Neato Robotics - D8

10-12 years ago, I had a pair of Neato XV21s. They were fine. They were much better cleaners than my Deebot X1 Plus is. My Dreame D9 Max however, picks up better than the XV21s did, but I'm not totally wowed by how much better, so I don't think it's a lot. . I would hope that if you're talking about ones that are above the $200 mark, there would have been significant improvements since then. I can't find the specs on my old ones, but the D9 Max is rated for 4000 Pa, the X1 Plus 5000 Pa .. The X1 Plus's suction is *terrible* though in comparison to the D9. So I guess specs aren't everything. I had a Neato D8 that only lasted about 6 months (and the company offered to replace it, even after they had folded, but I couldn't find my receipt) that was rated for 2500Pa, and it was much better than the X1 Plus, too. With models out there exceeding 20k Pa on the top end, I'd hope there are improvements in the last decade!

Yep. I’ve had no issues with the Neato robot longevity. They outlasted the company. Botvac connected was still going strong except for battery and knackered side brush at 5 years (daily use). Replaced with a D7 when on offer and that’s still going strong 5 years on (battery still fine), except for the side brush dying again after year 2. Bought a D8 on offer for <€200 about the time Neato was folding for another area of the home, and that’s still going strong. Have just ordered a Eufy S1 Pro after seeing the first convincing mopping, so I’m hoping it can match the Neato longevity (but with working side brushes).

That $140 sounds like a great price, gotta look into that! We had much the same enjoyment out of our Neato D8's, right down to buying the second one for same reason. But those were $300/ea. Anyway, they're out of business and EOL. App will work until 2028, they say. But one of the two has died (well, one wheel died, so it goes in circles now). So, I've been looking. I'm considering the Eufy L60 which is closer to that $300 price point.

Thank you for the update. I currently have a Neato D8 so I’m used to “lidar but stupid” robovacs :D That covers 16m2 in half an hour, vacuuming on high, leaving 60% battery. The slower mop drying puts me off a bit as we live in an old cottage, the pet hair brush does sounds really interesting as I have to clear the Neato’s brush almost daily. It seems to me that all the eufys need higher capacity batteries.

Just to add to your excellent analysis, we had matted carpeting under a standing desk even though we vacuumed regularly with a powerful central vacuum with an electric powered head. After a few months of running a Neato robotic vacuum 5 days per week, the carpet was no longer matted.

We had a matted area in carpet where we used a standing desk even though we vacuumed with a strong central vac that has a powered carpet head. A few months after using a Neato 5 times per week the area was no longer matted. So robotic vacuums can actually do a heck of a job.