2Dirt Devil Kone models not Acceptable.(SAFETY ALERT)(Product/service evaluation)

Dirt Devil calls its best-selling, handheld Kone M0213, $45, and similar M0212, $43, "an elegant, sculptural form that can be left on display". Our tests suggest some Kone owners should do precisely that.

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Four of the M0213 and two of the M0212 models threw some of the sand they picked up out of their exhaust ports at testers faces and eyes, something we didn't find with other hand vacs. We used fine, uniform silica sand as we do with all vacuums to test carpet and floor cleaning. To better assess the models' real-world risks, we also used sand found in many backyards and glass from broken lightbulbs--common cleaning messes. Both models released small particles of each in the same way.

We notified the Consumer Product Safety Commission and TTI Floor Care, which owns the Dirt Devil brand. TTI confirmed that both models share the same design and subsequently did its own tests with silica sand. The company then told us its tests showed "blow-by" in certain units and linked it to an undersized filter adapter on some Kones with an L on the unit and box (see photos). The M0213 models with a "J" are from a ...