The Narwal Freo 20 is the latest in the long-running series, offering new levels of self-cleaning and AI integration not seen before in the Freo line. Featuring Narwal’s FlowWash Mopping System, the innovative Flattened Roller design and dual-camera AI navigation, the Freo 20 aims to provide a premium-tier cleaning experience at a mid-range price point.
Slightly larger than last year’s excellent Freo Z10 Ultra, the Freo 20’s robot measures 351.2 x 363.5 x 95mm with its base station coming in at 431 x 402 x 461mm. While the overall structural design follows that of the Freo Z10 Ultra and other vacuum & mop systems such as the Eureka J15 Pro Ultra, Narwal has refined the aesthetic design with some modern touches that help it distance itself from a traditional commercial look. This is most evident in the removal of the plastic faceplate common with this cleaning system. In its place is a sharp-looking woven textured cover. The all-white design is striking, bringing a much-needed aesthetic update.
While many of the common features of a robot vacuum and mop system are present and accounted for on the Freo 20, it’s the details and robust application of these features that help the Narwal Freo 20 stand out in a crowd. It’s this attention to detail that I appreciated first in the Freo Z10 Ultra that has now carried over to this latest entry.
“The Freo 20’s wider, flattened roller mop, a first for Robot vacuum and mop systems, does an excellent job, leaving the floors scrubbed and clean.”
For starters, Narwal has introduced their iconic FlowWash Mopping system to the Freo 20, a first for the Freo lineup. This self-cleaning system is designed to provide consistently clean mop heads even during a cleaning cycle, ensuring that no mess cleaned up is spread to other areas of the house. Functionally, it works great, consistently applying fresh hot water to the mop head during cleaning and removing dirt continually. In testing, the Narwal had no issue mopping up a liquid spill without long smears, essentially creating a one-pass cleanup of the mess.
Additionally, the wider cleaner surface of the mop head and the inclusion of a downward pressure application of the mop head provide a more consistent cleaning experience. This was a feature that was more effective in application than it sounded on paper, and I was impressed with the results. Even over a multi-surface area (a mixture of laminate, ceramic tile and vinyl flooring), the Freo 20 had no issue applying consistent pressure, which resulted in even cleaning.
The Freo 20 also comes equipped with an auto-reversing side brush system that does a solid job of reaching corner areas and under-counter areas. This, coupled with its leading 31,000 PA suction power, results in an impressive vacuum experience. While tackling the 622.5 square feet of floors used in testing, there were only a couple of pieces of shredded cardboard (remnants from my daughter’s latest craft session) that it didn’t manage to capture in its initial sweep of the space.
As for mopping, the Freo 20’s wider, flattened roller mop, a first for Robot vacuum and mop systems, does an excellent job, leaving the floors scrubbed and clean. The built-in detection system allows the Freo 20 to identify what kind of mess it is about to clean and adjusts the cleaning process on the fly; it works great at quickly identifying particles from liquid and adjusting accordingly. I was impressed with the final results. The Freo 20 does a solid job of trapping and collecting debris and leaving nothing but a clean floor in its wake.
The Freo 20 handles mapping and navigation fairly well. It only took just over three minutes to do an initial mapping of the 622.5-square-foot space used for testing. My one note is that I did have to manually mark off the stairs leading down to the lower level as a no-clean zone, as it did try to take a gainer off the stairs during its initial clean. Thankfully, the mapping works exceptionally well and identifying and marking the area is simple.
“The Freo 20 is an excellent addition to Narwal’s lineup.”
Navigating over ledges, such as the 0.75-inch step up between my living room and kitchen, is no problem for the Fero 20. It is rated for up to a 1.75-inch climb and has no issue navigating around obstacles such as chairs and other items left out on the floor. All of this can, of course, be viewed through the built-in camera system. It’s an overall smart design and implementation.
The last highlight of the new Fero 20 of note is its impressive base station. Why it’s so impressive is that it features a self-cleaning system that essentially washes and dries all parts of the docking system, eliminating the need to pull it apart and clean it manually. Having now worked with a few of these vacuum and mop combos over the past year and a half, I appreciate not having to clean the base station on a regular basis.
The Freo 20 is an excellent addition to Narwal’s lineup. It provides all of the modern conveniences I’d expect from this type of system and works hard to raise the bar on what we can expect from a mid-tier robotic vacuum and mop system. From aesthetic design to smart feature set, the Narwal Freo 20 is a solid offering.
