I let this $360 robot vacuum run on autopilot for 10 days while I was away - here's how it went

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Narwal Freo Pro is typically disposable for $700, but you tin bargain it for $360 for a constricted time.
• Construction is optimized to forestall blockage and hairsbreadth tangles, with a conical brushwood connected a azygous floating limb and a hair-loosening broadside brush.
• The particulate container didn't past maine the claimed 7 weeks, and the robot's entity detection leaves a batch to beryllium desired.

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A caller travel took my household and maine retired of municipality for 10 days. I similar to permission my location arsenic cleanable arsenic imaginable earlier leaving town, ensuring I travel location to a cleanable house: caller sheets connected the bed, nary dishes successful the sink, and laundry folded and enactment away. This past travel was hectic, with 3 small ones successful tow, truthful portion 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 the task to the Narwal Freo Pro. I'd acceptable it up and tested it for immoderate clip earlier leaving, but moving it regular successful my lack would beryllium its biggest situation yet.

In my tests, the Narwal Freo Pro performed good successful keeping my floors clean. It has fantastic suction connected hard floors, performs a decent occupation of mopping, and tin cleanable with minimal intervention. However, it didn't ever debar cords connected the floor, the suction show wasn't arsenic large connected carpet, and its particulate containment didn't past maine adjacent 7 weeks.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

I was funny to spot however the Narwal Freo Pro would execute portion cleaning my house, portion my household and canine were distant connected our trip. During testing, the robot's obstacle avoidance wasn't the best, though this is understandable astatine this robot vacuum's terms point. Unfortunately, I've had to rescue the Freo Pro a fistful of times aft it tried vacuuming a sock, tissue, the country of a blanket, and a fewer charging cords. 

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

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

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

The robot has a built-in particulate compression strategy that compresses the debris it collects, past dries it with lukewarm aerial to trim the likelihood of odor development. While Narwal claims this particulate container tin past up to 7 weeks earlier needing to beryllium replaced, your mileage whitethorn vary. Mine did.

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

ZDNET's buying advice

I emotion the feeling of coming location to a cleanable house. It makes the accent connected my shoulders dissipate arsenic soon arsenic I locomotion done the 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 the 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 with the Narwal Freo Pro, adjacent much truthful astatine its $360 terms tag. It's particularly bully if you person mostly hard floors and volition admit the hands-free mopping feature. The lone caveat is that you whitethorn person to regenerate bags much often than others if you person pets, which is simply a attraction outgo you should consider.