Review

Narwal Freo Robot Vacuum With Mop Review: A Top Performer for Hard Floor Cleaning

Nov 27, 2023

The biggest challenge of maintaining a home or office space is keeping it neat and clean. Cleaning up does take a lot of time and energy, which is unfortunately not something most of us have in abundance in our busy daily lives.

Using a robot vacuum and mop machine is the best way to ensure that your office or living space stays clean all the time, without having to spend much time or effort.

If you’re in search of a robot vacuum/mop machine, then today we’re here with a detailed review of one of the most popular options out there, the Narwal Freo Robot Vacuum and Mop.

Narwal Freo Review

Design and Build

The Narwal Freo Robot Vacuum and Mop’s design is very traditional and works similarly to most other robot vacuum/mop machines out there.

For starters, there’s the actual robot vacuum/mop unit and the base for the robot to dock and charge itself. Measuring 17.1 x 14.6 x 16.3 inches, the base unit is on the larger side, which means it’s not easy to hide away the base unit in your living space; you’ll need to “dedicate” some space for it.

Despite its size, the base station does look sleek and modern, thanks to its curvy design and quality-inspiring build/paint finishing. There’s also a speaker built into the base, with voice guidance for when the robot is stuck somewhere or in case the base needs to be refilled with clean water.

Apart from working as a charging station for your robot, the base unit also has two removable containers: a 4.5 liter one for clean water and a 4 liter for dirty water. Once the robot finishes cleaning, it can dock itself, remove the dirty water, and fill itself with clean water for the next cleaning cycle.

The dock station features an LED touchscreen display for easy operation and status updates. The display provides real-time information about the robot’s cleaning progress, water tank levels, and any maintenance alerts. The station also has two grips on both sides to pick it up when needed.

There’s also a slot in the clean water tank where you can add the floor cleaner of your choice. There’s a 31-ounce detergent included in the initial retail packaging, and you can opt to purchase further replacements from Narwal’s official site or Amazon for $40.

Now, talking about the actual robot, the bottom of the robot features a pair of triangle-shaped mops that rotate to clean the surface, a vacuum port to suck in the dust and other tiny particles, a 480ml dustbin, as well as the sensors needed to map/navigate through the surrounding area. The robot’s body is made from impact-resistant plastic, while its internal components are well-protected from dust and debris.

Measuring just 3.1 inches in height, it effortlessly glides beneath furniture and into tight spaces, ensuring thorough cleaning throughout your home.

The dual-brush vacuum system effectively tackles stubborn messes. The brushes are strategically positioned to maximize dirt pickup, ensuring that even the most embedded debris is removed from your floors. The vacuum system is equipped with a powerful suction motor that has a maximum suction power of 3000Pa and delivers impressive cleaning performance.

Setup and Functionality

When it comes to setting up the Narwal Freo, you can either use it only with the base station or have the robot/base station pair with your smartphone and control the options from there as well.

You are supposed to have the robot unit docked at the base station while using the Freo for the first time. On the first boot, you’ll be prompted with a QR code that needs to be scanned using your phone to launch an authorization URL. Within the URL, you will get a code, which then has to be entered on the base unit using the touchscreen to complete the setup process.

Once the initial setup is completed, you can then use the base unit’s touchscreen to select cleaning modes, play around with the settings, schedule cleaning jobs, etc.

In case you wish to have the controls on your smartphone, then you can utilize the Freo mobile application. Apart from offering the features as seen on the base’s touchscreen, you also get options to enable target areas for cleaning using the mobile app.

To use the mobile app, you’ll first have to create a user account and make sure that the robot and your device are connected to the same WiFi network. Moreover, do keep in mind that the robot unit only supports 2.4GHz WiFi.

When you use the Narwal Freo with the mobile application for the first time, it automatically maps the surroundings and creates rooms. Once the auto-generated mapping is completed, you can then edit it to merge/split rooms to be more accurate.

With rooms being mapped, it becomes quite easy for you to identify rooms/areas that require frequent cleaning instead of having the robot clean the entire area at all times. Moreover, you can also set no-go zones for the robot to avoid cleaning those areas. The mobile application also lets you select the floor types, which helps the robot modify its settings for maximum efficiency/power.

The Freo mobile app does make it convenient to operate the robot. However, mapping the rooms or modifying the path can become a bit cumbersome at times, which is largely due to the app optimization and can be improved in the future.

Features

The Narwal Freo Robot Vacuum is packed with features and a suite of advanced sensors. Below is a quick rundown of all the features of the machine.

Auto Mop Washing/Drying: The Narwal Freo Robot Vacuum has an auto-clean function for the mop. This means that you do not have to go through the hassle of removing the mop to clean/dry them. After every use, both the mops are spun and washed inside the robot module. Moreover, the mops are also dried at varying temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius, thus avoiding any foul smell or bacteria growth.

LiDAR-based navigation: The Freo robot uses LiDAR sensors for navigation, which makes it easier to map and move around your home/office space even in pitch-dark conditions.

Auto Solution Dispensing: You can add cleaning solution/detergent to the clean water container, which is then mixed with the clean water at an optimal rate for the best efficiency.

Cliff Sensors: Cliff sensors prevent the robot from falling down stairs or over ledges. These sensors detect drops in elevation and trigger the robot to change direction accordingly.

Auto Docking Station Cleaning: Once docked, the robot unit cleans itself and then cleans the docking station as well. Thus, you do not have to worry about the daily cleaning of the robot or the station.

Various Cleaning Modes: The Narwal Freo Robot has five different cleaning modes to choose from, namely: Freo Mode, Vacuum While Mopping, Vacuum then Mop, Vacuum-only, and Mop-only.

DirtSense Technology: When using the “Freo Mode” for cleaning, the robot intelligently analyzes the robot itself and the surface it’s working on. It periodically checks if the mops are dirty and cleans itself when necessary. Moreover, it also analyzes the surface it’s on to tweak the power output and lift its vacuum brush or mop for the most effective cleaning. It can also sense if the surface is still dirty after cleaning once, and if required, repeat the process as well.

Cleaning Performance

The Narwal Freo’s vacuuming performance is generally good, but it is not the best on the market. On hard floors, the Freo does a good job of picking up dust and debris. However, on carpet, it can struggle to pick up larger pieces of debris, such as pet hair. Sometimes the robot gets stuck in the carpet too, and you have to pick it up from there and place it at the base station. The Freo has two suction modes, which is helpful for adjusting its performance based on the type of floor you are cleaning.

But when it comes to mopping it works great. It has a dual mop system that rotates to scrub the floor effectively. The Freo also has a self-cleaning mop, which means that you don’t have to worry about washing the mop pads after each use. However, with mopping, I felt it takes quite a bit of time and could be faster.

The Narwal Freo uses a LiDar sensor to navigate your home. The LiDar sensor is very accurate, and the Freo does a good job of avoiding obstacles. The Freo also has a mapping feature, which allows you to create custom cleaning zones and set no-go zones. The robot was also capable of working without any hiccups in dark conditions. While the Narwal Freo’s LiDAR sensor and obstacle sensors generally provide accurate navigation, there have been instances where the robot has gotten stuck or lost its way. This may require occasional user intervention to correct its path.

The robot has a battery life of up to 120 minutes. This is enough time to clean most homes in one go. The Freo will also automatically return to its base station to recharge when it is running low on battery.

It is a relatively quiet robot vacuum. It is quieter than many other robot vacuums on the market. This makes it a good choice for people who live in apartments or who have pets.

One issue I had with the robot is that if you relocate the docking station once the robot is out of it, then the robot doesn’t seem to detect the new location of the station. The mobile app and the docking station will warn you that the docking station cannot be found.

The only solution to this problem is to remap the entire room again if you relocate the dock.

Final Verdict

The Narwal Freo Robot Vacuum is one of the best vacuum robots you can get for your home/office daily cleaning requirements.

The 3000Pa suction motor, LiDar sensor, intelligent features, etc. make it a great product as a robot cleaner.

However, it’s not a flawless product.

For starters, the mobile application could be way better. Features such as mapping of rooms as well as 2D/3D view of the rooms could be improved. There’s also fine-tuning needed for the overall app’s performance and responsiveness.

Also, the AI features supported by the robot can be improved for better room mapping, faster cleaning, and to auto-analyze the docking station location.

While it might not be the absolute leader in vacuuming performance, especially considering its relatively higher price, the Narwal Freo still stands out as a top pick for those looking for a versatile robot cleaner that excels in both vacuuming and mopping tasks. In my view, I definitely recommend it, but I do feel that a more competitive pricing would make it an even more attractive choice.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Narwal Freo review are solely mine, reflecting my personal experiences. There has been no editorial input from Narwal.

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