Robovacs good or not?
Discussion
We have a botvac. It lives in the lounge now as I was sick of it getting stuck in the kitchen on chairs etc.
So long as your floors are fairly flat with no obstructions I think they are pretty good. But they only do a quick tidy up. Not a proper vac really so you still have to use a proper one every so often.
Ours often fails to find its charger so I have to go and check on it every few days.
We also use it for doing under the beds. It will do our lounge (3x6m) in about 10 min. Bedroom is similar size and takes a bit longer as more clutter for it to work round maybe 20min.
So long as your floors are fairly flat with no obstructions I think they are pretty good. But they only do a quick tidy up. Not a proper vac really so you still have to use a proper one every so often.
Ours often fails to find its charger so I have to go and check on it every few days.
We also use it for doing under the beds. It will do our lounge (3x6m) in about 10 min. Bedroom is similar size and takes a bit longer as more clutter for it to work round maybe 20min.
Oh and ours has needed 2 new batteries over the course of about 5 years. They are not actually that cheap about £40 each off ebay. God knows what Neato charge.
The filters are cheap I got a job lot for about 20 quid worked out about £1 a filter IIRC. I change the filter every few months.
The filters are cheap I got a job lot for about 20 quid worked out about £1 a filter IIRC. I change the filter every few months.
I've had the Eufy 11c for about a year now, the first one we had the battery went a bit funny and they immediately replaced it, the new ones brush motor went last week and I just stuck the battery in the old one I'd kept and we were back in business.
We have 3 dogs and 2 teenage boys, hard floors all downstairs and a pretty open plan layout, it's perfect, and buzzes about for 1-2 hrs a day keeping the floors crumb and hair free, if it's not gone on of a day (you can tell Alexa to tell it to go home if it's annoying you) you can really feel it.
We wouldn't be without one now, but as with most things cheep electric nowadays I recon with the abuse we give it I'll need to buy one every couple of years or so.
Re the dog poo, the first issue with the battery may have coincidentally happened after a smearing cleaning incident (the little b
h!) and some grumpy over vigorous cleaning of the unit. 
We have also started to refer to it as "her" (how very sexist), when I got "her" up and running the other day, I saw my wife smile and asked if she'd missed her? and she nodded, like getting one of the dogs back from the vets
We have 3 dogs and 2 teenage boys, hard floors all downstairs and a pretty open plan layout, it's perfect, and buzzes about for 1-2 hrs a day keeping the floors crumb and hair free, if it's not gone on of a day (you can tell Alexa to tell it to go home if it's annoying you) you can really feel it.
We wouldn't be without one now, but as with most things cheep electric nowadays I recon with the abuse we give it I'll need to buy one every couple of years or so.
Re the dog poo, the first issue with the battery may have coincidentally happened after a smearing cleaning incident (the little b
h!) and some grumpy over vigorous cleaning of the unit. We have also started to refer to it as "her" (how very sexist), when I got "her" up and running the other day, I saw my wife smile and asked if she'd missed her? and she nodded, like getting one of the dogs back from the vets
Bought mine from GearBest (China based). Said it was on a slow boat etc - but Arrived within a week.
Xiaomi Robovac
Checked reviews - seems to beat the Roomba/iRobot offerings hands down.
Xiaomi Robovac
Checked reviews - seems to beat the Roomba/iRobot offerings hands down.
Neato Botvac D5 here. Normally comes down to a palatable £300 in the Amazon sales.
Wouldn't be without it. It collects a bin full of dog air every day. Admittedly the bin isn't huge, but needs emptying every day.
Connects in to Alexa - so you can start it off by voice. The App is good, maps the clean every day and you can create virtual no go areas.
Our second Neato - after they fixed a lot of the LIDAR issues.
Wouldn't be without it. It collects a bin full of dog air every day. Admittedly the bin isn't huge, but needs emptying every day.
Connects in to Alexa - so you can start it off by voice. The App is good, maps the clean every day and you can create virtual no go areas.
Our second Neato - after they fixed a lot of the LIDAR issues.
Puggit said:
Neato Botvac D5 here. Normally comes down to a palatable £300 in the Amazon sales.
Wouldn't be without it. It collects a bin full of dog air every day. Admittedly the bin isn't huge, but needs emptying every day.
Connects in to Alexa - so you can start it off by voice. The App is good, maps the clean every day and you can create virtual no go areas.
Our second Neato - after they fixed a lot of the LIDAR issues.
Sounds great. I want an app and some cool tech especially Alexa. Wouldn't be without it. It collects a bin full of dog air every day. Admittedly the bin isn't huge, but needs emptying every day.
Connects in to Alexa - so you can start it off by voice. The App is good, maps the clean every day and you can create virtual no go areas.
Our second Neato - after they fixed a lot of the LIDAR issues.
I don’t know what LIDAR is but I definitely want it too.
Eufy here too. Works well for us, open kitchen / dining / living space with hard floors and a short pile rug. There’s a storage unit with just enough space underneath for it to stay and charge out of the way when not cleaning.
It does struggle with long pile rugs, any cables left trailing, generally anything on the floor that it can get over but stuck on (it seems to like our clothes airer), toys under the sofa, etc. It also found any loose low trim panels in the kitchen from bumping into them.
Very handy though, with two small kids it stays on top of most of the crumbs and things like sand they trail in from the garden.
It does struggle with long pile rugs, any cables left trailing, generally anything on the floor that it can get over but stuck on (it seems to like our clothes airer), toys under the sofa, etc. It also found any loose low trim panels in the kitchen from bumping into them.
Very handy though, with two small kids it stays on top of most of the crumbs and things like sand they trail in from the garden.
Had a Neato for years - don't even know what model, but I've had it a long time.
Recently, it's occasionally complaining that its path is blocked when there is nothing near it - and I've made sure the sensors are clean, although it only seems to have done that upstairs (carpet).
In any case - I find it great, and if it breaks properly it will be immediately replaced.
Only downside is that my stairs get hoovered less now, because I hardly ever have to get the hoover out.
Recently, it's occasionally complaining that its path is blocked when there is nothing near it - and I've made sure the sensors are clean, although it only seems to have done that upstairs (carpet).
In any case - I find it great, and if it breaks properly it will be immediately replaced.
Only downside is that my stairs get hoovered less now, because I hardly ever have to get the hoover out.
I like the idea of the Neato D5 and keep getting very tempted when I see them go down on Amazon sales.
Main reason for looking at a neato over a Eufy 11 (which a couple of workmates have and rate highly BTW) is the laser/radar, i have a large amount of space downstairs where i would set it up, and i assume that the mapping means it is more efficient and methodical.
Is this correct in owners experiences?
Main reason for looking at a neato over a Eufy 11 (which a couple of workmates have and rate highly BTW) is the laser/radar, i have a large amount of space downstairs where i would set it up, and i assume that the mapping means it is more efficient and methodical.
Is this correct in owners experiences?
Buzz84 said:
I like the idea of the Neato D5 and keep getting very tempted when I see them go down on Amazon sales.
Main reason for looking at a neato over a Eufy 11 (which a couple of workmates have and rate highly BTW) is the laser/radar, i have a large amount of space downstairs where i would set it up, and i assume that the mapping means it is more efficient and methodical.
Is this correct in owners experiences?
Neato is very clever in it's mapping and efficiency. Some models just bump around to find their way and are quite random. The D5 maps its territory and then goes up and down. Carpet is left with neat lines like a tractor in a field Main reason for looking at a neato over a Eufy 11 (which a couple of workmates have and rate highly BTW) is the laser/radar, i have a large amount of space downstairs where i would set it up, and i assume that the mapping means it is more efficient and methodical.
Is this correct in owners experiences?
(for clarity - we have one ornamental carpet, downstairs is almost entirely hard floor, which the D5 loves).
Xiaomi Model does similar re mapping the floor layout.
Bunny ears on photo below are where the LIDAR has mapped part of the downstairs kitchen (old Victorian house where kitchen is half a floor/6 steps down). I will say I was bricking it 1st time it went out into the hall, and headed towards the steps. But detected the edge and cleans right up to it with no issues. (Floors a mixture of floorboards/carpet)
Lines represent the route she has taken while cleaning.
And yes “she” is called Hermione the Hoover .....
. Always fun to tell “Alexa - start hoovering”
Bunny ears on photo below are where the LIDAR has mapped part of the downstairs kitchen (old Victorian house where kitchen is half a floor/6 steps down). I will say I was bricking it 1st time it went out into the hall, and headed towards the steps. But detected the edge and cleans right up to it with no issues. (Floors a mixture of floorboards/carpet)
Lines represent the route she has taken while cleaning.
And yes “she” is called Hermione the Hoover .....
. Always fun to tell “Alexa - start hoovering”Another vote for the Neato D5, got one last year in sales to try to help with our dogs undiagnosed allergies, thinking it might be dust mites (Turns out we are pretty sure it is mites now, but the robovac didnt seem to do much good on its own, but perhaps helped)
It works really well with the laser guidance and mapping features, much more efficient than the ones that just randomly bump about and picks up an impressive amount of dust/hair!
The roller and side brush can be removed quick which is needed every few uses roughly, longer hair gets tangled in them but easily removed and they even include a little cutting tool to make it easier.
It works really well with the laser guidance and mapping features, much more efficient than the ones that just randomly bump about and picks up an impressive amount of dust/hair!
The roller and side brush can be removed quick which is needed every few uses roughly, longer hair gets tangled in them but easily removed and they even include a little cutting tool to make it easier.
seyre1972 said:
And yes “she” is called Hermione the Hoover ..... . Always fun to tell “Alexa - start hoovering”
Our Neato is called Roberta (first one was Robbie).. Always fun to tell “Alexa - start hoovering”Annoyingly you can't tell Alexa to tell Roberta to hoover, you must tell Neato. And then Alexa answers that she is starting Roberta up - pffffffff.
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