I Left My Home With A Robot Vacuum On Auto-pilot For 10 Days - Here Are The Results

1 week ago

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The Narwal Freo Pro is now disposable for $500 (a $300 discount).
Construction is optimized to forestall blockage and hairsbreadth tangles, pinch a conical brushwood connected a azygous floating limb and a hair-loosening broadside brush.
The particulate container didn't past maine nan claimed 7 weeks, and nan robot's entity discovery leaves a batch to beryllium desired

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A caller travel took maine and my family retired of municipality for 10 days. I for illustration to time off my location arsenic cleanable arsenic imaginable earlier leaving municipality to guarantee I travel location to a cleanable house: caller sheets connected nan bed, nary dishes successful nan sink, laundry folded and put away. This past travel was hectic, pinch 3 small ones, truthful while I checked astir of my items disconnected my to-do list, I couldn't mop my floors earlier heading out.

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To that end, I delegated nan task to nan Narwal Freo Pro. I'd group it up and tested it for immoderate clip earlier leaving, but moving it regular successful my absence would beryllium its biggest situation yet.

In my tests, nan Narwal Freo Pro did beautiful good astatine keeping my floors clean. It has awesome suction connected difficult floors, does a decent occupation mopping, and tin cleanable without overmuch intervention. However, it didn't ever debar cords connected nan floor, nan suction capacity wasn't arsenic awesome connected carpet, and its particulate containment didn't past maine adjacent 7 weeks.

While it offers a hands-free experience, nan Narwal Freo Pro doesn't person a self-emptying dustbin. Instead, it has a particulate container successful spot of nan accustomed dustbin, which holds particulate and debris. The ample container has a one-liter capacity, which is 3 times nan size of a regular robot vacuum's dustbin.

The robot has a built-in particulate compression strategy that compresses nan debris nan robot collects, past dries it pinch lukewarm aerial to trim nan anticipation of odor developing. While Narwal says this dustbag tin spell up to 7 weeks earlier swapping it for a caller one, your mileage whitethorn vary. Mine did.

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My container filled up successful 3 weeks of use, but I person a very hairy canine that must person an evil scheme to make a carpet retired of his hairsbreadth connected my hardwood floors. I ran nan Narwal Freo Pro aggregate times a week, since I request a vacuum to tally astatine slightest regular to support my floors clean, truthful nan container filled up quickly. Thankfully, this conscionable intends that nan hairsbreadth is wrong nan robot and not connected my floor.

I was funny to spot really nan Narwal Freo Pro would do cleaning my location while my family and canine were gone connected our trip. During testing, nan robot's obstacle avoidance wasn't nan best, though this is understandable astatine this robot vacuum's value point. Unfortunately, I've had to rescue nan Freo Pro a fistful of times aft it tried vacuuming a sock, tissue, nan area of a blanket, and a fewer charging cords.

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However, while I was gone, I ran nan Narwal Freo Pro each different day, and it didn't get stuck connected an obstacle a azygous time, which was impressive. Being capable to time off your robot vacuum to cleanable your floors while you're distant astatine activity aliases sleeping is 1 of nan champion uses you tin get retired of specified a device, yet it's not often possible.

ZDNET's buying advice

I emotion nan emotion of coming location to a cleanable house. It makes nan accent connected my shoulders dissipate arsenic soon arsenic I locomotion done nan door. I've had a fewer robot vacuums connection that clean-home feeling, but astir neglect to genuinely present connected it. I was gladsome to spot that nan Narwal Freo Pro delivered this feeling.

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If you're looking for a midrange vacuum priced betwixt $400 and $800, you can't spell incorrect pinch nan Narwal Freo Pro. It's particularly bully if you person mostly difficult floors and will admit nan hands-free mopping feature. The only caveat is that you whitethorn person to switch bags much often than others if you person pets, which is simply a attraction costs you should consider.