Neato Robotics - D5 Connected

Neato D5, I used for about 6 years until the battery became totally useless, it was £80 for a genuine replacement which I didn't go for, figured I had been lucky so far that nothing ever broke on it. Bates in mind this is the price after the company has gone defunct so I imagined that the price increased as stock depleted. It's a shame they went under because I would have bought another easily, now using a cheap Eufy model that cost £130 and pretty happy with it, had it about a year now with no issues so far.

My old Neato D5 is now based in my garage and still does an impressive job.

One problem with D-shape designs is that it makes it more difficult to turn in corners and tight/busy spaces, and it tends to made the robot appear more clumsy.  This is one of the major drawbacks I won’t regret about my Neato D5. The black plastic of the robot left marks everywhere on my white-painted skirting boards as it was bumping against them quite a lot.  I suspect that while it has other advantages this is why most manufacturers aren’t going for a D-shape design. 

My D5 died recently (after about 8 years) and I was fine with it, not having tried anything newer.  But I have to say the Ecovacs T80 I got as a replacement is clearly better in terms of navigation (the Neato had a tendency to bump against skirting board and furniture and leave marks). And also the extra roller mop really makes a difference and my tiled kitchen floor looks visibly cleaner). Pure vacuuming performance seems pretty similar on my laminate and tile floors.  I do have lower expectations from the Ecovacs (and most other current brands) in terms of lifespan though, but honestly it clearly does a better job at cleaning than the Neato.  I definitely got value for my money with the Neato though!

I've had 2 neatos that have lasted a long time. both D5 models, basic but get the job done. Surprisingly even the batteries have held up. I would stay away from roombas, owned 2 in the past and they always had problems, also they have the worst tech and the highest price out of all the competition.

My Neato D5 has about a 20% success rate for high pile throw rugs like that, and has the same problem with the brushroll grabbing the rug too tightly. I just found the big roll of magnetic boundary strip I bought forever ago, I'm thinking I'll probably just put that down under the edge of the rug so I can let it clean my basement unattended again.

I also have a Neato D5 for 6 years. Thankfully my place is quite small so it’s still powering through. My side brush kicked the bucket early on because of some tangled mess it was stupidly trying to clean. With the company going under, for a period of time I couldn’t create new floor plans which was challenging. Last I checked, the floor plan function is up again. Hopefully, the vacuum continues to work for a couple more years and the system continues to be a legacy support.

Exactly our scenario! With three dogs back then, sweeping every night to get the dog hair up was such a burden. Got our robo vac (a Neato D5 back then and a Roborock currently), which made things much easier. Just pull the Dyson out on the weekends and call it a wrap!

Bought a Neato back in 2020, only for them to shut down in 2023. Parents gave me their old Roomba when they got new flooring earlier this year, and now Roomba's on the rocks. I am the kiss of death for robot vacuum companies. I will accept no other explanation.