Granny: Of all the people on God's earth, you should know better. Sometimes the stuff that comes out of your mouth! - I Robot (2004)
My new Neato XV-ll arrived on Christmas Eve 2011 in a beautiful red and black box
( http://www.robotvacuumcleaner.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/neato-in-box-DSCN9026.jpg ) along with 3 extra filters, a wall charger and a manual. It was a gift from my computer minded brother who lives about a mile away from the Neato headquarters in Mountain View, CA. I took the robot vacuum out of the box, plugged in the induction wall charger and positioned the Neato against it. When the Neato is "full" (a glowing indicator turns green), I pushed twice on the large red button on top and the LCD window told me it was going to clean my house. I thought "excellent". Getting started is so simple. www.robotshop.com/PDF/neato-xv-11-quick-start.pdf
This next link illustrated how the suction system works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0LPUkRVMzo&feature=related
I have a small two story house with around 800 ft2 on the first floor. It is fascinating to watch the Neato methodically clean. First it enters a room and revolves around until its laser has mapped the space. Then it starts cleaning the perimeter and when finished, does the rest of the room in a grid pattern. The Neato took about an hour to finish and then returned to its charging station where it plugged itself back in. I had vacuumed the day before and was surprised at how much dirt was in the Neato's easy to empty dirt collector. I had it clean the house two more times that day for the fun of watching it work. Each time the dirt collector was half full. The Neato cleans places I usually don't, like under the desk, couch and chairs. My house was not as clean as I thought it was - after the 2nd day I stopped sneezing. So be prepared for this green plastic dirt eater to call into question your house cleaning abilities. My house really does feel cleaner.
At first, I expected the Neato to do a superficial cleaning. But, I am happy to report the NeatoXV-ll does a serious job. It has a beater bar like a regular upright, good suction and it cleans under and around things with a minimal amount of running into them. I was astounded. The first thing I did was program the machine to clean every morning. I decided to keep this up until it stopped finding so much dirt and then scale back to every other day.
It's not perfect though. You have to do the Neato version of child proofing your house. The floor needs to be cleared of obstacles. This included putting up electrical cords, small items or actually any loose objects from the floor, Theoretically, the Neato will go around clothes, dishes, books or other objects in it's way, but if they are too short to scan or push on the front bumper, it will try and climb over them. This never has a good result. Also, while it can negotiate regular chairs, my office chair with a five prong roller base confused it. Just watch the first few times the Neato cleans and see what objects or spaces it can't handle and then remove them. In the case of the office chair, I put painters tape around the prongs and now it circle around with no problem. Lastly, it leaves a little ring of debris right up against the wall so you need to occasionally sweep the dust from the edges of your room.
Everyone tends to humanize their machines. The Neato almost forces this. It looks confused when it is. Cries for help when it is in trouble and wiggles it's "butt"to make a good contact with the wall charger.
Here are some short Neato XV-11 reviews from several sources.
1. Amazon.com
Three-quarters of the more than 140 owner reviews at Amazon.com are mostly or entirely positive for the Neato Robotics vacuum. Many owners have also owned the Roomba, so quite a few reviews include a comparison between the two. Owners discuss differences in navigation and cleaning ability as well as battery life. Some prefer the Neato version, while others would stick with the cheaper Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner.
Review: Neato XV-11 All Floor Robotic Vacuum System, Contributors to Amazon.com
2. Good Housekeeping
While this review involves some hands-on testing, editors don't compare the Neato vacuum to other models. They say that the vacuum does a nice job on bare floors and low-pile carpets, missing just a few areas. They add that although they had "a lot of fun with it," it's no substitute for regular vacuuming.
Review: Neato: The Newest Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, Carolyn Forte, Oct. 4, 2010
3. BotJunkie.com
In this head-to-head comparison of the Roomba and Neato vacuum cleaners, the author doesn't quite come down on one side or the other. Both do a good job with hard floors, but the Roomba does a better job on carpet and with cat hair. The Neato vacuum is more efficient, taking only a third as long as the iRobot vac, and the Neato XV-11 is a little better at getting into corners. Neither vacuum can totally replace regular vacuuming with a hose and attachments, the author concludes.
Review: IRobot Roomba 560 vs. Neato XV-11, Evan Ackerman, June 4, 2010
4. Engadget.com
This is another head-to-head between the XV-11 and the iRobot Roomba vacuum. The Neato vacuum is said to be slightly more powerful, but mainly, editors seem enthralled with watching it scan a room and plot an efficient course compared to the iRobot's wandering route. Like other reviewers, the author says you'll still need to vacuum with a more powerful upright now and then. But overall, the XV-11 is more advanced.
Review: Neato XV-11 Robotic Vacuum Review, Tim Stevens, Aug. 24, 2010
5. Geek.com
Like other reviews, this one notes that the Neato vacuum seems easier to clean than the Roomba. The author only used it on hardwood floors, so not much of the review is spent on either robotic vacuum's cleaning ability.
Review: Review: Neato XV-11 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, Sal Cangeloso, Dec. 16, 2010
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