Neato Pet & Allergy Upgrade Kit for Neato XV Series Robot Vacuums

I own an older model Neato xv-11 that I purchased about 2 years ago. I use it about every other day, and I use a high suction upright vacuum about once a month. The Neato is not a substitute for a 'regular' vacuum but it does a good job in my opinion keeping floors relatively clean so that dirt is not ground in. My original review here noted that the Neato firmware upgrades were not Mac compatible. To my delight, I revisited the Neato site and discovered they now have a Mac App for free download. I accomplished the upgrade and noted that the unit not only cleans more logically but hugs walls and corners much, much better.At the same time, I discovered the beater bar and filter upgrades on this site. Although I think they're a bit overpriced, they have given my vacuum a new lease on life. The filter is so much better it's not funny. And the beater bar now has brushes built in and picks up dirt, lint and hair far better than the old bar. If you are concerned that the unit is compatible with the xv-11 or other units, be assured that it is. That said, when replacing the bar I had a little trouble. The new bushings on the beater bar ends are a different shape and didn't want to spin very freely. Probably a little breaking in would do the trick but I simply replaced the new bushings with the ones from the old bar, which were perfectly usable. Then, things got back to normal. It was a simple procedure as the orange bushings simply pull off and push on. As others have noticed, the machine is quieter with the new bar -- there's no longer a 'buzzing/humming' sound -- just the suction and wheel noise.I couldn't be happier with the new firmware and parts upgrade. I'm hoping my xv-11 lasts for a few more years.

THANKS TO SOME FEEDBACK FROM ANOTHER CUSTOMER.....my Neato is finally working again. I updated the software and now the Neato has accepted the new improved filter and is working great! If you do upgrade to the newer filter and brush bar, make sure you update your Neato Software. Instructions are available on-line.I purchased this item on the recommendation of a Neato Technician to improve the power of my Neato Vacuum. I installed the brush bar and the filter upgrade per the directions. However, every time I turned the Neato on, it would malfunction and turn itself off. When I checked, I found that each time, the filter had become "unseated" from the door opening. I finally put my old filter back in and turned the Neato on. It proceeded to vacuum the house as before, however, with much less noise, which I like. A downside is that with the new brush bar, the Neato will not vacuum my longer nap area rugs anymore. It keeps getting stuck on the carpet and announces that it is unable to navigate. So the long and short of it is, the filter doesn't work, the brush doesn't work on my area rugs, but the vacuum is so much quieter that I am putting up with it and have not returned the product.

We don't have pets, but we've been renting a condo with wood floors for the last few years, and this brush is very quiet compared to the original brush with plastic fins only. We've had a Neato XV-11 since 2011, and it is great, but the plastic-only fins were loud enough on the wood that I often didn't run it much when we were at home or, say, after 9 pm. One reviewer said it picks up less dust than the other brush, and that could be true, I don't know. But the Neato definitely picks up much more *when I run it* than *when I don't run it*, and so the drop in decibels is definitely worth it for us. For those of you with the plastic-only fins, when you start up the vac, you hear the vacuum start up, and then the increased noise when the fins engage. If you can imagine not hearing the fins engage, and not hearing the fast, slapping (?) sound on wood floors, that's what you get from this. I checked it with my old radio shack decibel meter, put it on A range/fast, stood next to the vac with my hand holding the meter, aiming at the vac. Got max dbs of around 76-80 db with plastic fins only, and about 68-72 db with the new brush. But I'm not a sound professional, and your decibels may vary.

The way people praised the noise reduction by changing out the old roller I thought I was in store for some tolerable cleaning by Neato while I was at home but this is not really the case.Although the roller does reduce the sound quite a bit, the vacuum motor is a majority of the noise and therefore I was a little disappointed at how loud my Neato still was after people made it sound like a miracle remedy.That said, the roller is fairly easy to replace (just pay attention when you do the switch to how it looks before you take out the old one and don't lose small pieces like I did) and I think most people will be fine. I also do think this flap/brush combo roller is more efficient at vacuuming, especially rugs, and I have cats so it seems to help in the rug department. The filter also seems more durable than the old filters.based on the lack of noise reduction I would have liked the price to be a little bit cheaper, but after taking out the older dirty roller, I feel like this is something people with a Neato should upgrade every few years regardless just to keep your robot functioning efficiently.

the brush is perfect. Much less noise with this brush and it is very efficient. the item arrived very fast. The filter is much less useful as it reduces vacuum performance alot, I do not use the filter but like the brush very much. Wished to buy another one for the second robot but it became too expensive in Canadian currency

Worth it picks up 10 times more good bit of kit.

Works and is significant;y quieter than the original brush, I did have some problems with squeaking of the brush but that settled after I relaces the bearings with the ones from the original brush.

Works well with your neato but cleaning the brush is more of a challenge to keep clean.Vacuum runs across floor and hardwood quietly than regular plastic ribbed brush. I paid $75.00.I see todays cost around fifty dollars which is a much better buy and I did not get a filter with the bush.

This is a great improvement if you have carpet or don't like noise (especially in an apartment/condo). The roller that came with the neato was just loud going over hard floor, and made the unit jumpy going over medium pile carpet. The neato is so quiet with this that I had to check that indeed it's spinning. It wasn't cheap, but I don't regret this purchase at all.