Neato has garnered favourable reviews from a lot of tech sites like Trusted Reviews, Robot Shop and Geek.com throughout the years.
If you’ve read all these reviews, one takeaway is that it has no nonsense looks bordering to being bland.
And it has a navigation system that makes it one of the more efficient robot cleaners we have right now.
Related: You can check out the latest Neato robot vacuums in this guide to see which one will suite your needs.
Taking off the extras like the remote and side brushes allowed Neato to sell their products at a lower price compared to other brands with all the bells and whistles like iRobot, LG and Samsung.
The Neato XV-14 is basically an XV-11 that comes with extra accessories that includes 3 extra filters and brush blades plus one extra replacement squeegee if you buy it in Amazon.
It also comes in a dark blue color that looks like an Nintendo game console than a modern robot.
Everything else in it is basically the same with the XV-11.
It is actually cheaper than an XV-11 add to that the 3 extra filters and brush blades plus the extra squeegee it is very good value for your money.
By the way the XV-14 already has long been discontinued by Neato. In its place is the BotVac series that has the latest S.L.A.M. algorithm to go with the laser sensor and a lithium ion battery.
This means that these robots will be more efficient and run longer than any of the XV-series robots. Make sure to check the comparison guide.
Pros
- Cleans way more efficiently than other robot vacuums using random algorithms
- Suction plus squeegee brushroll picks up pet hair efficiently well on carpet
- Laser sensor detects obstacles and avoids them
- Displays the actual error on screen so this takes away guess work if something goes wrong
- Upgradable firmware
- Batteries can be replaced which is great in case it fails, you’ll have that option to replace it
Cons
- May struggle with heavier debris
- May also have some difficulty picking up light debris like paper on hard floors
- It is loud measuring around 80 decibels
- Doesn’t have a remote
What do you expect from the Neato XV-14?
All Neato products are the similar if you compare the motor and navigation system, the difference lies within the cleaning brush, color and the accessories included in the package.
- Uses a laser guided sensor to map out a room
- It can be scheduled to automatically clean once a day, 7 days a week
- Comes with 3 extra filters, brush blades and a replacement squeegee
- Does not have HEPA filtration
- Auto adjustable height makes it compatible on hard floors as well as plush carpet
Complete specs can be found here.
Navigation
Neato uses a laser sensor that scans a room 360 degrees before starting its mission.
This same sensor also detects potential obstructions like furniture and avoids them outright.
The downside to this technology is that the laser only detects objects within its line of site so anything over or under it cannot see and will bump into it.
This is where the bumper comes into play, if it detects that it has bumped into an object, it tells the robot to move in another direction.
It can get stuck under furniture if the sensor doesn’t see an overhanging object – the side of the bed is just above the line of sight of the sensor.
Here’s an illustration on its cleaning pattern…
A long exposure shot
Photo source here.
Will it Clean Stairs?
No. None of the robot vacuums can so far.
Scheduled Cleaning
All Neato products can be scheduled 7 times a week. That’s once every day.
Charging Time
It’ll take between 60 to 90 minutes to recharge.
Robot clean up
As with all mechanical and electronic devices maintenance is very important for it to run flawlessly for a long time.
For the Neato, you’ll need to empty the dirt bin after every run. Just pull the dirt bin located in the middle of the robot then pop off the filter then empty the contents.
Here’s a video on how the maintenance is done…
Run time
A full charge will give between 60 to 90 minutes of run time, it may not sound a lot but with the laser navigation system, it allows this robot to clean rooms way quicker than a Roomba.
Some consumers in Amazon though got than the numbers I mentioned above, they got between 30 to 45 minutes per charge.
Warranty
Neato will a 1 year warranty on the robot plus 6 months on the battery.
Some consumers mentioned that they’ve received replacement units for the defective ones that they’ve received without any issues whatsoever.
There were some complaints though about poor customer service like Neato asking customers to pay for the shipping costs when returning defective units.
Bare Floor Cleaning
In a lab test done by Robot Shop, it did fairly well on hard floors but it had some issues in picking up light debris such as paper and heavy debris like nuts and bolts.
Take note that tests done in here were considered “extreme” so in normal situations it should do fairly well…
Carpet Cleaning
It shined on carpet picking up light debris like pet hair and paper better on this surface compared to hard wood floors.
Rugs
Piggybacking on a Robot Shop test, it can climb up obstacles up to half a centimetre high.
It won’t have any trouble cleaning dark rugs based on a test by Robot Shop. It can clean thick shag rugs but it cannot deep clean…
Some consumers have complained that it didn’t work well on thick shag and black carpet.
Pet Hair Removal
It scored well on carpet picking up the most amount of pet hair in a test done by CNET. So think about getting this if you have a lot of pets at home.
Robot shop mentioned that it did better picking up pet hair on carpet compared to hard wood floors.
See it in Action
Product Specifications
| Battery type | Lithium Ion |
| Charger type | Charging Station |
| Charge time | 60-90 minutes |
Run Time  | 30-60 minutes (based on reviews) |
| Net weight (with battery) | 8.6 pounds |
| Shipping weight | 15 pounds |
| Dimensions | 12.5" × 13" × 4" |
| Multi Room |  |
| Self docking | |
| Remote control |  |
| Hepa filtration | |
| Cliff detection | |
| Self adjusting | |
| Edge brushes | |
| Full bin indicator | |
| Stair Cleaning | |
| Cleaning sessions per week | 7 |
| Extra Filter | |
| Containment | It uses a magnetic strip instead of a virtual wall. |
| Brush cleaning tools | N/A |
| Accessories included | 3 Extra filters 3 Extra brush blades 1 Replacement squeegee User guide Quick start guide |
| Voltage | 110 volts |
| Manufactured in | China |
| Warranty | 1-year on robot |
Customer Reviews
Around 60 people left a review and out of that only 9 gave negative reviews which had something to do with lemon units.
There’s the faulty battery that lasts only a few minutes, buggy software that affects navigation and constant babysitting because it had a tendency to get stuck between the legs of tables or chairs.
If there’s one thing that consumers, it’s the efficiency of which this robot cleans. Unlike the Roomba that goes in a random direction, this robot will clean in a straight, back and forth pattern. It will finish the job faster and miss fewer spots.
It won’t clean edges well either because it doesn’t have any edge brushes but consumers didn’t seem to mind this flaw because it did well on the other areas.
Consumers had to make some adjustments with the Neato around.
They had to clear wires, socks and other debris that might get in the way which is somewhat positive because it forces you to clean up your own messes hence a more organized home.
While some reviews mentioned that they’ve come home to clean floors after scheduling the Neato to clean on its own without supervision, others prefer to clean one room at a time.
This would largely depend on the layout of your home and the amount of clutter around the room. The less clutter the more likely it is that the robot will be able to clean multiple rooms.
Remember that you’ll need at least 3 feet of space all around the charging dock to allow the robot to dock without any issues.
Reviews from other sites
Costco
Over 60 people left a review in Costco and most of them were positive unfortunately it isn’t available.
Consumers who left positive reviews liked how it was methodical navigating around the room, leaving nice straight patterns on their carpet, they even gave their robot vacuums a name!
Pet hair owners were also among the satisfied customers saying that it was great at picking up pet hair even under furniture.
The amount of pet hair that accumulates will go down because of the autonomous nature of this robot.
Consumers who switched from the old Roomba series to this were happy because it was more efficient.
One complaint though would be the absence of a side brush that hampers its ability to clean edges and corners.
Sam’s Club
Among the 20 reviews, several pet owners were among the satisfied customers saying that it helped them clean pet hair off on both carpet and hardwood floors.
It help save time because it is autonomous.
Complaints were more about reliability issues, small dirt bin, loudness and this robot not navigating well under furniture.
Where can I buy this?
You can still buy this in Amazon for less than $300 and it’ll be eligible to their free 2-day shipping if you join Prime.
Extended warranties are also available of up to 3 years if you want that extra peace of mind.
This robot is very old with an outdated navigation software and battery. You may want to checkout the new BotVac series robots that will be more efficient and clean your homes better.
Conclusion
This product is in essence an XV-11 that comes with 3 extra bristled brushes, 3 extra filters and an extra squeegee brush roll.
I’m not sure if the brushes is similar to the one in the XV-21 but having that extra brush and filter will add a lot of value to every dollar you spend.
This robot is great for homes with shallow to medium pile carpet as suction combined with the squeegee brush roll work well to pick up dirt on this surface.
It’ll work also well on hard surfaces but it can struggle a bit picking up light debris like paper.
The navigation system is one of the better ones I’ve seen in the market as it allows this to clean rooms more efficiently, even when its pitch black.
Other manufacturers have used cameras as part of their navigation system. But the downside to these is that it only works on a lighted area. And these cameras add to the manufacturing expense hence a producing a more expensive product.
