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Kone Hand Vac by Karim Rashid

2007_10_09 kone.jpg

Does anyone have this? We know that this is not new, but for some reason we seem to be seeing the Dirt Devil Kone Vacuum by Karim Rashid everywhere. Online or on TV, we agree that sitting in the stand it looks good, and at $39 the pricing is reasonable. What worries us about this design is in holding the handle.
 
 

Granted we haven't had the chance to use one in person, but from all the pictures we have seen, it seems that the cone shaped handle will require an awkward and forceful grip tp use. Something that could really break a product for everyday use. Can anyone back up or challenge our opinion?

- via Better Living Through Design

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Comments (18)

I picked the white one of these up about a year or so ago (at Walmart). It's quite light weight, so the handle doesn't require too much force to hold. It's also nice enough to leave out, which makes it very convenient to use.

On a side note, be aware that it does glow a bit when it's set in the base. It's not too bright (more like a dim nightlight), but I figure people might want to know.

posted by Thorofin on October 9th 2007 at 10:12am
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We got one last christmas and love it. It's very light, so it isn't hard to hang onto at all. People are always asking what it is - someone even wondered if it was an external hard drive! it really is nice enough to leave out, and the "dock" aspect of it is great. It's easy to empty and "suctions" as well as any other dustbuster I've had. We have a small apartment and have to keep our vacuum downstairs or go nuts - so it's awesome for things like tracked kitty litter or potato chips on the floor.

One complaint - it can be a teensy bit fidgety to get the unit into the dock. It only locks in one way, and sometimes you have to try a few times to guide it into the right spot. In any case though, glad I bought it, and if it broke for whatever reason, I'd go out and get another.

posted by halofyre on October 9th 2007 at 10:25am
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I've got one of these, and it's absolutely fine to hold onto. I use it to get at the corners that my Roomba can't reach.

posted by sam1 on October 9th 2007 at 10:31am
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I have this. And I LOVE it. Like, seriously love it. It lives under my IKEA floor lamp in my bedroom next to my bed. It's cute (I have the champagne colored one because it was the only color in the store and I was too impatient to order it online). And it's always ready to go!

Anyway, I did a little research before I ran off to Target to buy one. I found a whole slew of raving reviews online, but there were no real concrete reasons as to why there was so much love for this little vacuum. Just lots and lots of praise on how great it is and how convenient and how stylish and how every-other-positive-word-in-the-English-language it is.
On the other side of the fence however, there were tons of legitimate reasons why people HATED this little guy. Everything thing from "the nozzle is too small" to "there's not enough suction, and you have to hold it a certain way in order to make sure you don't just blow dust around" to "it's too hard to grip while using it."

Fortunately, those complaints weren't deal breakers for me. And I figured that if it didn't work for me then I could always return it. So I ran to Target, grabbed one of the last three they had in stock and took it home. I was saddened that I couldn't immediately use it as it has to charge for 24 hours first. But after that, I successfully debunked every single complaint that I read in online reviews.

"The nozzle is too small"
Too small for what? If you seriously need a bigger nozzle then I think you should look into getting a full-size vacuum, people.

"There's not enough suction and it just blows dust around."
Um... are you holding it upside-down? It does blow air upwards out of the vacuum, so if you hold it at an odd angle (like upside-down) then yes, it will blow dust around. But if you hold it naturally then it'll work like a charm. You probably won't be able to pick up a bowling ball with it though (sorry) and it's not too good at un-sticking things (like feathers from the carpet), but it is a hand-held vacuum, it's not going to do EVERYTHING.

"It's too hard to grip/hold while using"
Ok, maybe it's just me, or maybe it's just everyone else, but I have a no problem holding on to this thing. It's not heavy, and you can practically let it rest in your hand if you hold it correctly (btw, the way the hand is holding it in that picture above is really awkward... don't hold it like that).
But, perhaps I have freakishly large hands? No, no I definitely don't. Maybe everyone else just has freakishly tiny hands. :)

Anyway, if you're always in need of a something to clean up a dry mess on the floor (like I am after cooking), this is perfect. Just grab it from its holder and go! It's really that simple. I don't understand how people have such a difficult time with it.

posted by sparkle on October 9th 2007 at 10:32am
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I think if you were trying to vacuum a large space it might get uncomfortable, but used as a dustbuster-type vacuum I find it to be perfectly comfortable. I even have wee hands and it's been fine.
And I don't see why you'd really be doing anything "forceful" with it, if it isn't sucking right, just empty it out!

posted by jennifer in sf on October 9th 2007 at 12:02pm
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i have the champagne colored one and i love it. I use it on a daily basis . It's not uncomfortable at all and looks great in my apartment!

posted by pamela on October 9th 2007 at 1:02pm
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i have it.

put it near the cat litter so i can get the floor-full of cat-kicked litter on a more regular basis. it's ok. i don't really use it that often. it doesn't pick up stray litter that easy.

it also has this rubber nozzle that kinda just bumps into stuff, instead of gliding over an area. it is also a bit awkward to hold for my achy computer-usin'-carpal-girl hands. and when dumping the chamber, half the time i get dust all over me since the filter thingy locks funny.

i dunno, i think it looks better than it works. and it does glow a lot, so it's also a night light. i paid $40 for a night light. it's also annoying to "dock", i've always got to pay attention to where the sticker is and is that lined up to the charging part, etc etc. um, what else can i complain about? i dunno, it's handy and pretty, but not otherwise impressive.

did i mention it's pretty? i got it in grey or whatever.

posted by kdkaboom on October 10th 2007 at 7:15am
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I use mine every day. It's perfect for picking up the litter that gets kicked out of my cat's box.

posted by andreaaaa on October 10th 2007 at 6:19pm
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I have the black one and have been happy with it. I got it to clean my hardwood stairs and it is much easier than lugging the vacuum. The light is very bright, so I keep it out of the bedroom.

posted by Lori on October 11th 2007 at 11:46am
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i hated mine. i returned it after a month of trial and error. the nozzle was too small and the suction was inadequate. plus we used it for picking up dust and cat hair from the concrete floors...after a bit, it just got too irksome to use.

so we switched to the dyson handheld. :D yes, it's a hundred dollars more and only lasts for five minutes per charge but instead of having to go over the same spot constantly for five minutes, it's a fair tradeoff.

posted by the big d on October 11th 2007 at 12:21pm
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I agree completely with Sam and Sparkle. I have a Kone and a Roomba, and I need nothing else. Together both meet all of my vacuuming needs, and take up much less space than a conventional vac.

posted by Doug on October 11th 2007 at 1:23pm
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I love mine! I got it last Christmas. I have two budgies (parakeets) and when they tend to molt at the same time. This picks them up quickly and efficiently and catches any small seeds they might have thrown.

posted by swbird on October 11th 2007 at 2:34pm
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I love mine. It glows at night, so its kind of like a night light in my kitchen that I really thought was a plus.

It gets the cat's litter, dust bunny's that i sweep up, and hold's a lot.

I got it at a Big Lots of all places. I guess it didnt sell at Target.

posted by sanriofreak on October 11th 2007 at 2:58pm
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We have the silver one and COULD NOT LOVE IT MORE!!! It picks up cat litter like no handheld ever has before. Amazing!

posted by keeleyryan on October 11th 2007 at 5:22pm
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I also have one and love it. Got the white one. It DOES have a small blowing issue (and it has nothing to do with "holding it up side down" lol as another poster said.) It has something to do with the air that blows out of it. As long as you sweep/suck up going from right to left, you're fine. The air blows out of the right side of the vacuum, so if the dust, etc. is on the right side of the vacuum, it will blow it around. I don't know why it does this, lol; but I've just learned right to left, and I'm fine!

I did find it funny that I bought mine at least a year ago, they've been discontinued at Walmart (at least at mine, they're being clearanced), and just this week, I finally see a commercial on tv for the "NEW!" Kone vacuum! I'm like, talk about late advertising push! lol

It does also glow rather brightly (and on the white one, I think it's just the white one, you can also turn on the light in the recharger base, but at that point I'm helping to deflect ships from impending crashes into land masses, so I just leave it off,) but like everyone else says about the charger light, it just creates a night light effect. I would honestly recommend it though, it's just what it's supposed to be for the price, and a whole lot cuter than a dirt devil!

posted by Nathan Aaron on October 12th 2007 at 4:54am
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Personally I hate this thing. As a designer, the grip offends me- you hand fights to keep a hold on it. I am even more offended and ashamed as Karim went to the same school as I did, and should know better.

I have also seen tests where this thing blew flour out of its vents.

posted by michael d bailey on October 12th 2007 at 5:24am
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something about this thing and cat litter... it's exactly what I use it for, too.

posted by halofyre on October 23rd 2007 at 8:15am
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We have a hands-on review of this hand vac:
http://la.apartmenttherapy.com/la/test-lab/atla-handson-review-dust-devil-kone-013857

posted by gregory on November 20th 2007 at 11:46am
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