My buddy has this, got it here, It’s great and reliable.
It doesn’t suck, but it also does. 
Pros
It is very advanced and the laser tech in it normally cost twice the list price of jus the vacuum. Many hobbyists buy it and dismantle it for the laser systems alone.
It does a good job and sucks up dirt well.
It works well and doesn’t break down after a lot of use.
Conversation piece.
Will probably not be able to kill you when the robot revolution comes.
Can spice up your pet’s life while you are away.
Can be raced against other items (but will lose)
Good battery life.
Cons
Sometime starts illicit affairs with other appliances (I once walked in on it with the toaster)
It can never love you. (Or, at least, it can never tell you it loves you)
it doesn’t have regular attachments so it can never do what some regular vacuums can do. (Also, it can’t love you like other vacuums can).
It can’t reach everywhere and can miss spots that you need to later put it into a spot cleaning mode.
Listed on Amazon for $1 cheaper and free shipping with prime but the Pet and Allergy kit is going to run you another $60. Great reviews on both items.
I was wondering if anyone knows if this works well on “hand scrapped” floors?
How does this compare to the Neato XV-21 pet/allergy device?
Apparently, this is just as good as the XV-21, assuming you install the pet/allergy kit woot is also providing:
Costco.com has this (w/out the kit) for $35 less.
and costco has something called customer service and returns. also, delivery for members.
I was in for one until I realized that the classy moustache is actually just some brush attachment. Sadly, this makes it unfit for service amongst my other robot help staff.
It should work fine on your scrapped floors. I was happy with my purchase until I saw it selling for $20 less than I paid Woot a couple of weeks ago. Now I feel like a sucker. I’m just sad that Woot didn’t give me their best price from the get go. Sadly it seems they are just like every other retailer trying to get the best of my wallet. Sort of like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Woot sure did burst this girl’s fantasy of a retailer of integrity out there. Most places will honor their best price guaranteed for a minimum of 30 days. You let me down Woot.
A couple weeks ago we sold the XV-21 which is the Pet/Allergy version of the Neato vacuum.
This is the XV-11 with the Pet/Allergy kit. It’s not quite the same thing.
Besides the obvious (model # and paint color,) what specifically do you mean when you say “…not quite the same thing.”?
Thanks to prior comments, it would seem the XV-11 with the pet kit is in fact the same thing, just with a different # and paint color. Since you have inside info, would you please give us the details of the difference?
Thanks.
Stolen from amazon somewhere…
Mechanically and functionally, the XV-11, XV-12, XV-14, and XV-21 are all the same robot. The main difference between all the robots is their color. The XV-21 is the only robot that comes with a new brush and filter, which is centered towards pet owners and allergy sufferers. This updated brush and filter, also known as the Pet & Allergy Upgrade Kit, can be purchased separately and used with all existing robot models.
Anyways, I loved my XV-11. Then it had a meltdown. Almost quite literally, the contacts on the robot and the charging station melted and are now stuck in a position that doesn’t allow charging. Guess it wouldn’t hurt to get a backup Neato, especially with the allergy kit. The XV-11 is loud on hardwood floor with the plastic brush.
A note of caution - I’m on my third XV-12 in 7 months. First one started telling me the brush was stuck after 3 months of weekly use. Cue the replacement. Replacement starts telling me the right wheel is stuck after the fourth use. The replacement for the replacement is en route. My expectations are suitably low.
If these are the same robots as noted in the post above, there seem to be some rather serious quality control issues with Neato that everyone should keep in mind when ordering. Do some googling and you’ll quickly see these problems aren’t rare.
At the very least, keep your existing vacuum as a backup. You’ll need it while waiting on the replacements to arrive. That said, customer service has been very nice and helpful. It’s just a shame I use all the time saved not vacuuming on the phone with them.
Just FYI, seems that Neato got a run of bad batteries that seem to be affecting some bots. If you get less than 45 minutes run time, call Neato, they will get new batteries out to you. Normal battery run time is 60-90 minutes.
I am always amazed of the dozens of folks asking questions they could get them selves by using Google.
Example:
Q: Whats today"s date?
Q: Can I get 2 and mate them?
Q: How to they work in a limited gravity situation?
I just purchased this to replace my current xv-12. Unfortunately the display just went out on my XV-12, it still works, but when it doesnt make the trip back to the charger base, I have to plug it into my computer and reprogram the time that way. I also did have a problem with the metal charging connectors on the rear of the unit, apparently got to hot while charging and melted the plastic. I was able to stick a sewing needle into the plastic to hold it into its normal position. That was 5 months ago and that part is still working fine. Now that I have two neatos, maybe I will get lucky and end up with baby neatos.
I bought the XV-21 last month. I am now on my third one. The right wheel gets struck and will not turn. BTW we just love this little vac. Never had cleaner floors and it does entertain the felines while we are away. Giving it a third chance to get it right. The little vac really does learn your home, it takes about 10 days, but then it does a bang up job. I had not noticed the battery thing, but I will put a timer on it and if it is not keeping up I will give customer service a call for a new battery. Customer service is 24/7 and is very helpful and friendly.
I just saw one of these in Best Buy while waiting in line for Black Friday…I can say that it was doubley expensive and did not come with any sort of fancy pet/allergy kit!
Not meaning to drag this back to the same old roomba vs neato thing but I notice a few people saying these units are unreliable.
If there’s one thing both units truly do have in common it is this;
You have to CLEAN them.
This isn’t a bad thing. You just have to.
I’ve noticed that all the people who don’t routinely dust/wipe/de-hair’tangle their units, complain that they always break down within weeks/months.
It’s really not a big deal. You just get the rollers out and pull that stuff out of there. It allows the brushes to spin without undue stress to the gears/motors and therefore the battery as well.
When you get used to doing this every day when you empty the bin, it takes literally seconds.
I personally have a roomba, and recently found out that even though it is a 500 series, I am able to replace the entire brush canister (the doohickey that spins a wire brush and also a rubber brush) with the 700 series cartridge.
In short, this means sealed bearings/better pickup on the brushes and likely much less cleaning. It’s a 50 dollar upgrade that will possibly see my roomba live out it’s three year warranty, which I didn’t expect when I entered into this bargain.
I know there’s instances where you get a lemon, but when it’s continuously happening, something has to be up with how you’re using it.
These machines are a seething mass of sensors who’s very existence rotates around crawling through your family and pet’s gross leavings.
They get into places that you wouldn’t want to go, and they do it continuously when you’re not even home to see it.
The poor things turn into mechanical dust bunnies.
They are more reliable when you help them to be so.
Care for these units and they will really last a long time.
This.
When I first got ours a few months back, we weren’t really regular vacuumers; maybe once a month or so, or before we were having company. Terrible, I know.
So I really put it through its paces, running it twice on the whole house on its first day, with the dust bin filling up both times. And I had to spend a good while cleaning out all my fiancee’s hair that it had gathered around its roller.
For the next few weeks, I had it on a 2-a-week schedule, and I was still cutting hair from the roller after each run. Then I switched to once a week and let it go a couple weeks without cleaning it. For the first time, I got the “my roller brush is stuck” message, and when I went to clean it, it had a lot of hair around the roller and even on each end where the “axle” and the bearings are.
So yeah, I’ll be going back to cleaning it more regularly. I love the thing too much to live without it.
My cat also still follows it around the house all day, every time 
Well that’s not the case here. The neato is actually simpler to clean than the Roombas I’ve had in the past. You clean the rollers and roller assembly and you’re done. With scissors, it’s a couple minute job. Easy to do after every run or at least once a week. And there are far fewer places for debris and hair to work their way into.
So while I understand the point, the problems I’ve encountered aren’t from a lack of maintenance, but from internal problems with the equipment. The stuck brush syndrome is a result of issues inside the robot that cause the brush to spin slowly (sounds like gears grinding) and trick the sensor into thinking there is debris. The stuck wheel issue is believed to be related to electrical issues within the wheel assembly. it’s known at the company, support had me reboot the robot and when the error instantly reappeared, immediately said “we need to send you a new one”. T
When they work, they’re great and they clean efficiently. But be aware, patience is required to get one without defects. This is after all, a new product niche.