Robot vac that cleans better every time

Improving on the initial Flow from 2025, Flow 2 introduces a new design philosophy to the Narwhal while remaining an extremely capable floor-cleaning bot. And thanks to new AI-powered Adaptive Obstacle Avoidance and Adaptive Smart Cleaning features, Narwhal Flow 2 (Narwal at $1099.99) will clean better every time you run it, learning as it goes.

What’s new in Narwhal Flow 2?

When I first saw the Narwhal Flow 2, I was a little surprised. This isn’t the first Narwhal bot to have a white bubble of a base station with a deep cave for the bot, but the black cover and shallow cave definitely give it a new feel. Of course, this is mostly just cosmetic, as you still get a capable multi-function base station, and the bot itself is a familiar creation.

Under the hood, Narwhal Flow 2 offers some powerful improvements. For example, the 30,000Pa suction pressure is a huge increase over previous Narwhal bots. Combined with 12N mopping force, auto-detergent delivery and hot water, the Flow 2 is designed to deliver flagship-grade cleaning, whether vacuuming or mopping.

Floor transition management has also been improved with Flow 2. Determining the exact floor type is the first step, while automatic mop height and overall bot ride height adjustment on the fly enables instant floor type cleaning methods.

What’s really new here is next-generation AI technology. The NarMind Pro Autonomous System is powered by dual 1080P cameras with a 136-degree field of view. With a collection of laser, RGB, and infrared sensors, Flow 2 can interpret spatial information in real time.

Internal AI processing provides some object recognition for advanced, immediate decision making. For unknown objects, it is optional to send those images for further analysis by Narwhal’s larger AI models, which helps your experience and improves the knowledge base for everyone.

I’m happy to report that the new base station design hasn’t hindered its functionality in any way. The ramp and garage are easy for the bot to manage, and it does a great job of storing, charging, emptying, filling, and cleaning the Flow 2. The top-mounted water canisters are easy to access, and the internal dry debris storage bag collects months of dirt from my floors.

On the front, the Narwhal Flow 2 is extremely easy to use. It’s easy to set up, and then in a few minutes the app gets you everything set up so you can map out your space and control your desired cleaning settings.

Once mapped, you can fine-tune the cleaning area and then set an automatic cleaning schedule. If you want, it can be scheduled on a per room basis, and you can set the exact cleaning settings you want, like a light vacuum of room 1, then a twice-thorough clean of room 2, whatever you want. At this stage, Narwhal Flow 2 becomes a hands-on experience. As for myself, I only put my hands on the bot when the base station needs water or when the bot needs attention for navigational concerns.

Flow 2 is excellent at navigation and object detection. It moves around the house with both precision and efficient aim. The AI ​​software knows how to adjust the cleaning pattern to accommodate obstacles in your space and target dirt and grime from different angles for optimal cleaning.

I’ve been running this bot every day for over three weeks; Only once did I need help with this. He found a small piece of paper that he was able to get into the brush area, but it was too big to go into the vacuum canister, so it started rattling in the brush. No damage was done, it also did not affect the quality of cleaning; It just made some noise.

My floors look and feel completely shiny even with Flow 2 running. The same goes for tiles in the kitchen and hardwood in the rest of the house. The bot also locates my rugs accurately, so it’s not accidentally mopping them, and it doesn’t get caught and push them across the room.

Cleanliness is the name of the game here. This Narwhal flagship bot continues a long history of surpassing its predecessors. While the Narwhal Flow remains a great floor-mopping tool, the Flow 2 does a better job of reaching edges and corners. Auto-fill detergent was a strange omission in the Flow, so I’m glad to see it in the Flow 2. With maximum suction pressure and better reach, the Flow 2 is keeping my floors spotless.

The new multi-function base station with Flow 2 has a pleasing aesthetic. There is now a more substantial ramp to enter the bot’s house, and it is less prone to distortion than the thin plastic of older designs. Getting the vacuum bag under the water canisters is not a problem, but objectively, it takes more effort to reach it. What concerns me is that the typical Narwhal bubble-style base station has a tub with a drain hole under the top lid. Water canisters are kept in this area and spillages are managed neatly. There have never been any leaks with any of the Narwhal bots I’ve tested, but the Flow 2 Base Station will allow water to leak in all directions, and flood the vacuum dry storage bag if the canisters do leak.

The water heating system and self-cleaning provided by the base station is working exceptionally well. The mop pads on the Flow 2 still look brand new, and there’s no mess to clean up in the base station. After several weeks, the dry storage bag is nowhere near full.

Controlling the bot is controlled from the Narwhal app. The app offers a rich set of controls and settings, letting you edit maps, set schedules, enable AI operations, and more. This is especially useful for processing firmware updates to keep everything running smoothly.

The Narwhal Flow 2 is best when set up and operated with the Narwhal app, but once it’s configured, the device remembers your preferences. If you delete the app after setup, the bot will continue to run properly on the given schedule, and you can press the button on the hardware to trigger the cleanup using your saved default cleanup routine.

I would be happy to recommend the Narwhal Flow 2 to anyone looking to purchase their first ultra-high-end robot vacuum that is highly capable of cleaning floors. The overall cleaning performance of the Flow 2 is fantastic. It’s extremely convenient, very efficient, accurately identifies floor types so each can be cleaned appropriately, and intelligently avoids obstructions in your space.

Personally, the Narwhal Flow 2 requires thoughtful consideration for me, as I suspect it will for any owner of a recent mid-to-high-end Narwhal bot. I have access to compare Flow 2 directly to the original Narwhal Flow (Narwal at $1099.99) which I have been using as my main robot vacuum cleaner for some time now. There’s no doubt that the overall cleaning of the Flow 2 is better, but it’s not so much better that I’d call it a “must upgrade” situation. The Flow 2 is a little more convenient to use and navigates a little better, which is great, but the Narwhal is knocking it out of the park overall, so it’s hard to choose between the series of machines.

The Flow 2 is great, no doubt about it, but I’d choose the original Flow or the Narwhal Freo Z10 Ultra ($999.99 on Amazon) for the price.

Around the market, the Anker Eufy S2 ($1349.99 on Anker) is an attractive option for cleaning performance, price and convenience. I think the Flow 2 navigates better, and the S2 offers higher carpet cleaning suction power, but they’re a similarly priced buy.

Roborock Saros 20 ($1599.99 on Amazon) is another powerful competitor. It’s thinner than the Flow 2 and navigates just as well, if not better. If you want a high-end vac that’s closer to $1,000, consider the Eureka J15 Max Ultra ($1049 on Amazon) offers similar cleaning capabilities but will save you a few dollars.

Flow 2 marks a major shift towards AI-powered navigation for Narwhal bots. With powerful suction pressure, nearly perfect hair-tangle capabilities, and highly capable mops, the Flow 2 offers the efficiency and reliability I’m happy to have in my home. And while it’s certainly expensive, luckily, we’re already seeing some early deals on the $1,599 launch price.