Neato XV-21 Pet & Allergy Robotic Vac

~~~ Update following 3 months of continuous use ~~~ After using Neato XV-21 for about 3 months, we continue to be very happy with it. To show how effective it is, I've put together the attached video of Neato cleaning our 1.5" pile carpet. Note that there are three occasions in this video where Neato appears to give the carpet extra attention. Two of these are directly below where chairs are normally placed, while the 3rd frequently has other heavier items. When Neato gets 'bogged down' by areas like these it does a great job of working on it from different angles, to ensure it still gets a good clean. Following this type of clean, the carpet is noticeably cleaner to touch and I feel much more comfortable with my two young girls rolling around on it. The magnetic strip seen under the edge of the carpet remains there permanently, keeping the strip right near the edge works very reliably. During daily cleans it stops Neato going onto the carpet, while during the focused carpet clean it stops Neato coming off (the carpet). Note: For deeper pile carpets like ours it's important not to place the strip too far from the edge or Neato may not reliably detect it (due to the pile depth). One minor concern has been that the 'bushes' on which the main brush rotates appears to have slightly too much lateral (sideways) movement. When working on particularly heavy areas of the carpet the brush sometimes moves sideways enough that the belt slips (less than 1/8"!), causing a mild knocking sound. I am concerned that if this occurs too much, it could cause premature wear on the belt. Overall, we are very happy with this product. Everyday, while we are still sleeping, Neato automatically 'wakes' and does it's early morning patrol and by the time we are up and about the floors are freshly vacuumed. We have two wonderful Golden Retrievers and this takes away the negative aspect of their daily fur drop. Enjoy! ~~~~ Original review from 11th July 2012 follows ~~~~ We've only been running our XV-21 for a few days, but I feel compelled to provide early feedback & first impressions. Jumping to a conclusion, it works great; my wife and I have both remarked how the floor feels cleaner now with Neato doing it's 5.30 am "patrols". For proof, I give you the distinctly cleaner mop water we now have at the end of floor mopping sessions. Interestingly, this represents savings in water, detergent and mopping effort!!! To some other observations: - Putting up chairs (and similar items) can accelerate the cleaning rate and consequently, extend battery life versus area to be cleaned. - Tiled floor areas: The pickup is impressive on our tiled floor areas, with a clearly superior clean versus our large (and more expensive) Dyson. And remember we are sleeping at the time! ;-) - Carpet floor area: Pickup is impressive but our slightly deeper pile is probably on the limit for it, with progress clearly slower. - Became lost once: I think a contributing factor on that occasion was the 'base' being too close to a corner (they recommend 3' from corners, but that's a little difficult in our house). We moved it out a bit further (still less than 3' though) and it's been fine since. - Filter cleaning: For longevity I use my hand held on the filter after alternate 'patrols', to maintain suction and (hopefully) extend life. - Dust bin capacity: Though it hasn't complained of a full dust bin, I make a habit of clearing it daily. I believe this will help maintain it's cleaning effectiveness and maximize operating time for each battery charge. - Helix Brush is not immune to hair getting caught: After 3-4 runs, the main forward brush needs cleaning. This is not too difficult thanks to a good design which allows for easy 'tool-less' removal. Note: Scissors are useful to cut through the hair which became wrapped around the middle of the brush (easy enough to do, but be cautious not to damage the brush). - Helix Brush 'bushes' must be handled with care: Either end of the Helix Brush is a plastic cap which houses a metal bush on which the Helix Brush rotates. These can be easily removed, and care must be taken that they don't fall and separate. I feel it's better to remove it before cleaning but watch carefully for the metal insert. Conclusion: ~ It's not perfect. Within minutes of starting up it gave us an RPS error which made me think I had received a dud. However, after browsing the Internet a little, I used my hand-held vacuum cleaner and vacuumed the top raised area at the rear. Some posts I found mentioned this as a way to correct this error by clearing obstructions to the Room Positioning System's laser. It worked and I've not had the problem again. ~ While not perfect it is CLOSE TO PERFECT. Despite our early RPS scare, it's worked reliably during these initial few days and produced consistently excellent results. ~ I feel good about buying it and am optimistic that it'll continue to work effectively for some time. Is it a good buy? If it gives us a reasonable operating life, then yes ... check back for an answer later! :)