Narwal Flow 2 Review: Real-World Tests, Reddit Questions & Honest Results

Before filming our review of the Narwal Flow 2, we did something a little different. Following the success of our original Narwal Flow review, we turned to Reddit and asked the community what they wanted us to test. The response was incredible.

The most common questions focused on real-world cleaning performance, obstacle avoidance, edge cleaning, carpet performance, battery life, maintenance, and whether the new roller mop system could realistically replace a traditional wet/dry vacuum. Throughout this review, we’ll answer those questions using our own testing and experience.

For transparency, Narwal provided this review unit, but this is not a sponsored review. As always, all opinions are entirely our own.

Unboxing and Setup

Inside the box, you’ll find the Narwal Flow 2 robot vacuum, the redesigned self-emptying dock, an orange side brush, power cord, cleaning solution, an extra dust bag, an extra dustbin filter, and the usual documentation.

Getting started is quick and straightforward. Simply install the color-coded side brush, fill the clean water tank, add the included cleaning solution, charge the robot, and connect it to the Narwal app. Within minutes, it’s ready for its first cleaning run.

First Impressions

After spending time with the Flow 2, one thought kept coming to mind: this feels like the robot the original Flow was always supposed to be.

It almost feels as though the first-generation model reached the market before it was fully refined, while the Flow 2 delivers the complete experience Narwal originally envisioned.

Visually, it’s also one of the best-looking robot vacuum systems we’ve tested. The redesigned dock moves away from Narwal’s traditional rounded white design and adopts a much more modern appearance. The darker finish immediately reminded us of the Freo Z Ultra, which has always been one of our favorite-looking docking stations.

Everyday Cleaning Performance

During testing in a busy household with five people, including three people with long hair and one long-haired dog, the Flow 2 collected an impressive amount of dust, crumbs, and debris.

One feature stood out above everything else: the anti-tangle roller brush.

Narwal continues to have one of the best hair management systems available. If your home constantly deals with long hair or pet hair, the Flow 2 does an outstanding job of preventing tangles that often plague other robot vacuums.

Mopping Performance

Although Narwal now offers a roller-style mop on some models, the Flow 2 continues using its track-style mopping system. Personally, this remains our preferred design because most homes simply don’t experience large wet spills every day.

If your floors regularly deal with liquid messes, a roller-style mop may have advantages. However, for routine maintenance cleaning, the Flow 2’s track-style system performs extremely well.

The docking station automatically washes, dries, and maintains the mop pads after every cleaning session. Unlike the original Flow, the Flow 2 now includes automatic cleaning solution dispensing, a feature we felt was noticeably missing from the first-generation model.

App Experience

Setup through the Narwal app was simple, mapping completed quickly, and navigation worked well from the very first cleaning cycle.

One setting worth mentioning is Narwal’s default carpet behavior. Out of the box, the robot may avoid vacuuming carpeted areas depending on the selected cleaning mode. We recommend reviewing your carpet settings after setup to ensure each carpeted room behaves the way you expect.

Overall, the app offers a polished experience with support for room cleaning, zone cleaning, multi-floor maps, scheduling, customizable suction levels, water flow adjustments, no-go zones, and Freo Mode for automatic cleaning decisions.

The app also supports Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri Shortcuts for voice control.

Reddit Questions and Real-World Testing

One of our favorite parts of this review came directly from Reddit.

Many viewers expressed interest in becoming long-term testers for future robot vacuum reviews. We absolutely love this idea. One of our long-term goals is creating a community testing program where viewers can use products for three, six, nine, or even twelve months. Long-term ownership often reveals issues that short reviews simply can’t capture, and we’d love to build something like this in the future.

Can the Flow 2 Replace a Wet/Dry Vacuum?

One of the biggest questions asked was whether the Flow 2 could replace a traditional wet/dry vacuum, particularly for large messes like toddler meals.

Our answer is no.

While robot mops continue improving, we don’t believe any current robot can fully replace a dedicated wet/dry vacuum for heavy spills, vomit, pet accidents, or large food messes. Once wheels and brushes become contaminated, robots often spread the mess rather than completely removing it.

That said, we’d like to create more controlled testing for these scenarios in future reviews to better measure how much debris actually remains inside the robot.

Obstacle Avoidance

Obstacle avoidance continues to be one of the Flow 2’s strongest areas.

In our standardized testing, it earned an impressive 88% overall obstacle avoidance score, outperforming the eufy S2, which previously scored 71%.

For comparison, the average score across every robot vacuum we’ve tested currently sits at 61%.

Breaking that down further, the Flow 2 achieved 92% on hard floors and 83% on carpet, both excellent results.

As always, real-world performance will vary depending on lighting, flooring, clutter, and household conditions.

Corner and Edge Cleaning

Several Reddit users asked whether the Flow 2 could effectively clean recessed kitchen corners and baseboard gaps.

Like nearly every robot vacuum we’ve tested, the answer is that it still struggles with certain edge cases. While it generally cleans closer to edges than many competing models, recessed corners remain difficult for robotic cleaners.

Carpet Performance

Unfortunately, carpet cleaning remains one of the weaker aspects of the Flow series. In our deep-clean carpet testing, the Flow 2 achieved an 80% pickup rate for coffee grounds, 35% for sand, and an impressive 93% for cat litter. While it handled larger debris exceptionally well, it continued to struggle with finer particles embedded deep within carpet fibers. Overall, its carpet performance falls short of some competing flagship robot vacuums, reinforcing the idea that high advertised suction doesn’t always translate to better real-world carpet cleaning. 

Coffee grounds and sand both fell below our category averages, indicating the robot still struggles with fine debris embedded deep within carpet fibers.

Larger debris, however, was handled much more effectively.

This reinforces an important point: advertised suction numbers don’t always translate into superior real-world cleaning performance.

Battery Life

Battery efficiency was another pleasant surprise.

Narwal rates the Flow 2 for up to 190 minutes of runtime using its 7,000 mAh battery.

Rather than relying on manufacturer claims, we estimate practical cleaning coverage at different suction levels.

At minimum suction, the Flow 2 could theoretically clean approximately 3,947 square feet, while maximum suction still covered roughly 1,076 square feet.

Both figures were comfortably above average compared to the other robots we’ve tested.

Mopping Technology

The Flow 2 features hot-water mopping using water temperatures up to 140°F.

For homes with greasy kitchens or sticky residues, hotter water has the potential to improve cleaning performance. We’re currently working on expanding our mopping test methodology to better quantify how much benefit higher water temperatures actually provide.

The robot also offers an above-average 12 mm mop lift, although we’d still like to see a dedicated mop shield to better protect carpets during vacuum-only cleaning.

The docking station deserves special recognition.

It automatically empties dust, dispenses cleaning solution, washes mop pads, and dries them using some of the hottest temperatures we’ve measured. Mop washing reaches approximately 212°F, while drying temperatures reach around 104°F.

One feature missing, however, is antimicrobial or ozone water treatment, which could help reduce odor and bacterial buildup during long periods between cleaning cycles.

Maintenance

Several Reddit users also asked about long-term maintenance of roller-style mopping systems.

Compared to spinning mop pads, roller systems often require additional maintenance because hair and debris can accumulate around the roller. Depending on the design, internal dirty water systems may also require occasional cleaning.

Our understanding is that the Flow 2 uses an internal dirty water system that users cannot directly access, making long-term reliability something we’ll continue monitoring over time.

Performance Testing

On paper, the Flow 2 is an extremely powerful robot.

Its advertised 31,000 Pa suction is currently the highest in Narwal’s lineup and more than double our category average.

However, our airflow testing tells a more balanced story.

The Flow 2 measured 394 FPM airflow, below our category average of 428 FPM, while sealed suction pressure reached 0.38 kPa, slightly above average.

This once again illustrates that marketing specifications alone don’t always predict cleaning performance.

Noise levels reached approximately 80 dB on maximum suction, around six decibels above average. Fortunately, lowering the suction setting noticeably reduces operating noise during everyday cleaning.

What Could Be Better?

Despite being a significant improvement over the original model, the Flow 2 still has room for improvement.

Corner cleaning continues to lag behind the best robotic cleaners.

Carpet cleaning remains below average in several of our deep-clean tests.

The side brush still doesn’t operate on carpet, threshold climbing trails some flagship competitors, and we’d like the ability to manually adjust mop washing temperatures within the app.

We also observed occasional navigation quirks where cleaning paths weren’t always as efficient as expected.

Final Verdict

Overall, the Narwal Flow 2 feels like the robot the original Flow should have been from the beginning.

It delivers meaningful improvements across nearly every area, including mopping performance, battery efficiency, anti-tangle performance, obstacle avoidance, and dock automation.

Homes with mostly hard flooring, pets, long hair, or frequent mopping needs will likely appreciate everything this robot offers.

If deep carpet cleaning is your highest priority, there are stronger alternatives available. However, if your home is primarily hard floors and you’re looking for one of the most automated, hands-free robot vacuum systems currently available, the Narwal Flow 2 deserves serious consideration.

Finally, we’d like to thank everyone on Reddit who contributed questions, suggestions, and testing ideas. This community-driven review ended up being one of the most enjoyable formats we’ve created, and we’d love to continue involving viewers in future product reviews.