Michael Murtaugh/NYT WirecutterTop pickThis meticulous, hardworking robot mop-vacuum combo is a great value. It offers excellent mess detection and two spinning mop pads.The Narwal Freo Pro is a comprehensive, relatively quiet robot mop-vacuum combo that vacuums and mops with almost-over-the-top thoroughness (thanks in part to its AI-assisted smart-cleaning feature).It’s an excellent cleaner, especially on edges and corners. With precise routing, effective obstacle detection, and two side brushes, the Freo Pro was nearly the best at vacuuming up debris from hard-to-reach places, like under tables, near couches, and alongside showers and toilets. (Only our much-pricier upgrade pick, the Roborock Saros 10, vacuumed better.) When mopping, this machine wiggles its back end as it proceeds along edges, allowing it to get into grooves and grout lines. The mopping edge coverage isn’t perfect, but it’s about as good as you’ll find among mid-priced robots.In its AI smart-cleaning mode, the Freo Pro works long and hard on tough messes. Narwal’s AI-assisted “Freo” mode automatically identifies especially dirty areas of your home, and it makes sure the machine spends extra time on them. Our much-battered test carpet got one of its most thorough and exacting vacuum cleanings from the Freo Pro. And this model mopped a bathroom with muddy footprints and a spilled seltzer multiple times, until it was clean.With rounded edges and a simple design, the Freo Pro’s dock is a bit more compact than the docks of most of our other picks. Michael Murtaugh/NYT WirecutterThe Narwal Freo Pro can be used with either a reusable bin (left) or a disposable bag housed in the robot itself (right). Michael Murtaugh/NYT WirecutterHere’s the Narwal Freo Pro’s dust bag after about a month of testing and house cleanings. Evan Dent/NYT WirecutterThe Narwal Freo Pro’s two spinning mop pads are absorbent. And their triangular shape helps them cover more of the floor. Michael Murtaugh/NYT WirecutterThe Narwal Freo Pro’s clean and dirty water tanks are easy to carry, and they’re color coded (clear for dirty water, purple for clean water). Michael Murtaugh/NYT WirecutterWith rounded edges and a simple design, the Freo Pro’s dock is a bit more compact than the docks of most of our other picks. Michael Murtaugh/NYT WirecutterYou can choose between reusable or disposable debris storage. Instead of emptying its dry debris into a large bag in its dock, the Freo Pro has an on-robot storage system that uses either a disposable dust bag or reusable bin (you insert whichever one you want before cleaning). The robot compresses dry debris at its dock, and this allows more time between bag changes (the company claims a bag should be changed every seven weeks, but a month is more likely). The docking station also airs out the dust bag after cleaning to help keep it fresh.The dock is relatively compact and smartly designed. This model’s dock is one of the most compact among those of our picks, and it has a clean, soft shape. Clean- and dirty-water tanks are color-coded, and they have easy-to-carry handles. The robot charges and self-cleans by parking itself fully underneath the dock, and this helps to reduce its footprint. The on-dock mop cleaning and hot-air drying help to keep the pads fresh, even after especially tough cleans.The app is intuitive. From the app’s home screen, it’s easy to target or skip a specific room or area, or to toggle cleaning modes (vacuum and mop, vacuum then mop, vacuum only, or mop only). And you can program additional runs on high-traffic areas, set the order you’d like rooms cleaned, or tell the bot to avoid carpets entirely. Narwal’s app is intuitive and easy to use, and you can rely on AI-assisted cleaning or customize your own routines. NarwalYou can purchase an extended warranty. The Freo Pro has a standard one-year warranty. But you can purchase an additional year for $60, which is the least expensive extended warranty of all our picks.Flaws but not dealbreakersCleaning is slow. The Freo Pro’s fastidiousness translates into some longer-than-average cleaning runs, particularly if it gets going on a dirty carpet. You can toggle to non-AI-assisted modes to speed up the process, but the robot won’t be quite as thorough.Its spinning mops can spread messes. Spinning mops tend to spread and dilute larger messes like puddles, and they can sometimes track debris, like wet mud. Setting the Narwal to avoid carpets and to clean its mop pads more frequently can help.It occasionally gets confused or stuck. When we moved items around the space it was cleaning, the Freo Pro sometimes had a hard time locating itself, so we had to either re-map its route or manually intervene. (We encountered this with many combos we tested.) Keep in mind that if you move the dock after it’s initially set up, it will likely require a map reset. And like any robot vacuum, the Freo Pro can snag on carpet edges or cords, so you’ll have to tidy up before sending it out.
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