Flow 2
4 independent reviewsRead the findings →Narwal's track-mop flagship, with a mop that's constantly rinsed as it cleans. It's a superb mopper for hard floors and homes with shedding pets. It can leave debris at edges and in corners, though.
Updated
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Where it sits in Narwal’s range
Feedback
What reviewers found
Four reviews of this exact model: Vacuum Wars after three months in a family home with a shedding dog, Trusted Reviews in its test lab, TechRadar at home, and Tom's Guide over a few weeks. All four like the mopping, and three praise its obstacle avoidance. The split is on vacuuming: Vacuum Wars and Trusted Reviews found it excellent, while Tom's Guide saw cereal pushed and crushed and scored it 3 out of 5. Edges and corners were the most common complaint, and the app has a learning curve.
Vacuum Wars, hands-on, 3 months at home, Aug 2026 · Trusted Reviews, hands-on, Jul 2026 · TechRadar, hands-on, Apr 2026 · Tom's Guide, hands-on, A few weeks at home, Jul 2026
Hard floors
Mixed resultsTrusted Reviews found hard-floor dust all gone after one vacuum run, and Tom's Guide found suction more than enough on tile. Yet Tom's Guide saw cereal crushed and pushed around, and TechRadar found edges and corners only average, so run vacuum and mop together.
Carpet and rugs
Mixed resultsTrusted Reviews found the extra suction made short work of carpet, and Vacuum Wars rated its vacuuming excellent over three months. Tom's Guide found low-pile rugs sometimes needed several passes.
Pet hair
Mixed resultsWith a shedding German Shepherd mix, Vacuum Wars saw no clogs or brush tangles in three months, and Trusted Reviews found only one loose strand after its hair test. Tom's Guide found hair on low-pile rugs sometimes needed several passes.
Mopping
Reviewers rate it highlyVacuum Wars called it the best robot mop it had used at home, without streaks, and Trusted Reviews saw dried coffee and red wine cleared in one pass. TechRadar had chocolate sauce and creamer cleaned up too.
Navigation and obstacles
Reviewers rate it highlyVacuum Wars never had it stuck on a cable in three months and rated its studio avoidance highly, and Trusted Reviews had no trouble with fake pet mess, shoes or cables. TechRadar saw it caught once on a fringed rug.
Dock and upkeep
Reviewers rate it highlyTechRadar ran it 16 times before being asked to refill clean water or empty the dirty tank, and Trusted Reviews liked the automatic detergent dosing and 120-day bag. Tom's Guide found it struggled to find its dock after being moved slightly.
App and software
Mixed resultsTrusted Reviews found setup quick and room splitting easy, with useful advanced options. Vacuum Wars found key settings hard to locate and a night-time voice alert it couldn't turn off, and TechRadar couldn't split two rooms joined by a wide doorway.
Noise
Not enough evidenceOnly Trusted Reviews measured it, at 50.5dB, which it found very quiet. No other review we use has judged the noise yet.
Reliability and support
Not enough evidenceOnly Vacuum Wars ran it long-term, for three months in a family home, and needed to step in just twice. No other review we use has reported on durability or support yet.
Value
Not enough evidenceOnly Tom's Guide judged value, finding it better than budget robots but nowhere near three times better, with cheaper options getting similar results.
Verdicts come from independent, hands-on, finished reviews. An area needs at least two of them before we say more than “Not enough evidence”. We don't score robots ourselves. How this works
Mopping impressed nearly everyone
Vacuum Wars called it the best robot mop it had used at home, with no residue or streaks, even though its earlier studio stain score was fairly low. A firmware update landed in between, but nobody has confirmed it caused the difference. Trusted Reviews saw dried coffee and red wine wiped up in one pass, and TechRadar had chocolate sauce and a creamer spill cleaned, with the robot going back to rinse the mop mid-job.
Crumbs and edges are weaker
Tom's Guide watched it push Cheerios around, crush them and trap a few behind the wheels, and found corners and edges needed doing by hand. TechRadar also found edge and corner cleaning average, and saw the wheels spread a thin film of flour. With the mop off, Trusted Reviews found it left dust along edges, but with the mop running it cleared a kitchen plinth as well as anything it had tested. So if edges matter, try running vacuum and mop together.
Excellent with clutter and hair
In three months with children and a German Shepherd mix, Vacuum Wars never had it stuck on a cable, needed to step in only twice, and saw no hair clogs or brush tangles despite the small 300ml onboard bin. Trusted Reviews found one loose strand after a hair test and no trouble with fake pet mess, shoes or cables. Tom's Guide was less convinced on carpet hair, finding low-pile rugs sometimes needed several passes.
Height and the mop lift
TechRadar found it fitted under a sofa but not kitchen cabinets, and Vacuum Wars noted it's taller than many current flagships. Trusted Reviews warns the mop only lifts 10mm on carpet, which is fine for short pile but not ideal for deeper carpet, where a robot that covers or drops its mop is safer. It does climb well: TechRadar saw it cross thresholds of about 5cm.
Dock and app niggles
Tom's Guide found it struggled to find its dock after being moved just inches. Vacuum Wars had a voice message announce the end of drying hours after evening runs, sometimes in the middle of the night, with no way to turn that alert off, and struggled to find key settings. TechRadar liked the app but couldn't split two rooms joined by a wide doorway. Give the dock a permanent spot and expect to spend a while learning the menus.
This covers the Flow 2 only; results for the original Flow are on its own page.
Our take
Should you buy the Flow 2?
Best for: Homes with mostly hard floors and a pet that sheds. Skip it if: You need it to fit under low furniture.
Consider the Flow 2 for mainly hard floors, regular mopping and a home with shedding pets. Edge pickup and some larger debris were less convincing. If low furniture is your main concern, compare measured clearance before buying.
The Flow 2 follows the original Flow with a continuously rinsed track mop. Its dock empties dust, washes and dries the mop and adds detergent. Narwal also advertises a higher suction figure, hotter mop washing and updated cameras. Judge obstacle handling by the tested results rather than a claim that the cameras can recognise every object.
Vacuum Wars called it the best robot mop it had used at home after three months with children and a shedding dog, and Trusted Reviews saw dried coffee and red wine cleared in one pass. In those three months Vacuum Wars never had it stuck on a cable and saw no hair clogs or brush tangles, and Trusted Reviews had no trouble with fake pet mess, shoes or cables. Vacuuming is less certain. Tom's Guide watched it crush cereal and push it around, found low-pile rugs sometimes needed several passes, and did the corners by hand, and TechRadar also found edges and corners only average. Trusted Reviews warns the mop lifts only 10mm on carpet, so deep pile is safer with a robot that drops its mop. Vacuum Wars had a night-time voice alert it could not turn off, Tom's Guide found it struggled to find its dock after being moved slightly, and Tom's Guide thinks cheaper robots get similar results.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Will it avoid cables and pet mess?
It's one of the better dodgers. Vacuum Wars went three months without it getting stuck on a cable and counted 20 of 24 obstacles avoided in studio tests. Trusted Reviews had no trouble with fake pet mess. TechRadar saw it caught once on a fringed bath rug, so tuck tassels away.
Does it fit under low furniture?
It's 9.5cm tall, per the specifications. TechRadar found it slid under a sofa and a baker's rack but not kitchen cabinets, and the extending mop only reached partly underneath. Measure your lowest gaps; slimmer robots exist if that matters most.
Can it leave its mop in the dock?
No. The mop stays attached and Narwal claims it lifts 10mm over carpet, per the specifications, so thick pile may still touch it. Use the carpet-avoidance settings where you need them, or look at models with detachable pads if you want vacuum-only runs with no mop on board.
How often do I have to empty or refill anything?
Not often. Narwal says the dust bag holds up to 120 days of debris, per the specifications, and the dock doses detergent automatically. TechRadar ran it 16 times before being asked to refill clean water and empty the dirty tank, and suggests cleaning the dock's bottom tray once or twice a month.
How long does a full clean take?
Vacuum Wars cleaned a 70 square metre floor in about an hour vacuuming and mopping together, or an hour and a half doing them separately. TechRadar took three hours for a 1,600 sq ft house, finishing with 31% battery left.
Alternatives
Other robot vacuums to compare.
DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI
Why consider it: A self-washing roller mop with strong hard-floor cleaning and exceptional stain removal in lab testing.
The compromise: Pet hair on carpet needs the slower deep-clean mode, and its onboard bin is small.
Aqua10 Ultra Roller
Why consider it: Its roller mop and automatic carpet cover make it handy for mixed floors, and it cleans hard floors very well.
The compromise: Reviewers disagree on carpet and stains, and owners have reported dock leaks.
Qrevo Edge 2 Flow
Why consider it: A two-week home test and a small owner discussion were both positive about its roller mopping and everyday pickup.
The compromise: Debris was left at rug edges, and it's too new to judge long-term reliability.
Flow 2 head to head
Head to head
Narwal Flow vs Flow 2
Our verdict: Get the Flow 2 unless the original is much cheaper. It adds more suction, automatic detergent and a three-month home test with very few rescues. The original still scored higher in Vacuum Wars' studio stain test, so a budget mop-first buyer isn't wrong to choose it.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
Do you own the Flow 2?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner accounts are shown separately from independent reviews.
Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Editorial reviews
- Vacuum Wars: Narwal Flow 2 real-world testing ↗Hands-on, 3 months at home
- Trusted Reviews: Narwal Flow 2 review ↗4 / 5Hands-on
- TechRadar: Narwal Flow 2 review ↗4 / 5Hands-on
- Tom's Guide: The Narwal Flow 2 looks slick, but its performance misses the mark ↗3 / 5Hands-on, A few weeks at home
Sources
- Narwal: Narwal Flow 2 product page ↗Manufacturer
Videos
- Vacuum Wars: Narwal Flow 2 Review: Narwal’s Most Advanced Robot Vacuum Tested ↗
- Vacuum Wars: Narwal Flow 2 Review: We May Have Judged It Too Soon ↗
- Search YouTube for Narwal Flow 2 ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.