Jump Drives?

Is a jump drive the same as a flash drive?
I don't think the brand matters too much - all of them fail eventually. Flash drives should NEVER be used as the only place you store information, even using them for backup is a bad idea. One day you'll plug it in, and it just won't work, no warning at all. The main use for a flash drive is transferring files.
That said, I have a 256MB Sony, and a 256MB PNY. Both are just fine.
Here are some prices and sizes that I could find (all around $50)
-Crucial 512MB $50.99
-Sony 256MB $39.99
-PNY 256MB $39.99
However, just open up the Sales ad some day, and I would just pick one. I really don't think the brand matters (my opinion). There are some great sales out there. (I got the Sony Drive mentioned above 1/2 on sale.)

 

All of them will work with OS X, but some benchmark faster than others. Sandisk and Lexar ones I think are usually pretty fast. There was a review a while back and one of the brands was significantly slower on the test Mac than the others. I think it was a Fujifilm, but my memory is hazy at best.

Look for sales, and you should be able to find a 512MB flash drive for under $50 in your weekly newspaper ads, and 256MB ones are now going for free after rebates with pretty high regularity.