USB Flash Drives: Reviews

Updated March 2009

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Best USB flash drive

*Est. $40 for 8 GB Compare Prices

Reviewers and users say the Corsair Flash Voyager is the best overall USB drive; it's neither too bulky nor too small, and it's a good value. The Flash Voyager is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux and comes with… TrueCrypt, a security application that wins expert praise but is Windows-compatible only. Reviewers say the hardy blue-and-black casing is virtually indestructible, handily surviving freezing and boiling water, clothes dryers and all manner of falls. Corsair backs its drives with a limited 10-year warranty. The Flash Voyager comes in sizes up to 64 GB.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

DriverHeaven.net: The Corsair Flash Voyager is among the 19 drives tested here, but it is primarily rated against two other tough drives, the Flash ...

Phoronix.com: Reviews here are very thorough, but it isn't easy to see at a glance which products are rated highest. Reviewer Michael Larabel ...

TrustedReviews.com: Compared with other tech-oriented sources, the U.K.'s Trusted Reviews evaluates a large number of flash drives. Reviewer Andy ...

BigBruin.com: This anonymous review by a frequent Big Bruin contributor gives a Highly Recommended tag to an older version of the Corsair Flash ...

TomsHardware.com: Schmid and Veltze test 12 drives, assessing access time, read-transfer and write-transfer capabilities. The Corsair Flash Voyager ...

Amazon.com: More than 350 owner reviews give a very high average score to Corsair Flash Voyager, but it should be noted that reviews cover ...

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Most durable USB flash drive

Corsair Flash Survivor

*Est. $40 for 8 GB Compare Prices

The Corsair Flash Survivor runs neck-and-neck with the Flash Voyager for the title of best USB flash drive, with nearly equal numbers of expert recommendations. The Voyager and Survivor perform similarly well in reviewer… testing; the majority of sites that evaluate both drives give them equivalent scores. True to its name, the Flash Survivor is designed to make it through anything -- experts report it is virtually unscathed after being run over by an SUV, thrown, frozen, boiled, stabbed and myriad other durability tests. If you don't think your flash drive will see this kind of abuse, go with the Flash Voyager instead. The drive works with Windows, Mac and Linux, but the TrueCrypt software is PC-only.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Phoronix.com: Tests includes boiling the Corsair Flash Survivor GT for more than 10 minutes and whacking it several times with a hammer. On a ...

PCMag.com: The Flash Survivor takes a dip underwater and gets dropped down stairs to no ill effect in this hands-on review. Transfer speeds ...

DriverHeaven.net: The Corsair Flash Survivor is one of 19 drives tested by this anonymous reviewer, but it is primary compared with the two other ...

BigBruin.com: Big Bruin offers very detailed reviews of many flash drives and includes objective testing. The older Corsair Flash Survivor GT ...

I4U.com: Reviewer Shane McGlaun gives the older Corsair Flash Survivor GT an 8.5 out of 10, saying it's a "real winner," although the cap ...

EverythingUSB.com: Reviews here are thorough and based on testing, but there's no overall score or ranking. The gist is the Corsair Flash Survivor ...

Amazon.com: About 40 owner reviews give the Corsair Flash Survivor a great average score, with just a few complaints and no common thread on ...

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USB flash drive with U3

SanDisk Ultra Cruzer Titanium

*Est. $30 for 8 GB Compare Prices

Flash drives with U3 software let you run specially optimized applications from the USB drive itself. You can run special versions of Firefox, Skype and dozens of other programs, keeping all your history and data on the… USB drive, leaving no trace of your activity on the host computer. (Aside from the U3 software, that is.) U3 technology has been praised by some reviewers, but it is likely to be phased out and replaced by StartKey, a more robust solution, before 2010. Some reviewers don't like that the U3 software loads on every computer, and that you can't disable it without uninstalling it entirely. The Cruzer Titanium is incredibly durable; one reviewer ran over it with a car to no ill effect. It is compatible with Windows only.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

TrustedReviews.com: The U.K.'s Trusted Reviews gives an Editors Choice award to the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium U3's 2 GB version, and it has broad ...

TomsHardware.com: Schmid and Veltze test 12 drives, assessing access time, read-transfer and write-transfer capabilities, including the SanDisk ...

EverythingUSB.com: This dated review says the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium is the fastest flash drive tested, although not as fast as the manufacturer ...

CNet.com: Justin Jaffe gives the SanDisk an Editors Choice award, saying there's no downside and some good applications. In the ...

Amazon.com: More than 250 owners give the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium a very high average score, with only about 10 percent expressing serious ...

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Most secure flash drive

IronKey Secure

*Est. $140 for 4 GB Compare Prices

The IronKey Secure is not intended for the average user. It is 10 times more expensive than a drive with comparable file-reading and writing capabilities, this is an advanced piece of technology designed to provide the… most extreme level of data protection possible. The IronKey includes multiple layers of identity authentication. The drive is programmed to self-destruct upon 10 failed password attempts or if its casing is breached. IronKey guarantees the security of its physical facility as well, where the IronKey users' data is protected within a locked cage accessible only through special identification and biometric handprint entry. For the typical home or business user, overkill would be an understatement. But for those who have a need for the utmost in security, the IronKey Secure is it.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

TrustedReviews.com: It's clear from this review that Ardjuna Seghers relishes testing the IronKey Secure flash drive, which is likened to a gadget ...

EverythingUSB.com: This review, which includes lots of photos, covers the IronKey Secure in good detail. The security features are the focus here, ...

Geek.com: According to anonymous reviewer "Kevin," the IronKey offers a "fantastically geeky level of security paranoia," including ...

TestFreaks.com: Like other reviewers, Kristofer Brozio focuses on the security features of the IronKey Secure, but unlike others, he also tests ...

Amazon.com: Most of the three dozen users posting reviews are very positive. However, several owners say they wish they'd bought something ...

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Kingston DataTraveler DT1 *Est. $10 for 4 GB

3 picks including: Amazon.com, Scot's Newsletter…

SanDisk Cruzer Contour *Est. $50 for 8 GB

2 picks by top review sites.

Lexar JumpDrive Lightning *Est. $25 for 4 GB

2 picks by top review sites.

SanDisk Cruzer Titanium Plus *Est. $30 for 8 GB

2 picks by top review sites.

SuperTalent Pico *Est. $20 for 8 GB

2 picks by top review sites.

ATP Petito *Est. $80 for 8 GB

2 picks by top review sites.

Corsair Flash Voyager Mini *Est. $40 for 8 GB

2 picks by top review sites.

OCZ ATV Turbo *Est. $130 for 8 GB

2 picks by top review sites.


	Kingston DataTraveler 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive DTI/4GB from Amazon.com New: $5.75 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Lexar 4 GB JumpDrive Lightning JDP4GB-231 (Retail Package) from Amazon.com New: $30.22 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	SanDisk Cruzer Micro 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (SDCZ6-8192-A11, Retail Package) from Amazon.com New: $14.29 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	SuperTalent STU8GPCS Pico-C 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive from Amazon.com New: $22.75 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	ATP AF8GUFP1PK-SE 8GB Petito Special Edition for Breast Cancer (Pink) from Amazon.com New: $43.99 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Corsair Flash Voyager Mini 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive CMFUSBMINI-4GB from Amazon.com New: $12.74 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	OCZ ATV Turbo 8GB USB Drive (OCZUSBATVT8G) from Amazon.com New: $109.99 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

USB Flash Drives: Reviews

Best USB flash drive

Most durable USB flash drive

USB flash drive with U3

Most secure flash drive

USB Flash Drives by Price Range