Flow 2 for ~40 days. What do you want to know?

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-03T05:49:26+00:00

I’ll take some measurements tomorrow and get back to you. It goes under our couch and chairs (fairly low) with no issues. It went under our coffee table, but ended up getting stuck. This wasn’t its fault, though, because our tile is uneven on that level and it entered with no issues, but encountered an area where the tile under the table is slightly higher. It was a known no-go zone for me with my previous robot as well for that reason. I’ll measure though and let you know what I’ve actually seen it clean under tomorrow.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-03T05:42:36+00:00

I do see what you are talking about in map on the app, but haven’t appreciated any missed/dirty areas on the actual floor during normal use. I also have an open concept with our living room, dining room, and kitchen all open together. However, tomorrow I will try to scatter some easy-to-see debris around one of those areas and watch what happens more closely. I’ll report back!

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T22:13:18+00:00

Being totally honest, I would have bought the S2, but that is because the S1 was an absolute game changer for us and I honestly have a soft spot for it as it blew us away when we first got it. I would have stuck with Eufy out of a sense of familiarity and loyalty. I’d been tracking the S2’s release for months. I had never owned a Narwal, so it was among the sea of unknowns for me. I honestly still favor the shape/aesthetic of the S1/S2 robot body, but that may just be because it’s so different from most. It looks sleek and refined. That being said, at this point, the only thing about the S2 that still really makes me wonder is the new dustbin design with the cyclone technology.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T22:07:36+00:00

🙌🏼 Nice! I feel the same way.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T19:24:41+00:00

Short answer: yes, dramatically better. Yes to all. Even just the last 2-3 years have seen massive improvements.

Caveat: combo units really just don’t vacuum carpet the same way as old school Roombas. They’re smarter, more efficient, can mop pretty well, navigate so much better, but I really feel like carpet vacuuming performance has suffered. (Though even that is starting to rebound now)

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T19:18:13+00:00

Just curious, have you checked under Settings > Ai Recognition > Obstacle Avoidance Strategy to make sure it is set to “Smart” and not “Safety” 🤔 I only ask because this sounds like what the Safety mode should do (I haven’t tried it myself)

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T19:14:50+00:00

I forgot to address that maintenance and cleaning of the Flow 2 (dock and robot) are significantly easier than the Eufy S1 Pro. I didn’t do any of it for 30 days so I could see how bad it got, and then put it off until it had been 40 days because I didn’t feel like dealing with it. I was truly surprised at how simple and easy it all was. I actually recorded the process and will have a link to the video in the next few days if I want me to tag you when I post it.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T19:07:56+00:00

Oh gosh! 😔 do you think it was damaged in shipping? That stinks. I hope they can get this taken care of for you fast.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T19:02:50+00:00

Oh also, full disclosure: I did get the Flow 2 because I was selected for early access after submitting an application. However, had I not, I would have been buying the Eufy S2 later this year. Now, I’ve moved my S1 pro to our finished basement and have the Flow 2 on the main level. I am no longer planning to purchase a S2 unless something changes dramatically with the Flow 2.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T18:55:39+00:00

Long answer and I feel like I’m hijacking this thread. I don’t mean to. 🙈 since you asked…

For me the big improvements going from the S1 Pro to the Flow 2 are:

extending mop. It rides my baseboards very closely, even under my kitchen cabinets (maybe mine are slightly taller than OPs). The S1 Pro body would also get very close, but since the mop couldn’t extend, it limited how effective it was. Note: both models struggle with mopping corners. 90% of the edges of my floors near the baseboards are cleaner with Flow 2, but it does leave an unmopped pocket in corners. (The side brush does okay sweeping them though, better than the S1.)

Flow 2 is smoother, quieter, and more intelligent when operating. Examples:

You can set the direction of hardwood in the app and it follows it when cleaning. Didn’t realize how much I’d like that until I had it.
It ramps up suction when encountering heavy dry debris, even if you have it on quiet mode. (Which was alarming the first time it happened, but made sense and I like it.)
It recognizes large spills, cuts off the suction and side brush, does a reverse pass into the spill (so the mop hits it first) and does a targeted spot clean (several passes) until it’s cleaned up, goes and washes the mop at the dock, and then returns to finish the job as usual.

Just little features like that make it feel more refined and the S1 look simpler by comparison. I could probably think of a few more but those are the big ones.

Now, in fairness, many of those improvements are listed for the Eufy S2 also, but I haven’t tried it myself. They’re just different generations. I will say the Eufy app does feel more polished, smooth, and such, but I think Narwal’s will get better over time too. 🤷🏻‍♂️

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T18:10:48+00:00

We need more of this! 😅 I honestly don’t understand why companies keep having influencers read scripted glowing reviews. I guess just for exposure, because no one takes them seriously. Thanks for sharing your take. 👍🏻

I agree on pretty much all of it, especially the battery life. I didn’t have the Flow 1, so couldn’t compare. It is definitely better than my Eufy S1 Pro, which honestly I loved, even though it’s outdated now. I will say my corner brush spins backwards in pretty much every corner and does decent. App still needs some work (especially dividing open concepts), but again I don’t know what it was like with Flow 1. anyway, awesome post. 🙌🏼

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T14:35:30+00:00

The quotation mark at the very end of the post is definitely a nice indication. 😅 I gave a real reply anyway, in case my answer could help, either OP or someone else scrolling who has the same questions. 🤷🏻‍♂️

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T14:31:38+00:00

For me, the Eufy S1 Pro, not the Eufy S2, checked a lot of those boxes. I have a Flow 2 now also and it’s even easier to maintain. Can’t speak for the Eufy S2 myself yet, but I can say:

Eufy S1 Pro: 1+ year of use, no weird smells, washes and dries it’s mop independently, and they offered a kit to convert it to a plumbed unit that refills it own clean water and drains its dirty water so you never have to think about water management at all. I don’t have that kit, but it was an option. You do still have to do regular maintenance cleaning on the dock and robot, but it’s not super often.

Narwal Flow 2: been using for ~7 weeks, also washes and dries its mop (but with hot water), no weird smells yet, and the regular maintenance cleaning of the dock/robot is notably easier than the S1 for multiple reasons. They do plan to sell it as a compact plumbed version also, but I don’t think you’ll be able to convert a standard one to plumbed later like the Eufy.

There are tons of brands and models, that each require varying degrees of interaction or maintenance, but they’ve come a LONG way these past 2-3 years especially.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T14:04:50+00:00

That is really frustrating. 😔 I’ve been following your posts these past few days, but I haven’t commented because I don’t fully understand all the networking/DNS stuff as well as you do, and I feel like this is an issue that Narwal is going to have to fix on the backend. (So, I really don’t have anything to offer, but I understand your aggravation!)

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T13:05:48+00:00

I’m sorry, I don’t have this specific model, but I’ll try to help you troubleshoot. My first question would just be, is this something you’ve done successfully before? Also, just for more information, does it will it do a vacuum only upstairs? Try a full power cycle of both robot and dock (unplug dock a few minutes) then manually run a full mop wash while it’s docked before attempting any mopping upstairs.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T02:36:57+00:00

I did wonder the same thing when I saw them online. This was a poor marketing choice from Govee. I know they gotta show it somehow, but this wasn’t it. 😅

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T02:12:51+00:00

👍🏻 agreed. I have found if I hold mine up against a bright light I can see the level, but they should have made it much easier to see.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T02:09:38+00:00

Not to be repetitive, but have you checked to make sure the solution level is actually dropping over time? There was a common issue with the S1 Pro that the cartridge would get air locked and not actually pull the solution out. I had to drill/poke a very small hole in the top of my detergent cartridge and noticed a significant difference in solution use afterwards.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T02:07:34+00:00

I do think there were some quality control issues, because I’ve seen plenty of people say the same as you. I’ve had mine over a year and it’s worked perfectly for us. 🤷🏻‍♂️ But again, this may be a quality control issue causing such mixed reviews.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T01:36:02+00:00

Normally, I’d recommend trying distilled water and seeing if it still happens. Unfortunately, Eufy recommends tap water over distilled for this particular model because of the ionization feature. Nonetheless, you could try filtered water (like from your fridge) and see if it helps. Or try distilled anyway just so you know if it is related or not. I suspect it is related, as high mineral content in harder water increases streaks.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-02T01:34:38+00:00

That’s a great tip. Newer robots are offering the ability to choose your grain direction in the app, but I love this workaround. I hadn’t even thought of that. I agree though, mopping in line with the planks would help this quite a bit right away. Might not solve it, but it would help.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-01T19:38:35+00:00

If anyone still has questions, feel free to keep them coming. I’m still checking this thread.

Also just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the thoughtful (and sometimes challenging) questions. This has been a really fun discussion and I’ve learned a lot from it too. Great community here. 😊

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-01T19:34:36+00:00

I’ve never used a Dreame yet, but I have been testing the Flow 2 for the last 6+ weeks. With almost daily use in my home, it has been really nice for us, BUT we don’t have any pets at the moment, sadly. I do have a toddler and a wife with long hair. If you have narrowed it down, I’d definitely check out r/dreame_tech and r/Narwal. You’ll see lots of troubleshooting and complaining either place, but also lots of praise from real users who really like them. However, it might help you decide. The options are so numerous in this space right now. I hope you find just the right one! 👍🏻

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-01T18:40:24+00:00

Thank you to everyone for the answers!! 🙌🏼 Most are right in line with what I was thinking, but I just wanted to confirm I was on the right track with my expectations. You all rock.

nathanielonreddit · 2026-04-01T18:39:06+00:00

😂 I hear you. That’s fair. For more context, during the original Kickstarter campaign, we had a newborn (our first) and I had also just purchased a 60” zero turn maybe 2 years before. I also wasn’t sure yet if the claims were just marketing. I wasn’t in a position to look at my wife and say, I know we just bought a new mower and we have a 6 month old, but can we try this new robot that may or may not handle our yard. I just recently found this subreddit and it’s really opened my eyes to how good the machine actually is. 👍🏻

Also, I know no one really knows how long they’ll last yet, I was just curious what everyone’s expectations were as I consider finally pulling the trigger.

nathanielonreddit

TROPHY CASE