Fast, cheap, compact, dropable and machine - washable
Disadvantages:
Small Capacity . Difficult to plug 2 sticks in side by side .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I love these sticks. In fact I collect them. I think they look good, feel good and well... they're generally good. I've only ever had one fail, and that was one that stopped working on day one so at least I didn't have to worry about having lost the latest version of my work. It also served as a reminder that no matter how reliable something usually is it's always important to have an up to date backup!
The stick itself is made out of some sort of rubber, the only problem here is that black rubber seems to attract little white bits of fluff. however the advantage being that rubber doesn't rattle around in your pockets or your bag.
The 512MB version is a bit small for what I need today, but if you only need to carry smaller documents this stick is great value for money. The 512MB stick I had came with a USB extension cable, although don't expect much from the cable. If you've only got USB ports on the back of your computer, and keep your computer on the desk, you'll be fine; otherwise just get a USB Hub and plug the stick into that. It's a very short extension cable, but I guess it's the thought that counts.
The physical size of the stick is a little awkward, it's great to hold, and not too big, but it can be awkward plugging in 2 of these sticks into ports next to each other. (so... here's where the short USB extension cable can come in useful).
You don't have to use the software on the disk, you can pretty much plug the disk in, format it how you'd like it and you're free to go. But the software provided is very easy to use and worth installing. The software included on the stick allows you to rename / repartition the USB stick, however for those who need a secure partition for their data, the Corsair utility needs to be installed on every machine that the drive is used on. This is fine if you're only ever going to use the drive in two locations, but otherwise it can become a pain in the backside having to install something wherever you go. The software will also allow you to make the disk bootable, for those of you who like to have an entire operating system on their drive.
There are claims that this stick is rugged to the point of being extremely difficult to break. I personally wouldn't like to test this and it always feels as though you can snap the stick in half. However, being made out of rubber, it is waterproof enough to survive the odd washing machine holiday when I forget to empty my pockets, and has also survived being dropped on numerous occasions. What can I say, I'm a pretty clumsy guy and I haven't managed to break it yet. Corsair provide a ten year warranty, so I'll probably lose mine before I manage to break it.
This stick is fast. I've heard that the Transcend JetFlash range are faster, but the flash Voyager sticks are the fastest I've used personally. The 512 doesn't seem to be as fast as the latest 4gb and 8gb Flash Voyager sticks, but I don't know whether something has changed in the manufacturing process or it just appears slower to me.
Overall this stick is still fast, or as fast as you need such a small stick to be. It's compact, although not tiny, and it feels like it will survive a fair few drops (mine certainly has). 512MB sticks are pretty cheap these days, although I'd personally spend a little more and get a 1GB version, especially if you want to keep MP3s or videos on the stick. But for those on a strict budget I don't think there's much you can do wrong by getting one of these.
More details
Design
Excellent
Ease of Installation
Good - quick to install
Instruction manual
Good
Manufacturer Support
Satisfactory
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