Evolution Robotics Mint Robot Vacuum Cleaner

I need a little "automatic" robot vacuum cleaner for my kitchen and hardwood floors. Why? Because I'm very, very lazy and I don't like to sweep. :) One of the best-selling robotic cleaners on the market (especially Amazon) is the Evolution Robotics Mint vacuum. In the process of looking for reviews to find out if the Mint really works I came across this useful article:

Robotic Broom With Wet Mop Cleans Hard Floors

Another robotic maid has been introduced into the market for purchase by the almost criminally lazy and/or tech-obsessed. Unlike the iRobot Roomba in many ways, that old standby of automated floor cleaning, the Neato XV-11 (aka the 'Mint') is a simple sweeper and mopper, and gets by without a number of the bells and whistles that the Roomba has.

While the Roomba is a small-capacity vacuum, complete with a spinning brush and suction, the Mint operates with a low-maintenance sweeping pad, which can accept either dry electro-static or wet sheets (Swiffer pads or similar knock-offs work just fine), depending on the type of cleaning you want it to do.

The Mint operates with or without the help of a base station, a Roomba necessity. The so-called, 'NorthStar' beacon allows the Mint to operate in much larger areas by projecting an infrared pattern onto your ceiling, which the Mint can detect and guide itself by. With the help of the beacon, the Mint can cover about 1000 square feet with ease. Without it, it can successfully navigate around 350 with a dry attachment and 250 with a wet, which requires a bit more friction.

Because of its simplified navigation system--the Mint simply travels straight until it bumps into something--it has a much smaller form factor than the Roomba, and it also follows a much more uniform path, as opposed to the pretty haphazard way that the Roomba's blind, random radar leads it around.

Without a particularly advanced internal mapping system, the Mint has no self-charging capabilities with its base station, unlike the Roomba. You'll simply need to find it and plug the sucker in, a minor respite from your parade of laziness. It also has difficulties with navigating certain floor transitions, and can either refuse to cross thresholds outright, or can only manage to cross them one way. This has been recognized by Neato as an issue and a firmware update is forthcoming.

Ultimately the Neato XV-11 is made for the owner of relatively small hard-floored spaces that can get by with light, frequent cleaning, and the occasional, mild mopping. The fact that the device is priced at a fraction of the Roomba's point, a cool $250 gives it a fighting chance at finding a niche, but a number of limitations make this something only worth recommending to someone with a pretty narrow range of needs.

Written by Matthew Jorn.
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