Narwhal Flow 2: Introduction
The Flow 2 is Narwal's flagship model for 2026 and is clearly positioned in the premium price range. With a recommended retail price of €1.299, one can expect more than just a bit of vacuuming and occasional mopping.
For this test, I had the Narwal Flow 2 with the standard base station. The separately available annual package containing replacement and consumable parts was not included in the test package. This package contains additional consumables such as mops, filters, dust bags, brushes, and cleaning solutions, which, as the name suggests, supply the robot vacuum for a year.
My apartment consists mostly of hard floors. The living room has laminate flooring, the hallway tiles. I don't have a carpet. This is important for comparison because Narwal heavily advertises CarpetFocus. Therefore, I couldn't test this feature as thoroughly as someone with several carpets or rugs in their home.
This was also my first in-depth test of a robot vacuum cleaner, as this category is usually covered by other colleagues. Accordingly, I approached the Narwal Flow 2 with an open mind.
Prime Day Alert
For Prime Day, the Narwal Flow 2 is available for €999. This puts the robot vacuum cleaner significantly below its RRP of €1.299 and makes it considerably more attractive as a premium model.
Narwhal Flow 2: Design and Processing
The robot itself appears well-made, with a rounded shape and a flat, non-turret surface. At 9,5 centimeters tall, the Flow 2 can fit under many pieces of furniture, though not under particularly low sofas or sideboards.
The base station is considerably more noticeable than the robot itself. It's large and requires a designated spot. You shouldn't just squeeze it into a corner, as the robot needs to be able to enter and exit smoothly. However, the station does a lot of the work. It not only charges the robot but also vacuums up dust, washes the mop head, dries it with warm air, and manages the clean and dirty water. Of course, you still have to refill the fresh water and empty the dirty water tank yourself.
The station's build quality is commensurate with its price range. The flaps, tanks, and accessories are all securely in place. While it doesn't look cheap, it remains a visible household appliance. Those with limited space should carefully consider its placement before purchasing.
Setup and first trips
Setup is done via the Narwal Freo app. The robot connects to the Wi-Fi, creates a map of the apartment, and then maps the rooms. The mapping worked reasonably well for me. Nevertheless, I wouldn't send the Flow 2 unattended around the apartment immediately after unpacking it.
My first few rides were a bit adventurous. Not that the robot completely failed, but you quickly realize that even a premium device needs time to learn its surroundings.
One example was my TV cabinet. In the middle is an open compartment that was initially empty. The Flow 2 apparently considered this area accessible, raised itself onto its wheels, and actually drove in. However, it couldn't go any further because the wall and power strip were in the way. So I had to manually free it. After I blocked the area, it didn't try again.
After making a few adjustments to the apartment, he no longer seemed so disoriented and was managing well. Anyone who prepares the apartment at least a little and makes small items lying around, such as cables or power strips, inaccessible will have to intervene much less later.
Obstacle detection is achieved using two forward-facing 1080p cameras and a variety of sensors. Without cloud connectivity and relying solely on the device's hardware, it can identify up to 200 objects; with a cloud connection, this number increases significantly. Direct live access, for example, to monitor what's happening at home, is available via the app.
App and operation
The app itself offers many settings. Rooms can be selected individually for cleaning, no-go zones can be set, suction and mopping intensity can be adjusted, and schedules are also possible. In addition, there's the Free mode, in which the robot learns and decides for itself how it should clean.
Basically, it's convenient at first. You start the robot and just let it do its thing. However, the Free mode wasn't always the best choice for me, because especially at the beginning, I had the impression that the automatic settings didn't clean thoroughly enough when dealing with heavy soiling.
Things went better with the setting where the Flow 2 vacuums first and then mops. This sequence gave me cleaner results. First, dry dirt is picked up, then the robot goes over it with a damp mop.
The app itself doesn't feel quite polished yet. Some terms are translated awkwardly, and some menu items are difficult to search for. Compared to the truly excellent hardware, Narwal still needs to optimize the software.
cleaning performance
Suction power on hard floors
Narwal specifies a suction power of up to 31.000 Pa for the Flow 2. Even though this is my first robot vacuum test, I know from colleagues that you shouldn't rely solely on the raw numbers.
On my hard floors, the Flow 2 made a strong impression. It vacuumed up dust and crumbs in one go. However, in corners and very tight spaces, the Flow 2 remains a somewhat roundabout robot vacuum. While it does drive close to edges, it doesn't quite reach every corner, even with the side brush. If it could extend the side brush, which it can't, it would probably do a better job.
After about four weeks of use, I was very impressed with the brushes. Apart from a little dust, no hair or crumbs got caught in them.
Suction power on carpets
I only looked at CarpetFocus peripherally because I don't have any carpets in my apartment. If the robot detects a carpet, it's supposed to increase suction power by 4,2 times, raise the mop by 12 millimeters, and direct the airflow closer to the carpet fibers via an adaptive pressure plate.
In theory, at least, carpets should be vacuumed more vigorously, while the mop should ideally not come into contact with the pile.
FlowWash mop system with track mop
Instead of two round mop heads or a roller mop, the Flow 2 uses a so-called track mop. This is a continuous mopping belt that offers a larger, more even contact area with the floor and simultaneously cleans itself continuously with 60°C warm water. Water is dispensed via 16 nozzles, a scraper removes the dirt, and a 12 N contact pressure firmly presses the mop belt onto the floor.
This all sounds very technical and like a lot of marketing at first, but in our tests, the mopping function really worked very well. Light soiling such as shoe prints in the hallway, a film of dust on smooth floors, or small splashes around the kitchen were usually gone after just one pass. For dried-on stains, such as coffee, sauce, or sticky residue, the Flow 2 needed a few more passes, but ultimately got those areas clean as well.
Even though the side brush isn't extendable, Narwal has at least considered edge cleaning in its mopping system. The Track-Mop can extend slightly to the side. While this doesn't improve its ability to reach into tight corners, it does allow it to clean closer to the edge along baseboards.
The Narwal Flow 2's ability to effectively remove dirt from the floor is evident at the latest when looking at the dirty water tank. After cleaning, the water is correspondingly dark and smells exactly as one would expect after a thorough mopping session.
The chocolate cappuccino test
I conducted a tougher test with chocolate cappuccino. This was intentionally not a simple stain. The mixture is dark, sticky, and quickly becomes greasy. This clearly demonstrates how a robot handles more challenging stains.
On the first attempt, the Flow 2 was running in Free mode. This meant it was supposed to decide for itself how to vacuum and mop. Frankly, the result wasn't pretty. The dirt was visibly spread around, and the robot itself looked quite filthy afterward. The track mop, the underside, and the area around the cleaning mechanism were all covered in grime.
The problem wasn't so much that the Flow 2 wipes poorly in general. The issue was more the cleaning strategy. If such a mixture is spread with water and movement too early, a greasy surface quickly develops. That's exactly what happened here.
Using the "vacuum first, then mop" setting worked significantly better. The Flow 2 initially picked up more dry dirt before water was applied. This resulted in less dirt being spread around, and the finish was noticeably cleaner.
Transitions and thresholds
The transition between my living room and hallway was particularly interesting. The living room has laminate flooring, the hallway tiles, and in between there's a smooth strip of flooring roughly the same height as the laminate. So, basically, exactly the kind of spot a robot with climbing capabilities should be able to handle.
The Flow 2 tried it too. It lifted itself up, stood on its wheels, and worked its way up. Ultimately, the problem wasn't the height, but the smooth surface. The wheels didn't find enough grip on the ledge.
I solved it quite pragmatically with a grippy adhesive tape, similar to skateboard grip tape. Even though Narwal is talking about overcoming an obstacle of four centimeters, surface area, angle, and grip can ultimately be crucial.
base station
After cleaning, the robot returns, the dust is vacuumed up, the track mop is washed at up to 100°C and then dried with 60°C warm air.
The vacuum cleaner's suction is clearly audible, but it only runs briefly. The drying cycle is quieter, but it also takes several hours. I wouldn't place the station directly next to the sofa. It's better suited to a hallway, utility room, or a less obtrusive wall.
Narwal has also included an automatic cleaning agent dosing system. The cleaner comes in special cartridges. This means you don't have to measure or dose by feel, but you are dependent on Narwal's cartridge system, which incurs ongoing costs.
