Dirt Devil Kone - Pretty in Pink and Powerful to boot!

Who'd have thought my life would have taken such a turn that getting Tupperware and a hand-held vacuum for Christmas would make me happy. In my wildest dreams I'd have never imagined it, but that's just what happened this year.

I certainly appreciate my boys annually replenishing my Tupperware supply, which they deplete building their many Lego sets (by December it's always ten tops and two containers, and they can never seem to locate the other eight). I knew I'd be getting that for a gift, which left me to come up with something else to add my wish list.

I'd seen the Dirt Devil Kone advertised on TV and was intrigued - I really didn't need a new hand held vacuum, OK maybe I did, or what I really needed to do was locate the power cord to the old one. I give all my kids an A for effort when it comes to cleaning - they try real hard, but sometimes the execution falls short - like when they move the power cord and forget where they put it. We'd been searching for months and could not seem to find -it is possible it got mixed up with the ex's stuff when he moved out, in which case I'd never find it or get it back.

A hand-held vacuum isn't a must have item, which is why I never replaced mine - yep I could have gotten a new power cord, but I never really like the one I had, so why spend the money. However with 4 kids, 5 cats and a puppy, it is a very nice thing to have - not that I don't LOVE lugging the vacuum out all the time to clean up small messes and give the stairs a little touch up.

When I saw the Dirt Devil Kone on TV my interest was piqued - it was cool looking, from a company I trust, sleek, stylish and came in a wide variety of colors - even my kids jumped on the bandwagon - they all ooh'd and aaah'd - "that's so cool, if you get one we'll use it all the time." While the prospect of my little minions cleaning up the messes they made was a plus, I just couldn't justify the 40 dollar price tag, so after thinking about it for a few months I added it to my X-mas wish list - I told them they could pick the color, since we have about 20 different colors on the walls, so having it match the decor would not be an issue.

I was very excited to find out that from the several items I had put on my list, my gift was the Dirt Devil Kone - way to listen to my hints kids. They chose the Light Pink color, with the only downside being the boys initially weren't too keen about using a girly vacuum - but they have gotten over it (I did explain to them you could have picked Illuminated White, Champagne, Charcoal, Blue Steel or Plum, but you chose Light Pink, so get over it and start cleaning).

My expectations for a hand-held vacuum were not very high -obviously it will never have the suction power of my Dyson- but there are many little jobs around the house it would be good for - things like quick touch ups on the stairs, to get the surface pet fur cleaned up, around the litter box, to get up the stray litter, dropped food around the kitchen table, especially things like flour, because my little one loves to bake, dry pet food that makes it way out of the bowl and around Christmas time, stray pine needles. For this and many other small jobs the Dirt Devil Kone has met and even surpassed my expectations.

The Dirt Devil Kone is designed by Karim Rashid and is made to be kept out in the open. I have mine on a table in the family room and it fits in just fine - granted it's modern look might not go with every decor, but I'd rather have something that can be kept in plain sight and is easy to access and use. From a distance a few folks have thought it was a funky lamp.

Why I like the Dirt Devil Kone is simple - the cone shaped vacuum fits into the base, which doubles as the charger - no separate cord to get lost, plus it makes it so much easier to keep track of it, if you put the vacuum down, it might roll away, and it's easy to notice if it's missing from the base. What I also love is that because the base is the charger, this little powerhouse is always charged and ready to go - no more grabbing your old dust buster only to find that it is DOA.

Out of the box there was minimal assembly required, basically take it out the box, place the vacuum in the base, plug it in and let it charge. The directions were quite simple and easy to follow; they showed you how to twist apart the vacuum to empty it and remove the filter cup and how to insert it into the base.

The vacuum itself is about 18" long, and weighs less than two pounds. I did have initial concern that the circular shape of the end would limit suction (it's only about 1 1/2" wide), but that was based on the fact that every other hand-held vacuum I had always had a wider and more angular front. The nozzle is a bit smaller than traditional hand-held vacuums, but I find that what it lacks in width is made up in power - it has a decent 7.2 volt motor, which is great for picking up pet hair and getting under the cabinets in the kitchen - it also works well for cleaning the stairs.

It did take a bit of time getting use to holding the cone shaped vacuum, initially it felt awkward, but again every hand-held vacuum I had always had a wider handle. After using it a few times I found it much nicer to grasp as I have I have tiny hands. It can also be rotated during use to aid in sucking up the dirt. To start and stop it simply depress the power button located at the top of the unit.

To get the cone in and out of the base you need to line it up and give a slight twist - it only fits one way. To open and empty the vacuum you also twist it. It comes with a removable and replaceable filter cup and the cone shape of the nozzle does hold a decent amount of dirt. The only thing I have a slight issue with is getting the filter cup back in the vacuum - I have longer nails and at times find it "challenging" to get it to sit just right so I can close the unit. It maybe that I am always in a rush and just not as patient as I should be.

I will say that all my kids (9, 11, 13 and 17) can operate this vacuum with ease, along with opening and emptying it. I like it because unlike my old vacuum - out of sight out of mind, this one is in sight and always in mind, so they are more likely to pop it out the base and use it.

While this little wonder will never replace my big vacuum, it has won a place in my heart - so far it has met every challenge I have put to it - cat litter, pine needles, dust, pet hair, food, flour, dry pet food, etc. Its sleek design and ease of use make it a must have item - plus you can't beat that it's always charged and ready to go. It's available at most local retailers (Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, etc.), but you may need to look online for certain colors like Plum.

The Dirt Devil Kone has a 3-year warranty, which I may need to use at some point, because based on the use over the past two weeks, we may run it more than others and wear it down faster, but only time will tell.