I bought a Neato Robotics XV-11 unit earlier this year (or was it last year?). I see they've got the XV-21 out now, I wonder if it solves the problems?


My problems with the XV-11 are:

- It doesn't get into the edges the way the Roomba Discovery did. (The Discovery had its little spinning edge brush, which was nice.)

- Its got a little "conning tower" top on it (i.e., its top is not flat like a Roomba, it's got a raised bit on the top, see the photos), and that conning tower is exactly the height to get stuck under certain pieces of furniture. So I still have to flip up certain chairs and do other preparatory work in the house before I run the thing.

- I still have to babysit it so that it doesn't get stuck trying to climb up the kick pedal on the Rock Band drum kit, or trying to climb the flat base of my speaker stands. When you buy it, it comes with a strip of stickyback material that's supposed to be "don't got here" strips, and the robot ignores them. So I can't just let the thing run by itself (which was my hope when I bought it).



What I *like* about the XV-11:

- Its brushes don't get clogged with hair and strings as easily as the Roomba Discovery's brushes got clogged. I don't think I've really had to clean it yet.

- It is more efficient than the Roomba at cleaning an area: It actually maps the area and runs a pattern, instead of driving around randomly like the roomba, so it gets the job done quicker.

- It's quieter than the Roomba Discovery.

- It finds its own base station and docks for power more reliably than the Roomba Discovery.