Glider Slim Magnetic Window Cleaner

I got this because I live in a high rise with a great view of the city and I can't stand the water spots, dirt/pollution, and pollen that clings to my windows and really takes away from my view. The pro cleaners we have 1-2 times a year just aren't enough. I was even plotting how to attach a squeegee to a really really really long stick, wishing I could scale the building like Spider Man...just to get rid of the dang dirty water spots! When I found this I was so excited I thought I would give this gadget a try. :)My biggest wish - That it came with a couple of sets of pads. After 1/2 of my big windows, anything after was nothing but smudge city. Note the tips I figured out to help with that...**There is a long string and loop attached to the base that goes outside, in case it falls*** (I didn't remember seeing this noted anywhere but was pleasantly surprised when it came and it had a string)Tricks to handling: - Remove the pads and rinse them in the sink after each pass on your window(s), then go for another round or 2 on the windows. May still see some light smudging in the end, but for me, its better than dirty/pollen ridden water spots. - Do NOT just yank off the pads that go on either side of this thing. The velcro on the product will come off too. Peel the pads away from the velcro on the bases. - Do NOT pull the 2 sides directly away from each other. This is actually noted on the product documents. The magnets pop right out. You will be amazed at how strong those puppies are! Key is to turn one side (like a clock) to slide the magnets apart and then both sides will come away from the window.I think this invention is a really good idea in general. I give it a break because there really isn't anything else out there like it on the market. Over all I am willing to deal with the quirks of the product and light smudging if it means I can get rid of the caked on junk that comes from living in the city. So if you are looking for perfection, don't bother. If you are like me and are looking for any sort of a break from dirt and grime and wish you could scale the building yourself just for SOME sort of improvement, give it a try. :)

I feel like giving whoever invented this little sucker a big ole hug!:-) I live on an upper floor of a really old apartment building in Manhattan--God only knows the last time the windows were cleaned here, and they're steel framed sliding double paned windows--you can slide the top panel down over the bottom to open the top, or the bottom panel upwards over the top pane to get air from the bottom. What this means is, there's always a region in the middle that just can't be reached from inside (the far corners were nearly impossible too, though I leaned and twisted out the window several times--dangerous mind you!--because I was so frustrated with the grungy, dirty view on the world I was greeted with everyday). I thought, short of me growing go-go-gadget arms, I was just stuck with filthy windows. But the Glider made it possible for me to clean the ENTIRE pane of each of my windows! It seems like a small thing, but it makes a big difference to me to be able to see the sun clearly and to look out at the world through windows that are sparkly & clean:-). I don't think anybody who would give this thing one star read the directions properly. Yeah, the magnets are strong (my window has double paned glass, so they need to be!) and if you stick them together, they will be hard to pry apart, (but if you slide them sideways it's not THAT difficult--and I'm saying that as a small framed woman, not a body builder); when I first tried it out, the outside half fell off a couple times (hold the string and all is well), so, as per the directions on the packaging, I just twisted the blue knobs on the top down and, sure enough, that increased the magnet strength just perfectly. No more falls, at all--it stuck to both sides just fine. The only tough thing still is, if your windows are really filthy like mine were, you might have to do several cleanings and you still have to stretch a bit to apply your glass cleaner on the outside, but it's worth it in the end--and at least now I CAN clean my window properly! The price isn't cheap, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a good investment; it works. This isn't something to buy if you're just lazy and think it will make cleaning your windows easier (if I could walk outside my window and clean it by hand, I'd just do that), so yes, it does take a little practice--but for people in a situation like mine where there's simply no other way to clean your window apart from paying to have professionals come with big ladders, it's a LIFESAVER, seriously.

They say it in the literature, but I'll reiterate it here: THE MAGNETS ARE POWERFUL. They'll pinch your finger quickly if you don't take some precautions, and I've had them slip out of their plastic recesses once or twice. BE CAREFUL.That said, the product works "OK". I bought it because I was on the third floor of a highrise about 40' up and the building didn't hire anybody to clean the outside of the windows. It looked like fogged glass at some points in the morning.The biggest issue you'll have with this is getting the thing to glide in a smooth motion. Even with slow arcs the magnets make the thing jump and skip in a stuttering motion a lot of the time. I feel like there's a lot of room for design improvement - maybe make the squeegee portion longer (it's about 1/8th of an inch off the plastic housing) and add some tiny casters so it rolls over windows instead of relying on surprisingly high-friction cloths.It did, in the end, get the job done. You might want to put on a larger safety rope than the dinky one they included if you have larger windows (to get the entire window you'll have to almost close it with half of the device on the outside, so account for double the width of your window at the very least), but after a few attempts the windows were clean enough.So if you can't get at your windows from the outside without hiring a scissor lift, this isn't a bad option.