Most of the cat waste ends up in the disposable plastic tubs greatly reducing smell and mess. You will need to keep your scoop, however, as some waste will clump to the bottom of the pan. And reports of bits getting stuck between the rakes are accurate: you'll need your scoop for those as well.

The box is very noisy but I solved that with a $5 appliance timer from Home Depot. Set it to turn the box off when you're trying to sleep and back on in the morning. When powered on the LitterMaid automatically starts a scooping cycle to clear up any mess from the night.

The clumping litter that is required for the box tends to get everywhere, at least with our cats. We bought the overpriced privacy tent and found it does help contain the litter but a few cheap rugs will help as well (we use both).

Overall the LitterMaid is a great time saver and mess reducer. It is a bit pricey, but it does work. Recommended for mutli-cat households.

1) It "rakes" the box itself, so you'll always have a clean, Zen garden-like litter box. This is the biggest plus to the LitterMaid, especially if you have a meticulous cat and are too busy/lazy to clean a litter box on a daily basis.
2) It's relatively easy to clean because of all the removable parts, like the rake, tray, and "paw cleaning" ramp. You'll want to wear gloves for this job.
3) It's already assembled and virtually foolproof. It's almost impossible for your cat to be harmed by it, though they do recommend only healthy adult cats use it, not geriatric cats or young kittens that can't get in or out of the box.

Although the LitterMaid is great (I'd recommend it), don't expect it to be the perfect alternative to the regular litter box. It has its drawbacks, like:

1) It takes 10 minutes to activate the rake. Believe me, when your cat leaves something stinky in there, you're not going to wait 10 minutes. It's much quicker to either use a scooper or reset the power so it'll automatically start up again.
2) It requires more cleaning than a regular litter box because of all the corners, etc. I find myself cleaning it every day, whether it's just to sweep/vacuum on or around it, wipe up messes, or empty the waste receptacle bin. But then, I have six cats. I'm constantly having to do that anyway. (Note: It does come with a small cleaning brush, but it's not really good for much, just brushing off little bits of litter.)
3) (This goes with #2.) Sometimes the rake will get clogged, and the tray will have clumps adhering to it. One solution: After removing and cleaning the rake and tray, spray them lightly with a silicon spray or baby oil to help prevent clumping.
4) It can be operated by eight D-cell batteries. Though this isn't really a drawback (especially in the event of a power outage), it's better--and less expensive--to just use the AC adapter provided. But if you are going to use batteries, I'd recommend rechargeable ones. It's cheaper in the long-run.
5) It's a little noisy. It sounds a lot like a paper shredder and woke me up a few times. I've gotten used to it by now though.

As with any machine, you should read the instructions first, though most of the rules are just common sense sort of things. Here are a couple important notes, though the last two aren't in the instruction manual:

1) Only use premium clumping litters, like the four brands they list: LitterMaid Premium Clumping Litter, Arm & Hammer Super Scoop, Fresh Step, or Ever Clean. Do NOT use crystal or pearl-like litters.
2) The main case (the exoskeleton of the litter box) can NOT be immersed in water.
3) Don't buy new waste receptacles. Your litter box will come with several bins--they can be reused. You can either use a plastic bag inside of them for easier disposal, or just wash out the receptacles when necessary. However, they are rather flimsy and can't handle too much bending or they'll break, so you may need to purchase replacements later on.
4) As with all litter boxes, place the LitterMaid on a hard surface (not carpet), in case of accidents.

Overall, I'm very happy with this product. It's held up to six cats so far, and they actually prefer using it over the regular litter boxes (though I'm still keeping those), probably because 1) it's entertaining, and 2) it's always clean. Although I really enjoy it, it's not a necessary item for all cat owners. Some people will prefer the old method, particularly if you only have a few cats; but for those who don't have a lot of time--or don't want to spend their time cleaning litter boxes--the LitterMaid is certainly worth your money. However, I'd recommend shopping around first. You can definitely find a better price.