Neato XV-11 Robotic All-Floor Vacuum System (Open Box) $219 + Fs at walmart

Smoking Hot Deal.. This should be FP..... I bought this last year for $299

How does this compare to Roomba?

XV-21 for $259 is a better deal. You'll get the upgraded brush and filter for only $40 more. These would cost about $60 otherwise. Also, the XV-11 can be had new on ebay for about $170, while the XV-21 is going for close to $300.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/pr...gMethod=rr

BTW, all indications are that all models (XV-11, XV-12, XV-14, XV-21, etc.) are identical internally depending on manufacturing date.

Edit: Should mention that these prices at Walmart are for open box, not new. If you want new at a good price, search for seller recomtechnologies on ebay. I just picked up a XV-14 (same as XV-11 but with extra filters and blades) for $188 at auction. BIN = $229.

Can anybody clarify on how well these work? Do you pre-program the layout of your house or something along those lines before it does its work? I've always been skeptical of these things...

Is it really worth this much money to have a robot rolling around my room to clean?...

It seems more like a cute accessory than anything lol.

Or prey for my cats..

I have one, love it! With two kids, two dogs, a cat , and a husband, living in the country, my wood floors are ALWAYS a mess.

Does it do as well as a person with a vacuum and broom? No.

Does it do better than nothing? Absolutely!

I can set the schedule, it runs when we aren't home. I Can grab a broom and get the edges it may have missed in about 3 minutes, done!

I also have a Mint Plus cleaner, it mops the floor for you. I like it,but not nearly as much as my Neato!

Best deal I've seen so far. Says open box but it comes in sealed brand new (I bought two XV-21s at $290).

Pretty sick!

Click Here [walmart.com]

Quote from Banefulhaze : Can anybody clarify on how well these work? Do you pre-program the layout of your house or something along those lines before it does its work? I've always been skeptical of these things...

There's no pre-programming, other than setting the times that it runs. I picked one up in a Woot deal. These guys have LIDAR on them (like RADAR, but with light), so in theory they scan and build a map of your house as they drive around. Contrast this to most Roomba models, which just sort of randomly bump into walls and pivot. It's actually pretty impressive to see the thing drive between two chair legs with less than a half inch clearance on each side.

The Neato also has large wheels mounted on semi-extendable legs. This allows it to climb over things that would stop a roomba. The downside is occasionally it will try to climb over something to tall for it, and strand itself with one wheel off the ground.

Overall my results have been good, but it takes some extra mindfulness. It does a good job vacuuming, but I live in an old SF apartment with few electrical outlets, which means lots of wires running around. You have to be careful to keep them tucked back against a wall and/or elevated, or the Neato will get stuck on them. Same goes for shoes/shoelaces.

These things are a lifesaver for me. I have a pretty big house, with hardwood, tile, and thick carpet. I have two of these, one for upstairs, one for down, and they both work really well, keeping the floors free of almost all dirt. They are far better than my previous Roomba, which basically runs around randomly and sweeps dirt off the surface. These actually have some power, and are much, much smarter. They will map out your house themselves, clean everywhere they can get to, and automatically recharge themselves to continue.

Will they replace your vacuum? Probably not. I still have to get out the old vacuum and clean every couple of weeks, but in the meantime, especially if you have animals in the house, you will find yourself far less disgusted with the regular state of affairs.

Tricks of the trade:
1. Set the timer so it runs every day while you are at work. It is quite loud, and will likely annoy you otherwise.
2. Set the charging station near your kitchen (or wherever gets dirtiest in your house). Make it so there is no obstacle directly in front of it. This will ensure that dirt gets cleaned first, and most often.
3. Try to arrange chairs and such so that there is room for the robot to fit. Mine does get stuck sometimes, and it is usually under the table, because the chair legs are too close together, and it is a crazy maze.

Skynet in the making.

Quote from iangm : There's no pre-programming, other than setting the times that it runs. I picked one up in a Woot deal. These guys have LIDAR on them (like RADAR, but with light), so in theory they scan and build a map of your house as they drive around. Contrast this to most Roomba models, which just sort of randomly bump into walls and pivot. It's actually pretty impressive to see the thing drive between two chair legs with less than a half inch clearance on each side. The Neato also has large wheels mounted on semi-extendable legs. This allows it to climb over things that would stop a roomba. The downside is occasionally it will try to climb over something to tall for it, and strand itself with one wheel off the ground. Overall my results have been good, but it takes some extra mindfulness. It does a good job vacuuming, but I live in an old SF apartment with few electrical outlets, which means lots of wires running around. You have to be careful to keep them tucked back against a wall and/or elevated, or the Neato will get stuck on them. Same goes for shoes/shoelaces.

XV-21's "new and improved brush" lets hair get wrapped around brush so you need to clean it more often. (You do get the original brush as well but you will have to change it out) The filter on the XV-21 is better, but you can mod the XV-11 by gluing on a hepa filter.
Ideally you need one XV-11 and one Roomba for each cleaning area (Try to break down your home into multiple areas) XV-11 goes first to suck up hair and the Roomba goes next to work the edges.
You also need at least 2 mints for hard surfaces. I don't have a Scooba at the moment, but will add if I can ever find one at a deep discount.

These things are amazing. Incredibly glad I bought one (at $260)

Quote from Banefulhaze : Can anybody clarify on how well these work? Do you pre-program the layout of your house or something along those lines before it does its work? I've always been skeptical of these things...

You can set a schedule for it to run on (pick a time on one or more days per week) or you can just start it manually when you want it to go.

As for how it works, it finds its own way around by "looking" at its surroundings. It will typically make its way to a wall and then trace the outskirts, then go back and forth from one side to another. If it's a big room, it may do it in sections.

That's for rooms without obstacles. If there are obstacles, like a dining room table with 6 chairs, it will need to go around a lot of things. And it does it quite will. It keeps track of where it's been and won't go over the same spot unless there is no other path. I love this thing for picking up crumbs every couple days around the table.

It runs for about 45 minutes to an hour on a charge. When the battery is depleted, it finds its way back to the charging base (even if it's on the other side of the house). After it is charged it will go right back to the location where it previously stopped vacuuming and continue on its way until it's gone everywhere it can.

There are some flaws of course. It can get lost occasionally. This usually happens after it gets stuck somewhere, most frequently on power cords and things like that. It then seems to wonder in places it's already been and can't find its way to the charging base when needed. You usually need to cancel the run at that point and carry it home. Unfortunately, there is no real option to have it finish the rest of the house after that. It would need to start from the beginning again. Or you can carry to the location you want it to clean and start it there, but it won't know where its base is when it needs to charge.

It also seems to get lost more frequently if its sensors are not cleaned periodically. I believe there is one on the right front side, two on the bottom, and the laser eye on the top. I usually just blow these off periodically or wipe or vacuum them and it seems to work better.

The only other issue I have had is sometime it can not quite find the charging base and connect automatically to charge. It will then sit and signal until you come help it. This isn't a big problem for me, as I am usually home when it runs. But for most people, you probably want it to run when you are out at work. So it can be a problem. The best fix for this is having the base in a location where there is nothing else near it, like the middle of a wall. Also, it will work better on a hard, flat surface. On a thick rug near a baseboard your likely to find it tilts due to the unevenness from where the rug is tacked down.

My last problem, after a year of use, is that the thin metal bars on the back of the unit that make contact with the charging base to charge the battery seem to have gotten pressed in some from it backing into things like chair legs, desks, tight corners, etc. Not so much as it won't charge, but it seems the angle at which it can make a connection has decreased significantly.

All in all, if you don't like to vacuum or don't have time to do it frequently enough. This thing is a tremendous help. You just need to keep the clutter off the floors so it doesn't get tangled or stuck. By clutter, I mean the small things that it won't be able to "see" or "feel." For example, it will see book bag blocking its way and avoid it. Or it will feel a shoe on the floor and find its way around instead of pushing it. But it will have problems with a mess of cords, small toys, etc. It may have trouble with some throw rugs or bath mats as well, but manages remarkably well in my opinion.

I can't compare it to a Roomba, as I've never tried one. But from what I've read, the Neato is much more efficient in its course. I believe Roomba has quite a random pattern until it covers everywhere. You will notice that the Neato will try to use a back and forth pattern as much as possible.

If you are techie that remembers the capability of computers back before 2000, you will likely be amazed at how this thing can do what it does.

I just bough a 2nd so that I can have one up stairs and one down stairs and run them every other day.