Our shop office has gone through its share of robotic vacuums. Our latest model to test, the Narwal Freo touts itself as a robotic mopping vacuum specializing in non-carpeted flooring. The tile floor in our office really needs a good mop every week to account for the traffic we bring in from the adjacent shop space. It was time to put the Narwal Freo to the test and see if it could keep up!
Pros
- Various vacuuming and/or mopping modes
- Intelligent Route planning
- Lifting roller and mops
- Self-cleaning and self-drying mops
- Retracting side brushes
- Ultrasonic, LIDAR, and 4x IR navigation sensors plus obstacle avoidance
- Touchscreen LCD controls (base station)
- Automatic detergent dispenser
Cons
- Premium pricing
- Not meant for pile carpets (more of a caveat than a con)
Narwal Freo Robotic Mopping Vacuuming
The Narwal Freo has some interesting mechanical functionality. As an example, it can lift the roller as well as the twin rotating mops and side brushes as needed. When in vacuum-only mode or when returning to the dock, the Narwal Freo lifts the mops until it docks in the station for cleaning. When in use, the robotic vacuum’s mop pads lower, spin, and scrub the floor clean.
Periodically, it goes back to the dock to clean the mop pads, re-wet them with fresh solution, and start again until it completes the cleaning cycle. It works on hard surfaces like linoleum, tile, and/or LVT.
Compared to static mop pads, the Narwal Freo brings serious cleaning to the world of robotic mopping and vacuuming. It may not have the suction power of a shop vac, but it gets the job done!
As we mentioned, the Freo robotic vacuum periodically lifts its twin mops pads when traversing carpet or vacuuming. This occurs automatically, letting the vac use less power and resources when they aren’t needed.
Other Features
- Vacuum, Mop, Vacuum and Mop, and Vacuum then Mop modes
- Intelligent Route planning
- Lifting roller and mops
- Self-cleaning and self-drying mops
- Retracting side brushes
- Ultrasonic, LIDAR, and 4x IR navigation sensors plus obstacle avoidance
- Touchscreen LCD controls (base station)
- Child lock
- Do Not Disturb mode
- Water tank filling
- Auto-empty debris canister
- Edge vacuuming and mopping
- Washable tray
- Solid rubber floor brush
- Detergent dispenser
Narwal Freo Robotic Mopping Vacuum Specs
- Dimensions (vacuum L/W/H): 13.8 x 13.8 x 4.2 in. (350 x 351 x 106 mm)
- Dimensions (base L/W/H): 14.6 x 16.3 x 17.1 in. (370 x 415 x 435 mm)
- Weight (vacuum): 9.6 lbs (4.4 kg)
- Weight (base): 19.3 lbs (8.8 kg)
- Power (vacuum/base): 45W/72W
- Suction: 3000 Pa
- Max threshold height: 0.78 in. (2 cm)
- Dust container: 16.2 oz. (480 ml)
- Water tank: 2.7 oz. (80 ml)
- Dust container station: 0.8 gal. (3L)
- Fresh water station: 1.2 gal. (4.5L)
- Dirty water station: 1.1 gal. (4L)
- Volume: 68 dBA SPL
- Battery: 5000 mAh (Li-ion)
- Charging time: 150 minutes
- Runtime (max): Enough for 1615 sq. ft. mopping 2X
- Noise: <=65 dBA
Advanced Multifunction Cleaning Station
Having seen plenty of robotic vacuum base stations that both charge and auto-empty dust bins, the Narwal gives something new. Rather than merely carrying an onboard water supply, the Narwal Freo docking/charging station provides both clean and dirty water tanks as well as cleaning detergent. The only dustbin exists on the vacuum itself—unfortunately, both the machine and docking station would need to be much larger to facilitate auto-emptying of a vacuum canister as well as cleaning the mops.
As mentioned, the Freo Robotic Mopping Vacuum periodically returns to the base station to clean its mops. It also dries them with 104° F (40° C) air at the end of a cleaning cycle. The integrated and replaceable detergent dispenser lets you clean more efficiently than if you just used water.
Since the system both cleans and dries the mops, it reduces bacteria while removing the potential for mold that can leave a foul stench behind. You can also remove and clean the tray and insert where the system scrubs the mops. Just use running water to get it ready for its next use.
Avoiding Obstacles
Using a LIDAR laser senser and suite of additional sensors, the Freo robotic mopping vacuum quickly maps your room or home during the setup process. This occurs after you download and launch the app and it involves scanning each room in your house and creating a rather detailed map which it can divide into rooms or zones. You can make adjustments to the map at any time using the Narwal app on your iPhone or Android device. As our office only has a single area, we left the map as a large single room.
The first time the vacuum vacuums and/or mops the areas, you’ll see lines marking out how and where it covered the area. You can customize the map and even define specific avoidance areas for mopping or vacuuming.
The Narwal Freo quickly familiarized itself with our space and found its way back to the base quickly each time it needed cleaning or a recharge.
You can use the touchscreen on the Narwal Freo’s docking station during set up and afterward to quickly activate one of the cleaning modes.
Available Narwal Freo Cleaning Modes:
- Freo Mode – fully automatic with dirt detection—cleans until the floor is clean
- Vacuum-only
- Mop-only
- Vacuum then mop – Freo vacuums the room starting at the base station and then begins mopping.
- Vacuum and mop – Freo vacuums while mopping behind itself simultaneously.
Final Thoughts on the Narwal Freo Robotic Vacuum
You may balk at the rather high price of the Narwal Freo. Priced over $1000, it falls into the high end of robotic mopping vacuums. It does, however, offer premium features not found on most other robotic vacuums we’ve tested.
With this robotic mopping vac, just be sure to keep the dirty water container empty and keep the clean water filled. You will also need to periodically refill the detergent supply. Aside from that and occasionally emptying the onboard dustbin, you’ll have effortless cleaning in your home or office.
