I check robotic vacuums for a residing – the Narwal Freo X Plus is the most effective you may get for $400

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Narwal Freo X Plus is a robotic vacuum and mop out there for $400.
• With millimeter-precision impediment avoidance, a tangle-free design, and robust LiDAR mapping options, the Narwal Freo X Plus hardly ever will get caught. It additionally options distinctive mud compression tech that shops particles for as much as seven weeks earlier than needing to be emptied.
• I want the Narwal Freo X Plus carried out as properly on carpets as on onerous flooring, as it may well depart particles behind on carpets. Its mopping characteristic additionally left me wanting, nevertheless it’s acceptable for this worth vary.

Robotic vacuums are getting more and more costly, so it is uncommon to see a midrange unit carry out in addition to a number of the flagship robots I’ve examined. I have been testing the Narwal Freo X Plus for over a month now and might truthfully say it performs means higher than it ought to for a $400 robotic vacuum.

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The Narwal Freo X Plus is without doubt one of the few robotic vacuums I’ve examined the place the machine hardly ever will get a brush curler twisted up on an object. The vacuum can suck an object up or keep away from it if it is too massive. This is without doubt one of the most essential options in a robotic vacuum for my residence as I’ve three little children and a canine.

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As somebody with 14 robotic vacuums of their residence, I used to be stumped once I first inspected the Freo X Plus brush curler. It is distinctive, sitting at a 50-degree angle within the robotic, with cone-shaped rubber strips and unequal sides. As a substitute of getting an air opening in the midst of the vacuum, the comb curler is held by one finish within the robotic’s brush enclosure. The air and particles are directed to the opposite finish, the place the suction nozzle is discovered. 

Due to this design, the robotic vacuum hardly ever will get tangled on hair, as most hair tangles slide off to the facet as the comb rolls quickly. The design additionally allows the Narwal Freo X Plus to select up bigger particles with out getting tangled, like juice field straw wrappers, which appear to tangle most of my residence’s robotic vacuums. 

My solely criticism with the vacuum characteristic is that I want it carried out higher on the carpet. The Freo X Plus did properly on my residence’s hardwood and tile flooring however left some particles — particularly small crumbs — on the carpet,  I am uncertain if the comb curler would not get low sufficient to select up particles successfully, however I can not all the time depend on the Freo X Plus to provide my carpets a freshly vacuumed feeling.

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A standout characteristic of this robotic vacuum is the dustbin’s compression know-how. The Narwal Freo X Plus would not require customers to empty the dustbin after every cleansing session, and it would not have a self-emptying dustbin, as you’ll be able to deduce by the charging station’s compact measurement. As a substitute, the vacuum has a big dustbin that holds as much as one liter of particles and compresses it to permit as much as seven weeks’ price of storage with out emptying.

In case you suppose seven weeks of particles sounds gross, the robotic makes use of warmth to dry the dustbin, stopping smells and micro organism progress. I used the Freo X Plus for over a month in some of the disgusting rooms in my residence and I by no means as soon as obtained a whiff of dangerous odor. 

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I did not empty the dustbin till it was time to write down this overview, after which I discovered that the particles it had picked up was bone dry and simple to discard within the trash. 

I examined the Freo X Plus in our carpeted TV room, adjoining to our children’ playroom. Right here, we have now household film and pizza nights, and our children take infinite snacks to munch on whereas they watch Bluey. The room sees a variety of site visitors and carpet messes, crumbs, meals particles, paper items, stickers, and extra. On this room, beforehand, I examined the SwitchBot K10, a tiny robotic vacuum with a self-emptying dustbin. Nevertheless, the SwitchBot’s object avoidance wasn’t nice and the vacuum obtained caught on bigger items of paper or small toys. 

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The Freo X Plus has stored our TV room clear, apart from a couple of crumbs. I can ship the vacuum to scrub, even once I have not picked up each toy off the ground. Its LiDAR 360-degree scanning system creates a complete map and units the robotic on an optimized path to make sure thorough protection. 

This robotic vacuum additionally has a detachable mopping pad and some extras within the field, together with one with a scrubbing floor for a deeper clear. The Freo X Plus mopping characteristic is not the most effective robotic mop out there; it would not have a self-washing system and is extra of a bonus characteristic than a real deep-cleaning mop. The mop can depart a couple of messes behind, so it’s best for mild cleansing.

The mop lifts when going over carpets to stop them from getting moist. Nevertheless, the mop solely lifts about 9 millimeters, sufficient for short-pile carpets however not medium-pile rugs. My TV room has a short-pile carpet, so I have not had a problem with the carpet getting moist. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Narwal Freo X Plus is greatest suited to properties with largely onerous flooring and pets or for sustaining onerous flooring between deeper cleans. As a robotic vacuum, it performs very properly on onerous flooring, even on hair, with some room for enchancment over carpets. Its mopping characteristic can preserve flooring clear, however I would not depend on it to take away muddy footprints off the ground. 

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Total, the Freo X Plus robotic vacuum is surprisingly nice for a $400 price ticket, particularly contemplating how successfully it cleans up with out getting caught on particles. I additionally recognize the hands-off cleansing possibility with as much as seven weeks of mud assortment.