The Narwal Freo X Extremely is a robotic vacuum and mop with loads of tech packed right into a unit that does not destroy your house’s aesthetic.
There are loads of robotic vacuum and mop merchandise in the marketplace, so it may be difficult to face out. It is desk stakes for high-end fashions to have multi-faceted base stations and AI cleansing modes.
The Narwal Freo X Extremely has been a strong and competent cleansing robotic in my testing. Whereas none of those robots are good, the Narwal checks a lot of boxes.
Many of those firms make claims about “library quiet” cleansing modes, however the Narwal Freo X Extremely is the closest to matching that declare from the units I’ve tested. Nonetheless, I nonetheless discover it absurd that these firms attempt to make such excessive claims — nobody on earth ought to consider a vacuum cleaner could be as quiet as a babbling brook.
Narwal Freo X Extremely assessment: specs & options
The Narwal Freo X Extremely is a medium-sized robotic vacuum and mop with a base station. The bottom station is a smooth, squat tower with rounded corners that mix nicely with the decor.
The robotic itself is 13.8 in by 13.8 in by 4.2 in. It weighs 9.37 lbs.
There are two buttons on prime of the Narwal Freo X Extremely robotic — house and energy. Urgent the ability button begins/stops the present job. The house button remembers it to the bottom station.
The robotic incorporates mud storage for the vacuum that must be cleaned out about each seven weeks, relying on utilization. The mop pads could be eliminated to be washed or changed, however the base station does an ideal job of conserving them clear.
Narwal Freo X Extremely assessment: it self-cleans the mop pads and disinfects the mud bag when docked
Narwal Freo X Extremely can press the mop pads down at 12NM of power whereas spinning at 180RPM. Power and velocity are adjusted based mostly on the fabric being cleaned, like tile or wooden.
There is a zero hair tangling brush that is simple to take away and clear. Hair and threads can get caught in it, but it surely’s simple to slip off the tip versus bristled brushes.
The vacuum has a strong 8,200Pa suction. It really works with the 2 sweeping arms to make sure any close by hair or grime is pulled in with ease. There are totally different suction ranges obtainable within the app.
Like different robots of its variety, the Narwal Freo X Extremely is laden with sensors for object detection, navigation, and room mapping. There may be the ahead sensor, edge sensor, and radar on prime for 360 levels of scanning.
It nonetheless bumps into raised edges on furnishings like different robots, but it surely’s higher at avoiding objects than I’ve seen beforehand. The radar dome is important, but it surely does stop it from becoming beneath some objects.
Not too noisy
All vacuums are going to be noisy whereas cleansing and whereas within the base station. There are strategies and applied sciences that may assist with this, however anticipating whisper-quiet cleansing is unreasonable.
The Narwal Freo X Extremely is among the many quieter gadgets I’ve examined. I recorded some audio-level samples throughout testing in my house utilizing the Apple Watch noise app.
My front room confirmed a baseline of 35 dB. Setting the Narwal unfastened on a robust vacuum and mop job confirmed about 65dB common with my wrist at standing top from the robotic.
I set the vacuum mode to “quiet” to check this library-like declare. Whereas it could possibly be drowned out with a white noise machine at a good quantity, it was something however “quiet.”
I recorded about 59 dB on common within the quiet setting, which is in regards to the degree of a dialog or dishwasher. That is an anticipated worth, contemplating I am speaking a few vacuum cleaner.
Even with the robotic simply rolling round, I noticed nicely over the 40 dB library noise degree, so maybe my house is simply loud. To be truthful, I’ve hardwood flooring and wooden paneling partitions.
I set the vacuum to tremendous robust suction, and it surprisingly wasn’t too loud. It hit about 70 dB, which is nicely beneath the 80 dB or so I’ve seen in competing choices.
For comparability, Apple Watch sees my HomePod stereo pair within the workplace at 70 dB whereas I am seated at my desk. That is with the amount set to 35%.
Sound is not nearly quantity, however pitch. I complained in regards to the loudness of the Dreame robotic I reviewed earlier than, but it surely ran between 60dB and 80dB, which is analogous to the Narwal on the low finish, not less than. It is simply that the pitch is way more nice and ignorable for the Narwal.
After all, that is subjective and dependent in your house.
Narwal base station
The bottom station is 16.3 in by 14.6 in by 17.1 in. It’s absolutely self-contained with a garage-like storage and charging bay.
The bottom station lid has a small touch-sensitive management dial. A toddler/pet lock could be set to stop inadvertent activation.
Because the mud field is inner to the robotic, the bottom station is smaller than some opponents. The interior compartment has two water tanks for clear and soiled water, plus a spot to insert the cleansing resolution container.
The bottom station has its personal noise ranges to fret about when prepping the robotic and when cleansing the pads afterward. There are settings for a way a lot air is blown by the system for drying and disinfecting, which controls noise ranges to some extent.
The cleansing prep noise degree hits about 65dB on common. Air compression of the mud bin reached about 73dB, and that is the loudest the unit can be at a given second.
Utilizing the Narwal Freo X Extremely robotic vacuum and mop
The water tanks are enough to have the robotic clear my total higher flooring if it is a one-and-done job. Nonetheless, when the AI Freo Thoughts with DirtSense is turned on, the robotic may clear an area a number of instances, which requires extra water.
About midway by a deep cleansing run of my front room, eating room, and kitchen, the Narwal Freo X Extremely wanted a water tank refill. It is not essentially a foul factor when you’re house to alter out the water — it is only a little bit of added work.
The tradeoff is completely value it, although, as a result of it leaves areas wanting further clear and glossy after a deep clear. In case you’re working the robotic commonly and your flooring do not get too soiled between passes, repeated deep clear runs will not be wanted.
If you would like to ensure minimal water tank refills, you may flip off the AI options for particular cleansing duties. Or, there’s all the time the choice of upgrading your tank with a water change system.
Relying on the dimensions of your house, the cleanliness of your areas, and the time for the reason that final Narwal run, a cleansing job might require a number of water refills and a recharge. For instance, a deep clear of my foremost dwelling house, about 700 sq. toes, took 3 hours with one water refill, and the battery was useless on the finish.
Once more, this is usually a blessing and a curse. Flip off the particular cleansing modes, and it will clear a lot sooner and with fewer supplies. The Dreame robotic I reviewed cleaned my foremost areas in about 45 minutes, which now appears a bit quick by comparability.
The result’s notable. The flooring are clear all the way in which to the wall and edges round furnishings.
I have never encountered points with the robotic getting caught or tangling cables, however there’s a downside with making it previous some obstacles. I’ve a cableway in my workplace that is a minimal hump, but it surely proves a problem for the robotic. I could should get a robotic ramp for it.
Mapping oddities
I had one vital downside getting the Narwal Freo X Extremely arrange, and that is with the mapping characteristic. I stay in a house the place the principle dwelling areas wrap round a central stairwell, creating a big, open circle with doorways resulting in rooms on one aspect.
The Narwal would establish the bed room, workplace, and toilet as separate rooms high-quality. Nonetheless, it labeled the lounge, eating room, kitchen, and hallway as one giant doughnut-shaped house.
The app would not let me separate the rooms as a consequence of a bizarre enhancing limitation. So, I contacted Narwal, they usually gave me an odd resolution — simply block one part with a man-made wall.
I put up some objects to dam the robotic’s path, thus creating a brand new “wall” between the kitchen and hallway. It labored, and I now had separate rooms for each house.
Whereas annoying, it is not a deal breaker. Narwal must replace the system’s logic to account for houses like mine. Or, on the minimal, make the map editor work so I can create rooms simpler.
Narwal app
The Narwal app has all the things you want to function the robotic vacuum and mop. The massive play button simply launches it into cleansing each room on the default settings, that are configurable.
Narwal Freo X Extremely assessment: management all points of the robotic vacuum and mop from the app
Customers can simply see the present standing of various elements of the robotic, like if it is time to change the cleansing resolution or mop pads. Every accent within the record has directions for correct care and cleansing frequency.
Customers can arrange duties that happen as soon as or repeat on a schedule. There’s additionally the choice of including actions to Shortcuts by offering a voice command that is donated to the app.
Good, environment friendly, & fashionable cleansing
Narwal has a great robotic within the Freo X Extremely. The bottom station seems nice and takes up minimal house whereas hiding the robotic in slightly nook.
In case you’ve by no means owned a robotic earlier than, the top-of-the-line Narwal is wonderful, if expensive. You will get what you pay for with this glorious machine, however maybe investing in a lower-cost unit could be good to find out if a robotic vacuum and mop is for you.
I like that the mud bin is within the robotic and lasts a prolonged seven weeks earlier than needing to be dumped and cleaned. The robotic additionally does not trigger any points with odors across the station from water within the dock or the soiled water container.
Narwal Freo X Extremely will clear your house with out a lot oversight. Whereas it has object avoidance and different options, I nonetheless like clearing muddle from the ground and placing chairs on the desk to maximise entry and effectivity.
Narwal Freo X Extremely – Professionals
- Wonderful edge-to-edge deep cleansing
- Easy controls and choices
- Low-maintenance
- Minimal oversight, however…
Narwal Freo X Extremely – Cons
- … AI cleansing mode can require a number of water refills
- Noise ranges are manageable, however not library quiet like the web site claims
- Cannot deal with the smallest of bumps
- Mapping oddities with circle-layout houses
Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Narwal Freo X Extremely is a good robotic with just a few bugs that must be labored out. It may well’t work out what to do with a circular-layout house, and the app does not assist repair it both.
Whereas it is good at avoiding points that’ll get it caught, its wheels and motor cannot make it over slight humps just like the cableway in my workplace. This wants work.
The place to purchase the Narwal Freo X Extremely robotic vacuum and mop
Alternatively, you may order the robotic vacuum and mop from Narwal directly, with an automated low cost dropping the value of the Freo X Extremely to $1,183.98 within the U.S. on the time of this assessment.