Narwal V40 Station Review: Powerful vacuum cleaner with smart suction station

Narwal has already built up a good reputation in this country with its robot vacuum cleaners. This is mainly due to the great price-performance ratio that the brand’s smart household helpers have to offer. Now the manufacturer is launching its first cordless vacuum cleaner and is not doing things by halves. The Narwal V40 Station doesn’t just want to score points with its powerful suction power and ease of use. It also comes with a practical suction station that not only extracts the collected dust, but also has a few exciting tricks up its sleeve. We take a closer look in the Narwal V40 Station REVIEW.

Technical data

Model	Narwal V40 Station
Suction power	220 Airwatt / 27,000 Pascal
motor	Brushless motor with 120,000 rpm
Station functions	– Automatic emptying – Charging the battery – Storage of accessories
Dust bag volume (station)	– 3 liters – Up to 100 days without manual emptying
Battery life	Up to 120 minutes (thanks to rechargeable battery system)
Filter system	9-stage HEPA filter system
Features	– Intelligent dirt detection – LED light on the brush
Suction modes	– Auto mode – 6-step manual adjustment
Price	€ 379.00 *

Scope of delivery

• Main unit
• Main brush
• Extension tube
• crevice nozzle
• Dust brush
• Mini brush
• 2x exchangeable batteries
• Suction station

Narwal V40 Station REVIEW: Design and workmanship

First things first: the Narwal V40 Station is no design marvel. There are competitors such as a Tineco Pure One Station (Review | Price not available *), a Tineco Pure One Station 5 (Review | € 359.99 *) or a Dreame Z10 Station (Review | € 429.00 *), which are undoubtedly more visually appealing. However, the whole thing is of course a matter of taste.

The gray housing in combination with the small but subtle purple accents of Narwal’s first cordless vacuum cleaner reminds me of the company’s own vacuum robot Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra (Review | € 649.00 *). This applies not only to the color, but also to the build quality. This is clearly at a really high level. It doesn’t crack or creak at any point. The manufacturer relies on high-quality plastic.

The vacuum cleaner is also pleasingly compact. The handpiece measures just 38 cm in length. How long it is in the end depends of course on which attachment you use. With the standard suction tube, for example, it is just under 110 cm. For taller people, however, the working height can be adjusted accordingly by extending the suction tube. This results in a maximum length of around 117 cm. In terms of weight, the Narwal V40 Station ranks in the mid-range.

The hand part weighs around 1.8 kg. When fully assembled with the suction tube and the large floor nozzle, it weighs a good 3 kg. This may not make it a lightweight, but it is undoubtedly one of the lighter cordless vacuum cleaners. The control unit is located at the top of the handpiece, together with a small display that shows the battery status and suction mode. The replaceable battery is located at the lower end of the handle. The motor and dust container form the heart of the device.

Narwal V40 Station REVIEW: Practical suction station

The idea of adding a suction station to a cordless vacuum cleaner is nothing new. However, Narwal also implements it excellently with the V40 Station. The station is already visually impressive. Even though it is relatively large, it fits perfectly with the cordless vacuum cleaner. As with the competition, the station also comes with a suction function. It uses a 3-liter dust bag in which the vacuumed dirt ends up. This should last up to 100 days with average use.

However, this also means follow-up costs for you as a user. Some competitors, such as the Pure One Station from Tineco, do without a dust bag and instead rely on a large dust container. This not only saves costs, but also protects the environment. However, this is the only disadvantage of the station that I find a little annoying. Apart from that, Narwal has installed two cool tricks here.

Firstly, the station offers space to conveniently store the attachments, but also to hide them away. This ensures a tidy appearance and is not usually the case with the competition. But the real highlight is the storage compartment for the second battery. This ensures that the Narwal V40 Station always has a second battery available, which is extremely practical for longer cleaning sessions.

Narwal V40 Station REVIEW: Convenient operation

You can set up the Narwal V40 Station in a flash. Many people will be able to figure out how to set it up themselves, while others will be able to use the well-illustrated step-by-step instructions provided by Narwal. The operation of the cordless vacuum cleaner is also self-explanatory. You have a total of three buttons on the device itself. You can use the plus and minus buttons to manually increase or decrease the suction level. The third button, “Auto”, switches to the mode with automatic adjustment of the suction power.

Another button is located on the handle itself. Narwal has opted for the classic design here and opted for a trigger that you press with your index finger. This is much more comfortable than pressing the other three buttons. It’s quite awkward to reach them with your thumb, which takes away from the ease of use. The display is quite rudimentary. Here you can see which of the six suction levels is currently active and whether the auto mode is switched on.

You can also see the battery status. However, competitors such as the Dreame Z10 Station offer screens with a much more modern design. Maneuvering the V40, on the other hand, is wonderfully easy. The combination of ergonomic handle and smooth joints pays off here. In practice, you can clean along edges and in corners quite well. Vacuuming in higher areas is also easy, which is due to the comparatively low weight.

The LED light on the front of the brush head also pays off during operation. After all, it provides a clear view in dark corners and under furniture. In practice, however, the light systems of competitors such as the Tineco PURE ONE A90S (Review | € 549.99 *) work much better. After all, the Narwhal’s LED lights can really only illuminate the immediate area in front of the main brush.

However, they cannot visually highlight dust particles. The Narwhal V40 Station offers good, but not outstanding ease of use. In my opinion, the accessories are also convenient and foolproof to use. The only exception in my opinion is the extension tube. With my height of 1.80 m, the length of the tube was still sufficient for operation in a normal posture. If you are taller, however, you will have to be prepared to bend down.

Narwal V40 Station REVIEW: Powerful cleaning

The Narwal V40 Station offers you plenty of power. The focus is on a powerful motor that rotates at 120,000 rpm. The result is an impressive suction power of 220 air watts. You can call up this power in a total of six different power levels. In the test, I mainly used the Narwhal in auto mode. Here, the cordless vacuum cleaner adjusts its suction power fully automatically to the current level of dirt.

This works really well in practice. Hard floors are reliably cleaned of dust and crumbs. Even shorter hair is no problem and is reliably vacuumed up. However, the V40 Station struggled a little with long hair. These tended to get tangled up in the main brush. It’s a shame that Narwal doesn’t have effective anti-tangling technology here. Many competitor models, for example, rely on a type of comb that combs the hair out of the brush.

As soon as you drive over a carpet in Auto mode, the suction power automatically increases to maximum. And that is impressive. The Narwal V40 can even vacuum long-pile carpets reliably. Most of the time, the V40 Station is certainly used as a classic cordless vacuum cleaner with extension tube and main brush. However, the V40 can also score points outside of normal operation. The mini brush, crevice nozzle and dusting brush are all impressive.

In the test, I was not only able to vacuum my couch and armchair with the V40. The Narwhal also cut a fine figure in car mode. While the mini brush is impressive on upholstery and car seats, the crevice nozzle scores points in challenging corners. However, while the Narwhal ranks in the upper mid-range in terms of suction power, its battery life deserves the highest praise. The manufacturer has come up with a really cool feature here.

Narwal V40 Station REVIEW: The new battery king

Battery life is one of the most important parameters when people are looking for a suitable cordless vacuum cleaner. And this is where the Narwal V40 Station comes up trumps. The accompanying suction station not only frees the vacuum cleaner from collected dust and dirt. The station also offers enough space to place all the attachments neatly. This makes for a pleasingly tidy appearance. Another feature that makes the V40 Station an impressive cordless vacuum cleaner is the battery charging option in the station. I was initially surprised when I saw the second battery in the scope of delivery.

Of course, I was pleased to be able to use a second battery when the juice runs out. But in practice, most people will probably have to charge the second battery before they can start canning. With the V40 Station, you always have the second battery ready for use in the charging station. It is always fully charged, as the suction station is supplied with power. This doubles the battery life of the Narwal to a whopping 120 minutes, so you can easily vacuum even larger homes in one go.

Conclusion

The Narwal V40 Station is a successful premiere in the field of cordless vacuum cleaners and impresses above all with its powerful cleaning performance and well thought-out overall concept. The practical suction station with clever accessory and battery charging compartment and the exceptionally long battery life thanks to the second, always charged battery are particularly noteworthy. In combination with the high suction power and the reliable auto mode, the V40 is suitable for hard floors as well as carpets and more demanding cleaning tasks. Minor weaknesses such as the somewhat awkward operation of the buttons, the follow-up costs for dust bags, the simple display and the inadequate anti-tangle technology only slightly spoil the very positive overall impression. All in all, the Narwal V40 Station offers a strong price-performance package and is aimed at anyone looking for a powerful, long-lasting cordless vacuum cleaner with a convenient station.