What you can expect from the Narwal Flow 2
What testers say about the Narwal Flow 2
The Narwal Flow 2 is Narwal's flagship with two HD cameras and an AI processor that, according to the maker, recognises a near-unlimited range of objects down to keys and wallets, a self-refreshing roller mop, 31,000 Pa of suction and a station that washes in boiling-hot water, dries with hot air, doses detergent, can be plumbed in and makes the bag last about 120 days. TechRadar names it the best for obstacle avoidance; Vacuum Wars ranks it 17th of 20.
TechRadar watched it double back mid-run to re-mop a dirty entryway, dodge obstacles at top-tier level and even name them in the app, with suction exceeding their top pick. Vacuum Wars measured 20 of 24 obstacles avoided, above-average route efficiency despite an unusual pattern, 84 percent of the sand out of carpet, excellent pet hair pickup and not a single wrap in the long-hair test. An editor then used it for three months in a family with a heavily shedding dog and was happy with mopping, hair and obstacles.
The criticism: in the lab, mopping of dried stains scored only 68 points against a 108 average, TechRadar found edges and skirting boards less clean, the robot is too tall for some cabinets and users reported flaky maps and connections in the app, which Vacuum Wars confirmed in daily use. The side brush does not extend. Anyone wanting the smartest obstacle recognition and a complete station, and willing to live with the app, gets a strong package.
Pros
- Quick to set up, and its first map of the home was right straight away Tom's Guide ↗
- Handles everyday dirt and cat litter on hard floors without trouble Tom's Guide ↗
- Mopping on tiled floors works well, especially on individual stains Tom's Guide ↗
- The roller mop clears wet and sticky spills in one go without residue TechRadar ↗
- Climbs over high door thresholds easily and steers around cords and shoes TechRadar ↗
- Battery lasts long enough to clean a whole large house in one run TechRadar ↗
- Avoided most obstacles in testing, clearly better than the typical robot Vacuum Wars ↗
- Lifts trodden-in pet hair from carpet, and none tangled on the brush Vacuum Wars ↗
- Pulls embedded grit out of carpet better than most robots Vacuum Wars ↗
Cons
- Pushes or crushes larger bits like cereal instead of picking them up Tom's Guide ↗
- Its large body leaves corners and edges for you to finish by hand Tom's Guide ↗
- Costs far more than cheaper robots that clean about as well Tom's Guide ↗
- Cleaning along edges and into corners was hit and miss TechRadar ↗
- Stands a little too tall to get under some kitchen cabinets TechRadar ↗
- Needs several passes to get very fine powder out of rugs TechRadar ↗
- Fell short on dried stains in lab tests, though home mopping improved after an update Vacuum Wars ↗
- App users report map errors and trouble getting the robot connected Vacuum Wars ↗
Where the testers disagree
- Mopping: Tom's Guide: Mopping on tiled floors works well, especially on individual stains · TechRadar: The roller mop clears wet and sticky spills in one go without residue against Vacuum Wars: Fell short on dried stains in lab tests, though home mopping improved after an update
- Carpet: Vacuum Wars: Pulls embedded grit out of carpet better than most robots against TechRadar: Needs several passes to get very fine powder out of rugs
Each point sums up, in our words, the review of the test it names, and its link leads to that review. We do not summarise RTINGS or Wirecutter: their lists are linked above.






