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Flash drive suggestions

H

Hitman1717

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 5, 2009
157
7
I'm always losing my flash drives, so the last time I got a key ring flash drive. This worked in that I never lost it, but I think the end of the drive being exposed (and always in my pocket) is putting my data at risk.

How do you all keep your flash drives protected? And how much memory do you get on your flash drives, mostly for word documents and other odds and ends that add up.
 
I have one of these. I like it, can take some bumps and the cap is reasonable at keeping dirt out. They do a mini version as well.

For just things like docs, pictures etc I'd go with about 8GB. You can still get a drive for a reasonable price then.
 
How many documents can you hold with a 16 gb drive? Most of my work documents are from Word or are pdfs.
 
16GB is a lot for word docs and PDFs. Problem is the size varies a lot depending on what is in them- just text, graphs, tables, pictures? However, I'd expect you to get several thousand on!

Take a folder with some of your's in and see the size.
 
iStudentUK said:
I have one of these. I like it, can take some bumps and the cap is reasonable at keeping dirt out. They do a mini version as well.

For just things like docs, pictures etc I'd go with about 8GB. You can still get a drive for a reasonable price then.
Click to expand...

I think this one should work for me. It seems durable and looks like it fits on a key chain. Amazon has it for a low price also.
 
rgarjr said:
Thumb drives are rugged, it doesn't matter if it gets all scuffed up because of keys.
Click to expand...

The last one I had did not have a cover that stayed on and the inside was exposed. Now I have a hard time getting a USB drive to read it.
 
Mind you these are incredibly expensive, but they have a metal exterior, they're waterproof, and keeps your files safe if you lose it through password protection and permanent encryption. Plus it's shiny :D

https://www.ironkey.com/basic

I'm partial to the SanDisk Cruzer drives myself, but it's not a good option if you're going to keep it out all the time because the drive slides in and out and dirt can get into the opening.

So if you have an extra $150 laying around I would definitely recommend IronKey. Otherwise there are many cheap alternatives with caps that will protect it from wear and tear from a key ring.
 
Wow. $150 is definitely too much, especially since I will order one for me and one for my wife. I think the Corsair 16 gb should work for us. It has a cover and looks much sturdier than the key ring we have both been using.
 
Many reviews say that the Corsair flash drive is really slow and might not fit into every USB drive because of its bulk. Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Hitman1717 said:
...

How do you all keep your flash drives protected? And how much memory do you get on your flash drives, mostly for word documents and other odds and ends that add up.
Click to expand...
I keep my flash drive on lanyard around my neck. SanDisk used to include a lanyard with each flashdrive sold. It no longer includes the lanyard, but it does include the attachment point on each flash drive sold.

As for the capacity of 16 GB flash drives, I have kept several years of files on a single 8 GB flash drive. Obviously, a 16 GB can hold twice as much. My primary concern about a 16 GB flash drive is uncertainty about having so many files stored on a single point of failure. You should have no concerns about capacity.
 
I would strongly discourage you to buy a Sandisk Cruzer. I've bought one myself last month (16 GB) and its extremely low writing speed has made me to look for an alternative. It's not worth spending the money on. In fact, I think it's a shame Sandisk brings such a flawed product onto the market.
 
The SanDisk Cruzer's are my drive of choice. Great reviews, very reasonable price, and easy to find. Best Buy for example sales them for around $20 for 8GB. Just a week or so ago they had the 8GB on sale for around $15. 8GB will hold hundreds of documents.
 
Alright, it's not working any better under Lion, having tried various formats. Will sell it and buy a Kingston, which I know does its job.

Never again a Sandisk product for me.
 
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