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The world of robot vacuum cleaners is big. It is indeed frighteningly large. While the Roomba may have made its claim years ago, it’s evident that there’s plenty of room for healthy competition in the mix.
Competitors currently garnering a lot of attention include the Narwhal Freo, a self-cleaning robotic vacuum and mop in one. Just the fact that it offers both features makes it stand out among its competitors – who doesn’t love the convenience?
At the same time, it is undoubtedly a luxury item. It’s the kind of spending that makes you sit up and think, but it can also allow you to sit down and relax a lot more often. Is it worth? put the narwhal Freo to the test.
The Narwhal Freo is a high-tech vacuum and mopping robot designed to reinvent intelligent cleaning technology as we know it.
The integrated DirtSense technology effectively detects dirt to identify contamination and determine how often an area needs to be cleaned in a single session.
Powerful mop pads leave hard surfaces shiny and pristine, while 3,000 Pa of vacuum suction sucks up just about anything in its path in a single pass.
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Why are we reviewing it
There is no shortage of robot vacuum cleaners out there. However, many are just replicas of each other and offer nothing but a few standard features. They can clean efficiently, or at least modestly well, but don’t necessarily offer other notable features.
That was not the case with the Narwal Freo. Admittedly, even robot vacuums/mops are nothing new as there are quite a few of these dual function dynamos on the market today.
But the Freo seemed to score with five different cleaning modes and a sleek and modern look. The onboard algorithms use DirtSense technology to determine how dirty floors are and how often they should be cleaned during a single session.
Narwal has also outfitted the Freo with a ‘smart’ system designed to outsmart other smart vacuum/mop combos. Whether it would live up to the hype took some time and thorough testing.
That’s especially true since Narwal is a relative newcomer to the robot scene. They launched their first model, the T10, in 2021 and the Freo hit shelves in late 2022.
Who can benefit
Anyone who has hesitated about buying a robot vacuum and mop but wanted to look out for something more advanced could be influenced.
The Narwal Freo is a premium product that will also appeal to those who dig a little deeper and want a device that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional.
It is also a suitable choice for parents and pet owners. Given that routine messes like crumbs and fur can be difficult to keep up with, a powerful robot like this can help you efficiently maintain your home when you just don’t have time to do it yourself.
Our experience with Narwhal Freo
Setting it up right out of the box was relatively easy. The Freo is a behemoth of a robot vacuum housed in a glossy white hub that offers an impressively distinctive appearance wherever you choose to place it. For some, this size could be off-putting if floor space is limited.
It was easy to connect the robot to the Narwal Freo companion app via WiFi. The app is quite intuitive and allows you to assign rooms, start the device, send it back to the hub, check the vacuum/mop status and see the battery level.
It takes a few minutes to get the hang of selecting different modes and selecting specific areas of your home to clean if you choose to do so.
The app is necessary to take full advantage of the Freo, although there’s a very slick built-in LCD touchscreen display that also lets you select cleaning modes.
The Narwhal Freo is aesthetically pleasing, with a glossy and modern hub and eye-catching LCD display.
These modes give this vacuum and floor mopping robot its appeal. You can set it individually to vacuum or wipe. Or you can do both in a single session.
Another mode allows you to vacuum first and then return to previously vacuumed hard surfaces to mop. This is a great feature if you’re looking for a deeper, more intense clean.
The final option is the brand’s “Freo” mode, in which the vacuum uses DirtSense technology to detect the level of dirt and then decide if an area needs to be cleaned again or if it’s completely clean.
How we tested it
We tested the Narwhal Freo intensively for two months. The aim was to determine not only the efficiency, but also the small nuances that can influence your purchase decision.
Everything from noise to navigation has been carefully thought out. The Freo had free rein on a variety of different surfaces in the home, including hardwood, ceramic tile and carpet. It also had to contend with average household obstacles like chair legs and low furniture.
The narwhal Freo efficiently picked up a variety of objects intentionally left on each of the surfaces in its path, including dirt, bits of grain, hair, and other miscellaneous crumbs and debris.
The Narwhal Freo includes dirty water and clean water chambers that easily lift for quick and effortless maintenance.
The dust box housed in the robot had to be emptied within a few uses. It’s generously sized for a relatively compact device and is easy to remove by simply pulling upwards. A button releases dirt straight into the trash for hands-free cleaning.
The wiping technique is particularly impressive. The Narwhal Freo comes with a bottle of the brand’s floor cleaner – it’s said to smell like lemon and basil, but overall it’s quite mild and unnoticeable.
The Freo is based on two wipe pads that are activated when you set the device to wipe. In this case, it uses its sensor to detect a shift from carpet to solid surface, then lowers the pads and wipes the floors.
It does this fairly efficiently and does quick work with stuck dirt inside. After a few passes over particularly dirty spots, the floor looked clean and shiny – essentially what we’d expect from manual wiping.
Another “smart” feature is the device’s ability to self-clean the mops. To do this, it detects when the pads are dirty and then immediately returns to the base station to clean them.
The Narwal Freo automatically adjusts the pressure and downward force of the mop pads based on the surface.
Periodically, you will need to (slightly) lift and empty the dirty water canister and fill the adjacent canister with fresh water. How often the mops are cleaned depends on the selected cleaning mode.
It finishes with a 104 degree heat drying cycle that prevents bacteria from building up on the mopping pads.
Many vacuum robots struggle with corners, which is why the Freo is equipped with Smart Swing technology. These little brushes regularly fan out as the robot swings around tight corners, effectively collecting debris in those areas and leaving them clean.
The noise is minimal at best. It’s audible, yes, but the noise is a lot less objectionable than anything that creates an upright vacuum. You can also easily focus on other tasks with that milling around your feet.
When the robot needs charging, it drives back to the hub. You can follow the progress in the app. Without prompting, it will continue cleaning if it was in the middle of a session.
The final result
The Narwhal Freo will undoubtedly make a fascinating addition to your home. It’s fun to watch this efficient (and even kind of cute) little powerhouse as it moves from room to room, effectively picking up all manner of litter in its path.
It’s also incredibly convenient to let something else do all the (literal) dirty work. Customizing each vacuum/mopping session puts you in control at all times, and the app makes it easy to set it to start with just a quick tap, no matter where you are.
We recommend the Narwal Freo as a top-of-the-line vacuum and mopping robot because of its ability to efficiently clean multiple surfaces. It saves time and energy, allowing homeowners to set it, forget it, and enjoy the benefits of a clean home without lifting a finger.
Narwhal Freo
- 3,000 Pa suction power
- DirtSense technology detects the degree of dirt
- SmartSwing ‘corner traps’ eliminate dirt in tight spaces
- 7 N downward force on wooden floors
- 12N down force on tiled floor
- Self-cleaning system
- Heated to 104° to prevent bacteria
- Retail price $1,399.99 (+$100 off)
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