What USB Flash Drive?

[JPreston]

As it's been about 18 months since the last thread on this, I'm after some more recent recommendations...

Must be USB 2.0 and have reasonably respectable transfer speeds, I want to carry it on a key ring (but I don't play golf/baseball with my keys so don't necessarily want or need a rubberised corsair flash voyager ) and probably want 512Mb - 1Gb. I would like to avoid the bog standard plasticky type with the missing cap...OK maybe when you buy them they have a cap, but inevitably not for long

I want a cool looking one instead, which is of course subjective but that's why I'm interested in opinions

I like the tiny pretec swivelling ones but transfer speed is too slow. The Sandisk Cruzer Micro seems quite good, as well as this one:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=135092

but I have no idea how big it is , also that metallic finish doesn't look like it will last for any time at all

Recommendations greatfully received!!

[chilled]

Maybe one with a retractable cover will be better, so you'd not have a cap to lose.

Personally I just go with cheap and cheerful ones. But then again, I lose a lot of them.

[Workaholic]

I got a corsair one mainly because of the fast 19MB/s write speed and 10 year waranty BUT it died the second day and the replacement only lasted 2 weeks. Now I'm back to using floppies and minidiscs. If you actaully look at Corsair's forum most of the threads are these faulty units and they simply replace them with no mention of data retrieval....

[peterb]

Have a look at www.scan.co.uk If the usb ports on the target machine are close together, make sure it is a slim form factor, otherwise just as well go on cost; as the experience of the previous poster said, buying branded does not gurantee quality!

[Workaholic]

Have a look at www.scan.co.uk If the usb ports on the target machine are close together, make sure it is a slim form factor, otherwise just as well go on cost; as the experience of the previous poster said, buying branded does not gurantee quality!

Or if you don't mind then you could use a extnesion USB cable and a thick flash drive.

[hitman67]

Amazon have a bytestore 512mb for £18 with free delivery, which isn't bad. I got one and it's a rugged little buggar.

[GDVS]

I have an 512MB Advent one (half price deal at £20) which has the most important feature of any USB stick.

The LED glows cool blue

[DonLennon]

I've got the 512mb one of these:

http://www.iomega-europe.com/eu/shop...ominidrivetype

Really small, just chuck it on your keyring and forget about it. Comes with 3 covers as well, so you can change it when it starts to look battered. When I got it it was pretty highly ranked for transfer speed as well - not sure if this still applies now.

[peterb]

I have an 512MB Advent one (half price deal at £20) which has the most important feature of any USB stick.

The LED glows cool blue

But you can always wrap a bit of masking tape or elastoplast to cover up that irritating LED! (same applies to those fans with those pointless LEDs on them if you can't get the proper ones )

[JPreston]

Thanks all, some good suggestions there.

I like the iomega micro mini drive, think it's a rebadged pretec tiny which I'd seen before and which sparked this (deeply researched) impulse buy, but apparently the write speed (on the pretec at least) is noticeably slower than 'full-size' drives and it's a bit expensive too. Also considered a Sandisk Titanium 512Mb for ~£30, retractable drive, actually is made of titanium and supposedly is indestructable, but thought that it was a bit big (7.5cm). So taking the bytestor from amazon as a yardstick I ended up buying a sandisk cruzer mini for £22 delivered, figuring the extra £4 is worth it because it is only 5cm long and it has a VERY BRIGHT blue LED

[herulach]

I have the lg retractable one from here. and its great, fastish, stylish, and absolutely tiny 2" *3/4" * 3/8". lovely bit of kit

[fredered]

I have a corsair one, that has a rubber shell and supposedly that makes it shock proof or something, but most importantly it bounces, endless fun for someone as easily amused as me

[hitman67]

Thanks all, some good suggestions there.

I like the iomega micro mini drive, think it's a rebadged pretec tiny which I'd seen before and which sparked this (deeply researched) impulse buy, but apparently the write speed (on the pretec at least) is noticeably slower than 'full-size' drives and it's a bit expensive too. Also considered a Sandisk Titanium 512Mb for ~£30, retractable drive, actually is made of titanium and supposedly is indestructable, but thought that it was a bit big (7.5cm). So taking the bytestor from amazon as a yardstick I ended up buying a sandisk cruzer mini for £22 delivered, figuring the extra £4 is worth it because it is only 5cm long and it has a VERY BRIGHT blue LED

The bytestore isn't a lot over 5cm, I have it infront of me and it's amazingly compact compared to my old pen drive.

[Tobeman]

Memina Rocket Flash Drive - fastest thing on the market as far as I'm aware - 30mb/sec read 24mb/sec write Swivel cap, too! Lacklustre styling though..

[farooqm]

Try this one: SanDisk Cruzer Micro 1GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive it comes with interchangeable skins (I think) - £29.99 inc Del.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...007783-3944657

But for all out speed you're gonna be hard pressed to beat the Memina Rocket Flash Drive, not sure how much they are or where to get them from though.