# 8 Gig Flashdrive - $25.00. Opinions? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 29, 2008, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522 "2008-01-29T22:51:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/1 "2008-01-29T22:51:18Z")
[http://www.supermediastore.com/adata-pd9-8gb-usb-flash-drive.html](http://www.supermediastore.com/adata-pd9-8gb-usb-flash-drive.html) I’ve been looking around for a flashdrive and found them to be about ten bucks a gig. 4 gig is about the highest capacity drive I’ve found, around forty bucks. Whadda you think of this one? ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/2 "2008-01-29T23:07:20Z")
I don’t know, but some of the reviews listed on that website are less than enthusiastic: > [@](#): > > (one star out of five) - It’s cheap, for a reason… > > Pros: Easy To Install > Cons: Does not feel durable, Unreliable Performance, Very slow > Describe Yourself: Casual User > Primary use of this product: Personal > Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend > > Although advertised as USB 2.0, it seems USB 1.0 all over again. It takes more than 3 hours to write 7 GB of data to it. I also had an issue with a corrupt file, causing XP to prompt me to run CHKDSK on this flash drive. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/3 "2008-01-29T23:14:37Z")
Yeah, I saw that. That’s the main reason I brought this to the SDMB. Still, the 8 Gig figure still intrigues me. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/4 "2008-01-29T23:16:02Z")
What are you using it for? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/5 "2008-01-30T13:40:53Z")
Backup. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/6 "2008-01-30T14:54:24Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] Backup. [/QUOTE] You’re using a flash drive for backup?! You might want to try a slightly more permanent medium, or at least spring for a name brand that has a good reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/7 "2008-01-30T15:03:28Z")
I’ve never used one of their flash drives, but I’ve used SD cards and micro SD cards that were made by A Data, and they’re garbage. Spring for a better name at least. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/8 "2008-01-30T15:43:39Z")
Rule #1 of Buying Electronics: If the price looks way too good to be true, it IS too good to be true. This card is the equivalent of deleting 8GB worth of files and then tossing $25 down the garbage chute… save your money and buy the equivalent from a reputable brand, or settle for a good-quality 2GB drive (which should be under $25 at this stage). ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/9 "2008-01-30T17:33:21Z")
I’d have no problems using it for my walking around drive, but no way would I trust it as my main backup option. But then, I wouldn’t trust any flash drive for my main backup. It looks like a good deal, for taking along copies of pictures from my last trip. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/10 "2008-01-30T21:41:39Z")
I thought a flashdrive would be better than cd disks, for both speed and relialability. Which is better for backup? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/11 "2008-01-30T21:56:12Z")
So you are going to load 8 gigs on a flash drive and throw the drive into a drawer? Can you put a lable on it saying what’s there? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/12 "2008-01-30T22:00:18Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] I thought a flashdrive would be better than cd disks, for both speed and relialability. Which is better for backup? [/QUOTE] Flash drives are not long term storage devices. You want something permanent, like CD/DVD, tape, or another hard drive. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/13 "2008-01-30T23:29:57Z")
permanent… like another hard drive? You’re kidding, right? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/14 "2008-01-30T23:51:04Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] permanent… like another hard drive? You’re kidding, right? [/QUOTE] What do you mean? What’s wrong with using a hard drive for backup? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/15 "2008-01-31T00:44:44Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] permanent… like another hard drive? You’re kidding, right? [/QUOTE] There are many harddrive based backup systems, including Raid-5 setups that offer redundancy. They’re not perfect, but no backup system is. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/16 "2008-01-31T01:02:34Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] permanent… like another hard drive? You’re kidding, right? [/QUOTE] Assuming you do a write-once to it and stick it in a drawer, I think I’d bet on a hard drive being readable after a decade before I’d bet on a CD. Even if you write to it every week or so, hard drives usually have an astoundingly long life these days. Not counting the boot drive that Vista keeps corrupting (but every other OS can use fine and report no errors with), I haven’t had a drive fail on me in half a decade…and I use a LOT of hard drives. Of course, with CD’s or DVD’s being dirt cheap, you can do the “Make a jillion of them so that one will still work” method, but the things that break them (heat, light) will likely break lots at once. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/17 "2008-01-31T01:10:18Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] Flash drives are not long term storage devices. You want something permanent, like CD/DVD, tape, or another hard drive. [/QUOTE] Could someone please explain why it’s bad to use flash drives as backup? I’ve considered doing the same thing, and I’m not especially tech-savvy. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/18 "2008-01-31T03:23:34Z")
> **[Managing and Archiving Your Digital Media](https://proscenia.net/pronews/discussion/060105_managefiles.html)** > [@](#): > > However, since Flash drives use volatile “flash” memory they are susceptible to damage from strong electromagnetic sources and static electricity. (Incidentally, I knew of someone who left their flash drive in their pants before being laundered. The flash drive came out of the dryer with all data intact, though I’m sure no manufacturer would recommend that method of data sterilization.) Flash drives, as good as they are, are not good solutions for archiving data. Think of them as being better for speed and convenience than for reliability. One big problem with Flash drives is if they are removed before data have been completely read from or written to them. Removing a Flash drive while file I/O is happening can corrupt the directory tree of the drive and you won’t be able to read any files from it without a 3rd party utility. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/19 "2008-01-31T03:42:04Z")
Interesting, thanks. Aren’t hard drives equally susceptible to strong magnets though? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522/20 "2008-01-31T05:10:14Z")
[QUOTE=TimeWinder] I’d bet on a hard drive being readable after a decade before I’d bet on a CD. [/QUOTE] I definitely would not – do _you_ still have a IDE interface on your computer? Will you in 10 years? How about SASI? SCSI-1? I believe the specification was for “permanent” storage, and the flash drive was mocked, and a mechanical, magnetic (and erasure and crash prone) solution was trotted out. Come now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-gig-flashdrive-25-00-opinions/435522.md?page=2)