z routesTwo cleaning patterns. N runs up and down in vertical lanes, which suits tall windows. Z runs side to side in horizontal lanes, which suits wide ones., the spray volume and the mode on the remote, and it talks back with voice prompts.

The WINBOT MINI 2 is built around ECOVACS’ app and its WIN-SLAM 4.0✕WIN-SLAMECOVACS’ mapping system. The robot measures the pane first, then plans its own back-and-forth route. navigation, which measures the window and plans its own route. You can still steer it by Bluetooth at close range.

Our tip: If you never want another app on your phone, the Tosima is the one, so decide that before comparing anything else.

Design, size and build

The Tosima WA9C Pro is about 8 by 8 by 3.5 inches, chunkier than the MINI 2, and weighs about 6 lb in its box. The MINI 2 is about 8.46 inches square, about 2 inches thick and about 2.8 lb.

The Tosima’s square body is its corner strategy: it simply drives into them. The MINI 2 adds four corner brushes spinning at up to 84 RPM and side wings that guide its pad to within about 1 mm of the frame.

In the box, the Tosima includes a remote, four mops, a safety rope, a water bottle, replacement nozzles and an unclogging needle kit. The MINI 2 includes a power cord, a nylon safety rope, pads and solution.

The Tosima runs entirely from its remote, with no app.

Setup and the first week

Both robots were ready in about 1 to 2 minutes per session: fill the tank, fit a mop or pad, tie the rope, plug in and start.

Week one went to the MINI 2, 8.0 against 6.8. The Tosima’s low score came from hard tap water weakening one nozzle within a week, which I fixed with the included needle kit.

From week two, I used filtered water in the Tosima and it climbed steadily to 8.4.

Our tip: Use filtered or distilled water in the Tosima from day one, because hard tap water weakened one of its nozzles within a week.

Suction and safety

This is the biggest gap between the two. The MINI 2 is rated at 8,000 Pa✕Pa, or pascalsThe unit for suction. A higher number means the robot presses itself to the glass harder.. The Tosima is rated at 2,600 to 3,200 Pa of adsorption force.

Neither came off the glass in my testing, but the MINI 2 scored 8.7 for safety and the Tosima 7.6. On outside upstairs glass, I wanted the stronger grip.

Both hold on if the power fails: about 25 minutes on the Tosima’s 500 mAh battery with sound and light alerts, and 30 minutes or more on the MINI 2 with an alert on the phone.

Rated suction

Manufacturer figures.

My safety scores

Scores out of 10.

How well they clean

On everyday dirt, the MINI 2 was a little better. It scored 9.0 on fingerprints on glass doors and 9.2 on a mirror with toothpaste spots, against 8.4 on fingerprints and 9.0 on a bathroom mirror for the Tosima.

Outside, the two were close: pollen and dust scored 8.4 on both, and rain spots 7.0 on the Tosima and 7.4 on the MINI 2.

On hard dirt, both struggled. Months of outside grime scored 5.8 on both, and road film 5.4 on the Tosima and 5.6 on the MINI 2.

Cleaning scores

My overall cleaning scores out of 10.

Our tip: Treat both as maintenance robots, because months of outside grime scored only 5.8 on each.

Edges and corners

Corners were the closest contest in this comparison. The Tosima’s square body drove right into them and scored 7.6, leaving thin slivers. The MINI 2’s four corner brushes scored 7.4.

Along the frames, the MINI 2 led, 8.4 against 8.2, and in the center of the glass 9.0 against 8.8. On a mirror, the Tosima scored 7.8 in the corners.

Frameless glass was fine on both. The Tosima’s drop sensor turned it before it left the edge.

Corners

My scores out of 10.

The MINI 2’s brushes and the Tosima’s square body both reached well into corners.

Our tip: Finish mirrors and doors with the MINI 2’s Edge Clean mode, because it gave the frames the cleanest line.

Spray, water and nozzles

The Tosima sprays from four nozzles, two per side, with a regular or large volume. The MINI 2 sprays an ultrasonic mist with droplets as small as 10 microns.

The Tosima’s spray setting mattered a lot. Regular spray on inside glass scored 8.6, but large spray on inside glass left streaks. Outside, large spray on dusty glass scored 8.2 and regular only 7.0.

The MINI 2 wet the glass evenly with no drips, which I scored 9.2.

Tosima: spray setting vs result

My scores out of 10.

Water was the Tosima’s weak point. With hard tap water, one nozzle weakened within a week. With filtered or distilled water, all four stayed clear for the rest of the test.

The U.S. Geological Survey classes water above 120 mg/L of calcium carbonate as hard. If your kettle scales up, your window robot’s nozzles will too.

Our tip: Use regular spray indoors and large spray outdoors on the Tosima, because large spray on clean inside glass left streaks.

Routes, modes and controls

The Tosima has six modes, built around its N route for tall windows, Z route for wide ones and manual steering. Choosing the right route made it noticeably quicker.

The MINI 2 offers Fast, Thorough, Deep, Spot for about a 17.7-inch area, and Edge Clean, and plans its own route with WIN-SLAM 4.0.

The Tosima’s remote speaks in multiple languages and needs no account. The MINI 2’s app adds close-range Bluetooth steering and a phone alert if the power fails.

Cord, rope and reach

Both robots need an outlet within reach of their cord, and both tie to a safety rope. On small windows and mirrors that is easy. On tall doors, it is the thing to plan.

On both, I ran the cord and rope down opposite sides of the window. Crossed lines tugged each robot off its route, and on the Tosima a folded cord edge also left a short stripe.

For glass far from an outlet, neither is the right tool. A battery station robot handles that job.

Our tip: Test the power-loss backup once by unplugging mid-run on a low window, because knowing how each robot reacts makes high glass far less nervous.

Which glass and homes suit each

The Tosima suited rectangular windows and sliding doors best, especially where corners matter and you prefer a remote. It was less suited to very dirty, gritty outside glass and to homes with hard water and no filter.

The MINI 2 suited bathrooms, narrow panes beside handles and small homes with little storage. It was less suited to large glass walls far from outlets.

Both were good on frameless glass, and neither was built for neglected windows cleaned once a year.

Mirrors, shower glass and kitchens

Both robots are at their best in the bathroom. The MINI 2 scored 9.2 on a mirror with toothpaste spots and 7.4 on shower soap film. The Tosima scored 9.0 on a bathroom mirror, 7.8 in the mirror corners and 6.8 on soap film.

In the kitchen, the Tosima scored 7.2 on grease film. Heavy grease needed a wipe first.

On both, I waited for the bathroom steam to clear before starting, and descaled limescale by hand first.

Our tip: Let the bathroom steam clear before running either robot, because a fogged mirror makes the pad slide and streak.

Noise, pets and family life

The MINI 2 measured about 65 dB in my room, between normal conversation at about 60 dB and a vacuum at about 75 to 80 dB.

The Tosima’s fan was similar to my ear, and its voice prompts were clear over it. Both are audible in the same room and faint one room away.

With two lines on the floor, the cord and the rope, I kept both robots’ cables along the wall and away from pets.

How loud is it?

My reading for the MINI 2; others are typical reference levels.

A cleaning day with each

In week four I gave each robot a full floor.

The Tosima WA9C Pro cleaned six glass areas in about 25 minutes of my own time. I swapped mops twice, refilled the tank once and emptied it at the end in about 30 seconds. Mops lasted about three windows indoors and two outdoors.

The MINI 2 settled into a weekly bathroom routine of about 2 minutes of my effort and about 10 minutes in total, with a 2-minute pad rinse.

Cleaning and maintaining them

The Tosima needs its mops rinsed, about 2 minutes, its tank emptied after every session and a few seconds of clean water run through before storage.

The MINI 2 needs its pad rinsed, about 2 minutes, its corner brushes checked weekly and its sensors wiped after outside glass.

Neither comes with a storage case.

Our tip: Empty the Tosima’s tank after every session, because water left in it leaves mineral deposits that block the nozzles.

Mistakes to avoid

Most weak results came from a few habits, and the Tosima is less forgiving of them.

My four weeks, week by week

Week one: inside doors, windows and mirrors. The Tosima scored 6.8 after a nozzle clogged with hard water, and the MINI 2 8.0.

Week two: I switched the Tosima to filtered water and started outside doors with a clean start spot. It rose to 7.8, and the MINI 2 to 8.4 on a shower screen.

Week three: routine cleaning. The Tosima reached 8.2 with clean corners and no more clogs, and the MINI 2 scored 8.2 on outside patio doors.

Week four: the Tosima finished at 8.4, with spray and suction as good as day one, and the MINI 2 at 8.8.

Week four satisfaction

My weekly scores out of 10.

Real-life scenarios

These are the moments during testing where one robot clearly pulled ahead.

For rectangular glass with a remote, the Tosima is a solid choice.

My scorecard

These are my own scores out of 10, from my single reviews of each robot after four weeks of daily use.

Overall scores

My overall editorial scores out of 10.

The MINI 2 wins on every score except corners, where the Tosima’s square body edged it. Its much stronger grip is the deciding factor for high glass.

Which one should you buy?

Start with your app preference and your glass height.

If you want the stronger grip for upstairs glass, or you use hard tap water, buy the WINBOT MINI 2. If you never want an app, mostly clean ground-floor rectangular glass and will use filtered water, the Tosima WA9C Pro does a solid job.

For everything I found, see my Tosima WA9C Pro review and WINBOT MINI 2 review, or my best budget window robot comparison, which adds the HIXZAP X1 PRO.

Living with them long term

The Tosima needs its tank emptied after every session and filtered water. The MINI 2 needs its pad rinsed and corner brushes checked weekly.

What I would change: more suction on the Tosima, and a battery option on the MINI 2 for glass far from outlets.

For most people, the WINBOT MINI 2 is the better compact robot.

Tosima WA9C Pro vs WINBOT MINI 2 specifications

From manufacturer specifications and my own testing.

How I tested and compared them

I used each robot as my main small-glass cleaner for four weeks, on mirrors, shower glass, kitchen windows, sliding doors and outside glass. A second HouseholdMe tester shared the robots, and we wrote the notes together.

I scored both on similar glass, tested the Tosima with tap, filtered and distilled water, tested power loss on both and timed every setup, session and cleanup.

I then checked my notes against both manufacturers’ specifications and owner documentation.

• Cleaning: dust, fingerprints, rain spots and months of outside grime.
• Edges: frames, inside corners and frameless edges.
• Safety: suction hold, power-loss behavior and the safety rope.
• Ownership: setup, pads, refills, storage and noise.