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Australian Dog Lover
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Let's face it, keeping our home clean with pets can feel like a never-ending battle. The fur tumbleweeds, the muddy paw prints, the rogue litter tracking – it's a daily reality for many of us.
So, when the chance arose to test out the Narwal Freo Z10 robot vacuum and mop, we were eager to see if it could truly make a difference in our perpetually pet-blessed (and often messy) home.
Unboxing and Getting Started: Easier Than Expected
New gadgets can sometimes feel intimidating, but setting up the Narwal Freo Z10 and its substantial auto-empty base station was surprisingly straightforward.
Unboxing and Getting Started: Easier Than Expected
New gadgets can sometimes feel intimidating, but setting up the Narwal Freo Z10 and its substantial auto-empty base station was surprisingly straightforward.
It only took a few minutes to clip two side brushes (under the robot), insert the Cleaning Tray, place the Disinfection Dust Bag and Detergent Canister inside the Base Station, fill a tank with clean water (under the top lid) and then pair our robot with the Narwal app.
After pushing the robot into the base station, the command centre beeped once to indicate charging was successful and we heard its voice for the first time: it was now ready for some action!
We found the unit worked pretty well straight out of the box for our main kitchen/dining area, which is all tiled and where the base station sits.
Consider the placement of your base station carefully for maximum efficiency, allowing an open space of at least 45cm long in front for the robot to enter and leave. Remember that if you move the base station after the mapping is created or large furniture in your home is rearranged, it is recommended to create a new map.
Navigation: Smart Moves, A Few Quirks
The Narwal Freo Z10 uses LiDAR 4.0 and advanced 3D mapping to navigate, creating detailed maps of your home. It handled uneven floor levels well and generally moved around and under furniture without forceful bumps. Its "millimetre-precise obstacle avoidance" was evident for larger items. It only got tangled on an electric cord once under a bookcase, sending an alert for us to rescue our "suspended in the air" little Freo (it did call for help!), which made for a few laughs. (We'd actually love to hear the robot speak in its own voice, but we digress.)
It mapped our space quickly and intuitively, getting it up and running faster than we anticipated. We initially found the App a little difficult to navigate, be it creating new rooms or selecting what surfaces to clean. Where we had the most difficulty was mapping extra rooms where the base station was not accessible, such as bedrooms or our home office on a different level. We'd have to pick up and place the unit in the desired room.
After a fair bit of trial and error and reviewing online chat forums for help, we worked out how to achieve most of what we wanted. There are quite a few steps to setting up a new room: firstly, you must create a new map in the App, then place the unit in that room to map it. Once mapped (which is very quick, only a few minutes), you have to make sure you've selected the whole room to clean by dragging a selection box to cover the entire map; otherwise, it will just do a 1m x 1m square where you set the unit down.
The next hurdle was getting it to clean rugs. During mapping, the unit correctly recognised rugs, but mysteriously it consistently skipped them during cleaning!
However, we did encounter a consistent challenge with our low-pile rugs and mats. The robot sometimes bypassed them, leaving them uncleaned. Our simple solution was to remove them during cleaning sessions. For multi-storey homes, remember to set a no-go zone for stairs. This is where there’s a bit of a learning curve with all the settings in the app. We decided to put a physical obstacle at the top of the stairs so we could turn our "staircase mode" off; yes, the unit will stop recognising stairs, but it will climb better over obstacles (e.g., uneven levels between rooms).
The ability to create up to 4 separate maps and name sections of the house is fantastic for targeted cleaning, as we’re unlikely to set the robot to clean the entire house at once. While our home's eclectic layout sometimes limited the robot's reach in smaller, cluttered rooms, this felt more like a limitation of our space than the Z10 itself.
If you have pets (like Arya our cat who loves to perch on top of the unit when on standby) or young children keen on pressing buttons, remember to turn the child lock on to avoid incidents!
Vacuuming Power: Taming the Fur Beast
For pet owners, a robot vacuum's ability to handle fur is paramount. The Freo Z10 boasts a robust 15,000Pa suction power, and in practice, it genuinely impressed us during its cleaning sessions in our main kitchen/dining areas where it efficiently sucked up pet hair, dust, and general crumbs.
One of its standout features is the "DualFlow Tangle-Free System." This design, combining dynamic side brushes with a floating main brush, effectively guides hair into the suction path. We consistently found the roller brush to be remarkably free of tangled pet hair, a common frustration with other vacuums. While it struggled with a single, rigid toothpick, its overall performance against pet hair was a clear win. No more wrestling clumps of fur off the roller!
Mopping Marvel: Tackling Mud and Spills
Where the Narwal Freo Z10 truly shines for us is its mopping capability, especially with our two large dogs tracking in dirt and mud. Its dual spinning mops apply a significant 8N of downward pressure, meaning they don't just glide over dirt – they scrub it. On our tiled floors, it tackled muddy paw prints and dried kitchen spills with surprising effectiveness.
The "DirtSense" technology was a genuine "aha!" moment; the robot seemed to intelligently detect dirty spots and would return for additional passes, almost as if it had a tiny brain dedicated to spotless floors.
For pet owners, a robot vacuum's ability to handle fur is paramount. The Freo Z10 boasts a robust 15,000Pa suction power, and in practice, it genuinely impressed us during its cleaning sessions in our main kitchen/dining areas where it efficiently sucked up pet hair, dust, and general crumbs.
One of its standout features is the "DualFlow Tangle-Free System." This design, combining dynamic side brushes with a floating main brush, effectively guides hair into the suction path. We consistently found the roller brush to be remarkably free of tangled pet hair, a common frustration with other vacuums. While it struggled with a single, rigid toothpick, its overall performance against pet hair was a clear win. No more wrestling clumps of fur off the roller!
Mopping Marvel: Tackling Mud and Spills
Where the Narwal Freo Z10 truly shines for us is its mopping capability, especially with our two large dogs tracking in dirt and mud. Its dual spinning mops apply a significant 8N of downward pressure, meaning they don't just glide over dirt – they scrub it. On our tiled floors, it tackled muddy paw prints and dried kitchen spills with surprising effectiveness.
The "MopExtend" and "EdgeSwing" features were also a huge bonus, allowing the robot to clean right up to baseboards and into corners that often get missed. While it can't squeeze into every tiny crevice, it achieved an estimated 95% cleaning completion rate in our kitchen/dining area – an A+ in our book!
And let's not forget the automated hot water mop washing and hot air drying in the base station. This is a game-changer, especially during this wet winter. No more dealing with damp, potentially smelly mop pads. The drying process is also surprisingly quiet.
And let's not forget the automated hot water mop washing and hot air drying in the base station. This is a game-changer, especially during this wet winter. No more dealing with damp, potentially smelly mop pads. The drying process is also surprisingly quiet.
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| If the robot is set for multiple mopping runs or the area for cleaning is large, the robot will automatically return to the base station for mop washing. If the robot is not within the Main Map (different level of the house), the app sends you a message and the base station a voice prompt asking for manual assistance. |
Navigation: Smart Moves, A Few Quirks
The Narwal Freo Z10 uses LiDAR 4.0 and advanced 3D mapping to navigate, creating detailed maps of your home. It handled uneven floor levels well and generally moved around and under furniture without forceful bumps. Its "millimetre-precise obstacle avoidance" was evident for larger items. It only got tangled on an electric cord once under a bookcase, sending an alert for us to rescue our "suspended in the air" little Freo (it did call for help!), which made for a few laughs. (We'd actually love to hear the robot speak in its own voice, but we digress.)
It mapped our space quickly and intuitively, getting it up and running faster than we anticipated. We initially found the App a little difficult to navigate, be it creating new rooms or selecting what surfaces to clean. Where we had the most difficulty was mapping extra rooms where the base station was not accessible, such as bedrooms or our home office on a different level. We'd have to pick up and place the unit in the desired room.
After a fair bit of trial and error and reviewing online chat forums for help, we worked out how to achieve most of what we wanted. There are quite a few steps to setting up a new room: firstly, you must create a new map in the App, then place the unit in that room to map it. Once mapped (which is very quick, only a few minutes), you have to make sure you've selected the whole room to clean by dragging a selection box to cover the entire map; otherwise, it will just do a 1m x 1m square where you set the unit down.
The next hurdle was getting it to clean rugs. During mapping, the unit correctly recognised rugs, but mysteriously it consistently skipped them during cleaning!
Again, after some trial and error, we discovered the default on a new map is to skip rugs. There is a secondary set-up menu for each map that allows you to select or skip rugs. Once we discovered the idiosyncrasies of the App and all the necessary menu parts to completely set up a room, the unit really started to make sense.
We can now easily change maps, place the unit in rooms away from the base station, select or not select surfaces to mop or vacuum, and walk away until the unit asks for help.
We can now easily change maps, place the unit in rooms away from the base station, select or not select surfaces to mop or vacuum, and walk away until the unit asks for help.
Actually, that's one of the best parts of this whole system: if it needs help (which is not that often), such as being taken back to the base station to self-clean the mops or empty the dust container, it will quite loudly ask. No need to keep an eye on the App; it will also announce when the job is done and ask to be taken home. Now this is truly hands-off cleaning.
However, we did encounter a consistent challenge with our low-pile rugs and mats. The robot sometimes bypassed them, leaving them uncleaned. Our simple solution was to remove them during cleaning sessions. For multi-storey homes, remember to set a no-go zone for stairs. This is where there’s a bit of a learning curve with all the settings in the app. We decided to put a physical obstacle at the top of the stairs so we could turn our "staircase mode" off; yes, the unit will stop recognising stairs, but it will climb better over obstacles (e.g., uneven levels between rooms).
The ability to create up to 4 separate maps and name sections of the house is fantastic for targeted cleaning, as we’re unlikely to set the robot to clean the entire house at once. While our home's eclectic layout sometimes limited the robot's reach in smaller, cluttered rooms, this felt more like a limitation of our space than the Z10 itself.
The mobile app is taking us a little getting used to, but with some patience, we’re getting better at navigating its features. For smart home enthusiasts, it pairs with Alexa, Google, and Siri for voice control – though we're still perfecting our "Hey Narwal, make my floors magically less hairy!" command.
The Self-Sufficient Base Station: Your New Home Boss
This is where the Narwal Freo Z10 truly shines as an automated cleaning assistant. The base station isn't just a charger; it's a command centre that handles the dirty work. With the ability to store dust for up to 120 days, you're not constantly emptying tiny bins. The auto-emptying, auto-detergent dispensing, and base station self-cleaning features are genuinely impressive, eliminating dust plumes, buckets, and messy hands.
The robot itself operates quietly during cleaning, letting you go about your day. The auto-emptying process, while brief and sounding like a mini-jet, is a small price to pay for dust-free floors.
The Self-Sufficient Base Station: Your New Home Boss
This is where the Narwal Freo Z10 truly shines as an automated cleaning assistant. The base station isn't just a charger; it's a command centre that handles the dirty work. With the ability to store dust for up to 120 days, you're not constantly emptying tiny bins. The auto-emptying, auto-detergent dispensing, and base station self-cleaning features are genuinely impressive, eliminating dust plumes, buckets, and messy hands.
The robot itself operates quietly during cleaning, letting you go about your day. The auto-emptying process, while brief and sounding like a mini-jet, is a small price to pay for dust-free floors.
After a first careful inspection, our pets - including a very chill cat and two large dogs - seem unfazed by its presence, now often snoozing right through cleaning cycles.
The Verdict: Is the Freo Z10 Right for You?
So, is the Narwal Freo Z10 worth the investment? It depends on your home and your cleaning needs. If you have a modern home with open, mostly tiled or hard flooring spaces (especially on one level), this robot can significantly improve your cleaning routine.
The Verdict: Is the Freo Z10 Right for You?
So, is the Narwal Freo Z10 worth the investment? It depends on your home and your cleaning needs. If you have a modern home with open, mostly tiled or hard flooring spaces (especially on one level), this robot can significantly improve your cleaning routine.
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| Freo Z10 robot mopping floor tiles (the area up to the right edge of the robot is done whilst the darker area on the right is yet to be mopped) |
It particularly excelled in our kitchen/dining and home office tiled areas, keeping these spaces consistently spotless without us lifting a finger (besides moving chairs/stools prior), and it certainly has made an improvement to our overall quality of life.
However, for deeply embedded pet hair in our carpeted lounge area or thicker rugs, we found the 15,000 Pa suction wasn't quite enough. We'll still be keeping our trusty manual vacuum for those areas and, of course, the stairs. For those seeking maximum suction power for carpets, the new NARWAL Z10 Ultra, with its 18,000 Pa suction, might be a better fit, though it comes at a higher price point (around A$500 more).
While no robot is completely perfect – a quick tidy-up before cleaning is still a good habit – the Freo Z10 largely delivers on its promise of an automated, remarkably clean home. It's an investment, but one that, once you're familiar with its features, pays dividends in saved time, reduced stress, and the sheer joy of consistently clean floors. If you're ready to reclaim your weekends from the endless battle against pet messes, the Narwal Freo Z10 is a genuine lifestyle upgrade.
Adjusting to life with our new Freo Z10 AI Robot Vacuum has felt a lot like welcoming home a new pet, following that famous "3-3-3 Rule."
However, for deeply embedded pet hair in our carpeted lounge area or thicker rugs, we found the 15,000 Pa suction wasn't quite enough. We'll still be keeping our trusty manual vacuum for those areas and, of course, the stairs. For those seeking maximum suction power for carpets, the new NARWAL Z10 Ultra, with its 18,000 Pa suction, might be a better fit, though it comes at a higher price point (around A$500 more).
While no robot is completely perfect – a quick tidy-up before cleaning is still a good habit – the Freo Z10 largely delivers on its promise of an automated, remarkably clean home. It's an investment, but one that, once you're familiar with its features, pays dividends in saved time, reduced stress, and the sheer joy of consistently clean floors. If you're ready to reclaim your weekends from the endless battle against pet messes, the Narwal Freo Z10 is a genuine lifestyle upgrade.
Adjusting to life with our new Freo Z10 AI Robot Vacuum has felt a lot like welcoming home a new pet, following that famous "3-3-3 Rule."
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| The app uses Freo Mind 'Smart' settings by default but these can be individually adjusted. The app records all your cleaning tasks and can schedule them. |
The first three days were for figuring out the app. The next three weeks have been for training in small sessions (learning Freo Mind's quirks, working out which settings best suit our needs). And we anticipate it will take a full three months to truly integrate it into our lives, maybe scheduling some routine tasks to turn our home into a pristine, pet-friendly sanctuary. Wish us luck!
RRP: $1,999.00 from all good retailers and online. Fetch a Prime Day deal here!
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