The World's Prettiest Handheld Vac
married, a busy professional, a cat owner, not fond of cleaning, a lifetime allergy sufferer, a dog owner
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SEP
6
2007
About the Dirt Devil Kone
These days it's all about the pretty. Karim Rashid is apparently a famous designer, and he designed the Dirt Devil Kone, the first hand vac I've seen that's pretty enough to leave out all the time. The design is simple and streamlined enough to make Martha Stewart happy.
Using the Dirt Devil Kone
Getting started with the Kone is simple. Out of the box it had a strong enough charge to handle my initial dust-bunny chase over our hardwood floors.
1. Holding the thing: This vacuum is like our school's prom queen - awful pretty, but definitely not made for comfort. You have to grip the top of the cone shape as you vacuum. It's no problem for me, but it might be troublesome for older people with arthritis.
2. The noise factor: Every review I've read of the Kone complains about the fact that it's noisy. It is. I don't fault them for this. I'd rather the loud noise for ten seconds than the dust bunnies.
3. Pulling it apart and putting it back together: You'll need to empty the Kone after every use if you want it to continue to vacuum well. The Kone disassembles easily, but sometimes I have to twist around the filter or the base to find the "sweet spot" to hook it back up.
4. Putting it on its stand: When done with the Kone, you should put it back in its stand to charge. It lets you know that you've properly seated it by lighting up an indicator on the front. I had trouble figuring out the front and the back until I realized that the small, barely visible lettering/electronic information on the handheld portion of the vacuum should go to the back of the charger. Now it's simple enough to reseat. Always look for the charging indicator to light up just to be sure.
5. The exhaust blower: Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the exhaust blower for the vacuum will blow directly on the thing you're trying to vacuum up, causing it to skate across the floor. This is an annoyance.
How Well it Works
Most of the above points are annoyances, but I can overlook these things for one reason: The Dirt Devil Kone does exactly what I need it to do, and it does it well. I use the Kone to pick up dog fur dust bunnies and cat litter from my hardwood floors. The Kone sucks these things up in record time, and it does so with minimal effort. And the best part of the Kone is that because the front nozzle is so small, it goes into all the nooks and crannies of the steps on my Booda litterbox! No other hand vac can reach those tiny spaces.
Cat's Bottom Line
The Dirt Devil Kone is by no means perfect, but it does exactly what I need it to do, and for a reasonable price. It's attractive enough to leave on the floor in the corner of our dining room charging, so it's always close at hand. If you're looking for a powerful hand vac to pick up dust bunnies (particularly on hardwood) then look no further. The Dirt Devil Kone is it.
Dirt Devil Kone Vacuum is recommended by Cat
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