I’ve tested far too many robot vacuums. Far too many. And as much as I love the machines, mopping often leaves something to be desired. When I’ve tested robot vacs, they’ve often struggled to mop up stains on hard floors. Which is why the Narwal Flow caught my eye.
The Flow comes kitted out with something called the FlowWash Mopping System – a track-based mopping setup that keeps clean water flowing as it goes. It’s designed to make sure your floors end up squeaky clean. And if it works as well as it should, I think it could be the best mopping system on a robot vac.
Narwal’s continuous clean-water circulation uses hot water (around 45°C) and a 16-nozzle system that sprays like it means it. It even scrubs itself as it cleans, thanks to separate tanks for clean and dirty water. It’s essentially like the robot’s mopping with a freshly rinsed cloth every second – something most robot vacs could never manage.
But the Flow doesn’t stop at mopping. There’s 22000 Pa of suction here, which should be enough to wrench dust from the very soul of your carpet. And with an ultra-slim 95mm chassis, it should sneak under furniture like it’s no trouble. Toss in its dual-camera navigation, 3D depth sensing, and a processor that clocks 10 trillion operations per second, and what you’ve got is a vacuum that sees your floor better than you do.
The self-maintaining dock steps in to handle the gross stuff – emptying dust, washing and drying the mop, and keeping everything prepped for the next run.
Now, if you don’t need all that and prefer something a bit more conventional, there’s the Freo Z10 Pro. It’s no slouch, with 18500Pa suction and a triangular mop that rotates. It even does hot-water mop washing and comes with a 2.5L dust bag you won’t need to think about for about 4 months. Or for everyday cleaning, the X10 Pro offers a slimmer profile and 11000 Pa suction. It’s ideal if your place isn’t carpeted wall-to-wall or you just want something that gets the job done without too much fuss.
Narwal’s also got a new cordless stick vacuum, the V40 Station. It can clean for up to two hours and dumps its own dust into a tall base station. And if wet-and-dry messes are your priority, the S30 Pro brings serious suction and pressure, plus an auto hair-cutting system.
The Narwal Flow is available to order now from Narwal’s official website. The Standard Dock version is launching at $1300/€899, but will usually retail for $1500/€1299, while the Compact Dock version is $200/€200 more. The Freo X10 Pro is also live at $700/€599. Meanwhile, the Freo Z10 Pro, V40 Station, and S30 Pro are coming soon, with availability to be announced later.
