I have always bought Sandisk Flash products but this one though have a good capacity, it is too slow. The website also does not advertise what the speed is and perhaps that is the reason. Anyhow, too disappointing. SanDisk Cruzer 32 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ36-032G-A11
I presume the same is also true for a PC, but this thing is slower than slow for writing a lot of (little) files. I'm copying just over 16 GB of files. There are likely half million total files in various folders. To copy that over to an external hard drive took some fraction under an hour. With this flash driver, it's been nine hours so far and it's only at 2.5 GB. Even burning the data as 3 DL DVDs was much quicker. This drive is a terrible way to share data -- although as a stealth attack on the sanity of you least favorite co-working, it might just do the trick...
Geek details: This is on a 1.83 ghz Mac mini under a stock install MacOSX 10.5.8 with the flash drive hooked directly into the back of the machine, with no other USB peripherals attached. The copy is via two terminal windows "cp -R" commands, which I used after seeing that a copy via drag and drop using the Finder was even slower. The cp jobs show 98% cpu usage via "top" and on the Activity monitor.
Years ago I looked for a 2GB USB flashdrive with a keychain attachment and no detachable cap, and settled on the Cruzer. It worked out well. Though the keychain attachment was tiny and the included keyring flimsy, I was able to find a tiny standard keyring that worked fine. Years later I upgraded to an 8GB, which also worked out well, using the same keyring I'd used found for the 2GB.
But recently I decided to upgrade to a 32GB, and that didn't work out so well. They've gone to a new style, with two problems:
First, the keychain attachment is extremely tiny. It won't accept any normal keyring, as the old one did. It will only accept a slender string, such as on some lanyards. That makes for a bulky, floppy keychain attachment. I figured they just didn't have room for it after cramming in all that capacity, but I was wrong; see below.
Second, the write times are glacial. It isn't just the large capacity, as is often suggested. Sandisk made 16GB versions in both the old style and in the new style. See the reviews of those who tried both -- the new-style 16GB has much slower write times than the old-style 16GB write times.
So how I did I learn that I had been wrong that they didn't have room for a bigger keychain attachment? Here's how:
One day I got distracted and left it in the computer. My wife sat down to use the computer, and my 4yo walked up to her to ask for something. Next, he noticed the Cruzer sticking out of the computer and, having no idea what it was, his creative 4yo mind decided it might make a good seat. That was the end of my Cruzer. In an effort to salvage the data, the most recent of which I had not backed up, I took the Cruzer apart. On doing so, I was irritated to find that:
There is LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of room for a MUCH, MUCH, MUCH bigger keychain attachment. Enough room for one of the biggest keychain attachments in the industry, without making the overall dimensions any larger. It's idiotic and unacceptable that they have gone to such a tiny keychain attachment.
When I saw that, I decided that my replacement would not be another Sandisk, even after briefly condidering an old-style 16GB. I've gone with a 32GB Lexar "JumpDrive TwistTurn". It has a very large keychain attachment, and no detachable cap. And the reviews seem to indicate faster write times than the Cruzer. I'm not excited about it's "jackknife" layout, compared to the Cruzer's retracting layout, but beggars can't be choosers. If you search for a USB drive with (1) a large keychain attachment, (2) no detachable cap, (3) many user reviews that indicate good reliability, and (4) many user reviews that indicate good performance, the field is VERY narrow.
Goodbye, Cruzer. We knew ye well. And you have failed us.
====================
Update:
I've now been using the Lexar JumpDrive TwistTurn for several months, and it's working out fine. The performance is fast, and it's great to have the big keyring attachment.
I would still prefer the Cruzer's retracting layout to the TwistTurn's jackknife layout -- I feel like I have to be more careful not to bump it when it's sticking out of the back of the laptop -- but it's okay. Also, I had to wrap some electrical tape around the inner part to make it stay in the closed position intead of flapping open every time I pulled my keys out of my pocket, but that was a quick and cheap fix.
I would highly recommend the Lexar JumpDrive TwistTurn as a much better alternative to the new-style Cruzer if you're looking for a big keyring attachment, no detachable cap, fast performance, and reliability.
2nd Update:
The hinge seems to be a weak spot. When I bought it used almost 8 months ago and opened the package, one of the hinges was loose and I saw that it was broken. But I pushed it back in and it seemed to be fine, so I didn't worry about it. But yesterday one of the hinges fell out and was lost, and the other one is broken, and it barely stayed together. Then, less than a day later, the 2nd hinge fell out and it too was lost, and without the hinges it comes apart easily.
I've emailed Lexar to see if they'll send me replacement hinges, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll probably have to look for a cheap, used low-capacity TwistTurn and cannibalize its hinges.
For now, I removed the paper from two old wire twist-ties, wound them together to make a longer one, routed it through the hinge holes (you have to bend the wire to get around the circuit board), then routed it through the keyring hole, and twisted it fairly tight, making a tight wire ring wrapped through the two holes, holding the two parts together. It stays together well enough and pivots easily enough, but obviously it's very crude.
I keep the Lexar on my keyring, so it does get rough treatment. I'd still recommend it but with some caution due to the hinges. I don't know whether mine was abused by the original owner; if it was, then maybe a pair of unbroken hinges would work fine for me.
If anyone at Lexar is reading this -- this could all have been avoided by either of two ways:
-- Spending another penny to make the hinges from a slightly more flexible, less brittle plastic, or:
-- Making the TwistTurn 3/8" longer, so that the hinges could go all the way through and connect to each other, and so be much stronger; instead of being blocked by the circuit board. - Flash Drive - Usb Flash Drive - Cruzer - Sandisk'
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