Product Review: Dirt Devil Kurv Hand Vacuum
The trouble with a traditional hand-held vacuum cleaner is that it is always packed away in a tangle of cords up in the back of the top shelf in your hall closet when you really need it. The famed international designer, Karim Rashid, has overcome this problem by designing a hand vacuum that looks like a curvaceous piece of fine sculpture. The Dirt Devil Kurv can be placed proudly among your fine pottery, candles, decorative centerpieces, and other display items. The shape of the Kurv evokes the minarets of exotic lands. The Kurv comes in several colors: champagne, choco-latte, sky blue and spice. The colors fit most home color palettes and allow the Kurv to blend right in until you make a mess.
Beneath the smooth plastic skin of Rashid’s fluid design, the Dirt Devil Kurv hides a practical 9.6 volt hand vacuum. The Kurv is about 16 inches tall and comes in two pieces. The bottom piece serves as a pedestal and charger for the vacuum in the top piece. When you spot some crumbs, dust, or dirt to be vacuumed, you draw the curve out of its pedestal as if you were pulling a sword from a scabbard or a stone. Then, you push a button at the tip of the handle to turn on the vacuum. Dirt is sucked in through a small 1-1/4 inch opening at the bottom of the vacuum. It works much like a hose attachment on a regular vacuum cleaner. The vacuum tip is rubberize to avoid marring furniture.
The Kurv delivers performance typically expected of a small hand vacuum. It’s great if you drop some crumbs or find a cobweb. However, I would not expect to effectively detail a car with it. The Kurv is designed to attack small spots of dirt rather than clean large areas. We have used it to vacuum up crumbs, popcorn, cobwebs, and a spider or two. For these quick tasks, the Dirt Devil Kurv has worked well. When you have cleaned up a significant amount of debris, you can simply twist apart the Kurv vacuum to reveal that the entire nose of the vacuum is actually a generously-sized dust bin. An easily removable cloth filter basket protects the motor.
There are only a few minor drawbacks to the Dirt Devil Kurv. First, the Dirt Devil Kurv is not a high-powered vacuum. It is good for small easily cleaned messes. Second, the Kurv does not have any brushes or any attachments. While this makes storage and use simple, it does limit the Kurv’s ability to beat particles out of carpet and other fabrics. Third, sometimes hard particles will get stuck in the dustbin and require some extra shaking to remove. Finally, the Kurv filter sometimes requires minor scraping by fingernail to get completely clean. Overall, these criticisms are minor nits compared to the convenience and utility provided by the Kurv.
With a retail price of about $50, the Kurv is a winner. In my opinion, the Dirt Devil Kurv provides an excellent value in an attractive and convenient package.
