Flow
4 independent reviewsRead the findings →Narwal's first robot with a flat, track-style mop that rinses itself as it cleans. It's one of the best moppers around for frequent hard-floor cleaning. Its vacuuming, routes and app are far less consistent.
Updated
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Where it sits in Narwal’s range
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What reviewers found
Four reviews cover the original Flow: controlled tests from Vacuum Wars and RTINGS, plus home tests from TechRadar and Tom's Guide. All of them rated the mopping highly. Vacuuming and coverage were patchier, and RTINGS saw whole areas of floor missed. Day to day, the problems were skipped rooms, wrong map settings, a water pump that needed setting up by hand and one fall over a kitchen step. If you want it for the mop, expect to babysit it for a while.
Vacuum Wars, lab test, Oct 2025 · RTINGS, lab test · TechRadar, hands-on, A few weeks at home, Oct 2025 · Tom's Guide, hands-on, 2 months at home, Jun 2026
Hard floors
Mixed resultsTechRadar saw oats collected without being flung about, but larger crumbs missed on low suction, and Tom's Guide found it pushed cereal to the edges. RTINGS rated hard-floor pickup poor because its routes missed whole sections, which it found worse in small rooms.
Carpet and rugs
Mixed resultsVacuum Wars measured above-average sand removal from carpet and Tom's Guide found it pulled deep-seated dirt out with ease. RTINGS rated carpet pickup poor, as its pathing left large areas untouched.
Pet hair
Mixed resultsTom's Guide found hair never tangled in the brush, though larger clumps sometimes beat it. RTINGS saw it drag hair around rather than collect it.
Mopping
Reviewers rate it highlyVacuum Wars ranked its mopping among the best it has tested, with little water left behind, TechRadar called it among the best it had used, and Tom's Guide saw dried ketchup lifted almost instantly. Setting two passes helps, TechRadar found.
Navigation and obstacles
Mixed resultsTechRadar saw it dodge a cable most robots fail on, and Vacuum Wars counted slightly above-average avoidance. But RTINGS found it too close to pet waste and stuck on tasselled rugs, and Tom's Guide's robot missed the kitchen when mapping and threw itself down a step.
Dock and upkeep
Mixed resultsTechRadar found the mop still looked new after weeks of hot washing and drying. But RTINGS found many parts need regular maintenance, Vacuum Wars had to prime the water pump by syringe on both units, and detergent goes in by hand.
App and software
Reviewers found problemsTechRadar found the app overwhelming, with clumsy translation, and a carpet setting that silently stopped it cleaning a room. Tom's Guide found it slow and the map editing fiddly. Vacuum Wars found its robot set to avoid carpets by default.
Noise
Mixed resultsQuiet until you turn it up. TechRadar measured 58dB on its lowest setting and 76dB at maximum, and Tom's Guide found it very quiet on low but too loud to stay in the room on high. RTINGS found it quiet enough not to disturb pets.
Reliability and support
Not enough evidenceOnly Tom's Guide used it for two months, and the side brushes held up well. No other review we use has reported on long-term use or on Narwal's support.
Value
Mixed resultsTechRadar thinks it feels like good value if you're happy to pay four figures and want its mopping. Tom's Guide found a far cheaper Roborock Q7 M5 better at pickup and easier to use, and warns replacement parts and detergent are pricey.
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
Among the best mops tested
Vacuum Wars ranked its combined mopping score in its top seven of all time, with little water left behind. TechRadar called the mopping among the best it had used, and the pad still looked new after a ketchup test and weeks of use. Tom's Guide found it beat a plug-in steam cleaner on dried ketchup. TechRadar got the best results by switching to two passes and the meticulous coverage setting rather than leaving the AI to decide.
Vacuuming results conflict
Vacuum Wars measured 83% sand removal from carpet against a 76% average, and TechRadar had carpet spotless on low suction. RTINGS rated it poor on hard floors and carpet alike, saying its routes missed large areas and it dragged hair around rather than picking it up. Tom's Guide found it good with ground-in dirt but prone to pushing cereal to the edges. RTINGS also noticed it copes better in large open rooms than small ones, which may explain some of the gap. Smaller rooms are where you're most likely to be disappointed.
Check the app's carpet settings
Vacuum Wars found its unit set by default to avoid carpets, and TechRadar found its lounge carpet marked as 'Cross' rather than 'Clean', so the robot refused to enter and still reported the job done. TechRadar also called the app overwhelming, with clumsy translation, and Tom's Guide found it slow and the map editing fiddly. After setup, open the map and confirm every room is actually set to be cleaned.
Dodges most clutter, but with odd lapses
TechRadar saw it avoid a shoe, sock and charging cable, and Vacuum Wars counted 18 of 24 objects avoided, slightly above average. RTINGS found it got uncomfortably close to pet waste without touching it, and it got stuck on tasselled rugs. Some lapses were stranger. TechRadar had it spill debris from its bin, and on its second run Tom's Guide watched it throw itself down a kitchen step, so block off any drops before you let it loose.
Hands-on rather than hands-off
Even with the dock's help, RTINGS found many parts need regular maintenance. Vacuum Wars had to prime the water pump with a syringe on both units it bought, a problem Narwal said was uncommon. Tom's Guide had to move the dock down a step to mop the kitchen. On the plus side, Vacuum Wars recorded the best battery efficiency it had measured. Expect to spend some time looking after it rather than setting and forgetting.
This covers the original Flow. The Flow 2 is a different robot with its own page and tests.
Our take
Should you buy the Flow?
Best for: Homes with mostly hard floors where mopping is the priority. Skip it if: You want simple setup with little time spent adjusting maps or settings.
Consider the Flow for frequent mopping on hard floors, provided you are willing to check its maps and correct missed rooms. Reviews praised mopping much more consistently than vacuuming or navigation. For a carpet-heavy home or many small rooms, those weaknesses deserve more weight than its strong stain results.
The Flow is the robot where Narwal dropped the spinning pads of its Freo models for a wide, flat track mop. Clean warm water is fed onto the roller and dirty water scraped off as it moves, and the dock empties the bin into a bag, washes the mop in hot water and dries it. You pour detergent into the tank yourself, and the Flow 2 has since replaced it at the top of the range.
Vacuum Wars, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide all praised mopping. Vacuuming results were less consistent: Vacuum Wars and TechRadar reported strong carpet cleaning, while RTINGS found missed floor areas and poor pickup. Setup and navigation caused practical problems. TechRadar found a room marked for transit rather than cleaning, and Vacuum Wars’ unit was set to avoid carpets by default. Tom’s Guide reported that its robot drove over a kitchen step on its second run. Vacuum Wars also had to prime the water pumps on both units it bought. Check the map and cleaning settings carefully, and use the manufacturer’s guidance for changes in floor level.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Will it avoid cables and pet mess?
Cables and shoes, usually: TechRadar saw it dodge a charging cable most robots fail on, and Tom's Guide had it skirt a Lego figure. RTINGS found it comes too close to pet waste for comfort, even though it didn't touch it. Keep supervising if your pet has accidents.
Does it fit under low furniture?
It's 9.5cm tall with the laser built into the body, per the specifications. Tom's Guide saw it glide under a sofa, a TV bench and radiators, and RTINGS found it cleans well under low furniture. Measure your tightest gap before buying, and leave a little room to spare.
Can it keep the mop off carpet?
It lifts the mop 12mm when it senses carpet, per the specifications, and can vacuum carpet before mopping. Tom's Guide had no problems with damp rugs over two months, though it had seen other reports of accidental carpet mopping. Set the first run to vacuum only while it learns your floors.
What still needs emptying or refilling?
The standard dock collects dust in a 2.5-litre bag, but you still refill clean water, empty dirty water and clean the tray. Narwal’s six-month bag estimate covers the bag, not everything else. The basic dock has no automatic detergent dispenser, so you add approved solution by hand. If you want automatic water supply and drainage, check what the separate plumbed-in version needs.
Is it loud?
Quiet until you turn it up. TechRadar measured 58dB on the lowest setting and 76dB with the hidden Vortex suction mode, and RTINGS rated it quiet enough not to disturb pets. Tom's Guide put it simply: when it's loud, you won't want to be in the room.
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 suit mixed floors, and it cleans hard floors very well.
The compromise: Reviewers disagree on carpet and stains, and owners have reported dock leaks.
Qrevo Curv 2 Flow
Why consider it: A better everyday vacuum than it is a mop, with Roborock's roller design.
The compromise: One detailed test found weak dried-stain removal, and carpet hair and edges still fall short.
Flow head to head
Head to head
Narwal Flow 2 vs Flow
Our verdict: If the price gap is small, get the Flow 2. 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 mop-first buyer on a budget 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?
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 review ↗Lab test
- RTINGS: Narwal Flow laboratory review ↗5.0 / 10Lab test
- TechRadar: Narwal Flow review ↗3.5 / 5Hands-on, A few weeks at home
- Tom's Guide: Narwal Flow robot vacuum and mop review ↗4 / 5Hands-on, 2 months at home
Sources
- Narwal: Narwal Flow product page ↗Manufacturer
Videos
- Vacuum Wars: Narwal Flow Review: Almost Perfect — Here’s What We Found ↗
- Just A Dad Approved: Is the Narwal Flow Worth the Hype? Unboxing + First Clean Review ↗
- Search YouTube for Narwal Flow ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.