The cheap Flash Drives (USB "Pen Drives") thread.

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,194
126
Well, might as well start a thread for Flash drives. Here's a deal to start with.

ADATA UV320 96GB (32GB x 3) USB Flash Drive, 3-pack Model AUV320-32G-3BWB $12.99


So, that works out to $4.33 per 32GB USB3.0 Adata slider thumb drive.

It says limit 20 per customer, but when I tried to order 20, it limited and changed my qty. to 19 3-packs. Whatever.

I do love me some flash drive multi-packs. Thankfully, these are all the USB3.0 (OK, 3.2 Gen1???) variety. They make identical-looking slider models in USB2.0 as well, be careful when comparing prices out there.

Some people are kind of hit or miss with Adata quality, some of their other (UV128 model, looking at you) models have questionable QC, and some are DOA out of the package. Other times, they are just flakey with their particular PC.

On the whole, I've had pretty good results with them, I buy them in "bulk alternator-sized qtys", and generally use them for boot drives, and don't re-write them too many times (20x maybe, at most? generally only 1x-2x, before I lose them).

If you want a "durable" flash drive, I would look towards a bit more expensive SanDisk, they have nearly always been VERY reliable for actual day-to-day usage and re-writing for me.

PNY always seemed to have issues with overheating controller chips, during long read/write passes. (I used to use flash drives for "backup", which is not really a good application for them.)

Plus, one reason for buying these in qty, is I do recovery+re-format jobs for people with Windows sometimes, so generally most people's "stuff" fits onto a 32GB USB flash drive.

---

Also, for the purposes of this thread:
1) Please don't post USB flash drive "deals" from ebay or alibaba, unless they are from Adorama Camera, Newegg, or BestBuy on ebay. Those are the ONLY authorized sellers of USB flash drives on ebay, to my knowledge, that sell LEGIT drives. (Let me know if I left anyone out. Maybe iMicros, Platinum Micro, ANTOnline, and aaawavecom?)
Don't post links to drives that are "obvious fakes", like "2T USB3.0 for $3.99", or somesuch non-sense. Flash memory is a commodity, with commodity pricing, and generally, USB flash drives are similarly-price to SATA SSDs of similar capacity, cheaper at the lower-end, and more expensive at the higher-end.

2) The default drive interface configuration is presumed to be USB3.0-spec (or compatible, Aka USB3.1 Gen1, or USB 3.2 Gen1), and "Type-A" (the rectangular connector that only goes in one way).
Please note in your post if the drive is a USB2.0, or faster somehow than USB3.0 (3.1/3.2 Gen2), or Type-C or Lightning connector or USB OTG.
Also note if the drive has hardware encryption, a write-protect-switch, or any unique hardware features.

3) More "rules" TBD. All normal "Hot Deals Forum" rules still apply in this thread as well.
 
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VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,194
126
Here's another time-limited one, Adata USB128 32GB black/blue slider drives, 5-pack combo, for $22.49.

That works out to be $4.50 per drive. Limit 100 combos per customer. (500 drives! That's more than even I can use / lose. )

 
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Jimminy

Senior member
May 19, 2020
393
142
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The excellent Samsung BAR Plus 256GB has dropped to a new low of $18:


Now I just have to convince myself I don't need one.
Does it come with a magnifying glass so us older folks can see it to plug or unplug it? If they get any smaller, we'll need a 250X microscope to see them.

I passed on these spy sized gadgets and bought the more normal sized sandisk flash drives.

OOOPs, these look like they may be visible to the naked eye, without a microscope, if you need such a huge flash drive.

Probably a good deal for such a large capacity, but I trust 2.5" hard drives more.
 
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WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
31,753
9,704
136
Does it come with a magnifying glass so us older folks can see it to plug or unplug it? If they get any smaller, we'll need a 250X microscope to see them.

I passed on these spy sized gadgets and bought the more normal sized sandisk flash drives.

OOOPs, these look like they may br visible to the naked eye, without a microscope, if you need such a huge flash drive.

Probably a good deal for such large capacity, but I trust hard drives more.
These are the small ones!


SanDisk cruzer fit, great pendrives. I've had loads and lost all but one! 😆
 
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WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
31,753
9,704
136
Anything that small is bound to get lost, and I'd need a microscope to see how to plug it in. I think I have one of those damn cruser blade things here (if it hasn't been swept up and put it the trash!
Its literally the size of my thumbnail! It lives in a drawer and is just used to flash my BIOS. If I took it anywhere I'd lose it in minutes!
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
12,185
3,108
136
The "Fit" models are tiny by design; they're intended to be "permanently" left in a device. Particularly laptops where an inadvertent hard press could damage the USB port! I use an old Cruzer Fit 16GB as an Xpenology boot device, and it's perfect for that.

If you want mobility between devices, the BAR Plus is widely considered a very good product.

I want to upgrade Xpenology so I could use a reliable, lower capacity USB flash drive. This 256GB monster is a bit overkill, but would be perfect for Ventoy. Size-wise it's about 4cm, or 1.6 inches. Ideally if I was buying a new 256GB flash drive, it would be USB-C instead.

If I can find my old Cruzer Blade 32GB drive, I'll go ahead and use that for now. It's gotta be around here somewhere...
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
31,753
9,704
136
The "Fit" models are tiny by design; they're intended to be "permanently" left in a device. Particularly laptops where an inadvertent hard press could damage the USB port! I use an old Cruzer Fit 16GB as an Xpenology boot device, and it's perfect for that.
Crap! You just reminded me of where two of mine are! Boot media for a FreeNas server! I need to remember where it is though!
 
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Jimminy

Senior member
May 19, 2020
393
142
116
The "Fit" models are tiny by design; they're intended to be "permanently" left in a device. Particularly laptops where an inadvertent hard press could damage the USB port! I use an old Cruzer Fit 16GB as an Xpenology boot device, and it's perfect for that.

If you want mobility between devices, the BAR Plus is widely considered a very good product.

I want to upgrade Xpenology so I could use a reliable, lower capacity USB flash drive. This 256GB monster is a bit overkill, but would be perfect for Ventoy. Size-wise it's about 4cm, or 1.6 inches. Ideally if I was buying a new 256GB flash drive, it would be USB-C instead.

If I can find my old Cruzer Blade 32GB drive, I'll go ahead and use that for now. It's gotta be around here somewhere...
I think that "blade" is the one I bought years ago. Almost invisible ... I'd have to mount a real search to find it. As I remember, it's not much bigger than the obligatory USB connector. Once plugged in, it's invisible. You have to use tweezers to unplug the damn thing.

No thanks.
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
12,185
3,108
136
I think that "blade" is the one I bought years ago. Almost invisible ... I'd have to mount a real search to find it. As I remember, it's not much bigger than the obligatory USB connector. Once plugged in, it's invisible. You have to use tweezers to unplug the damn thing.

No thanks.
No, you're thinking of one of the "Fit" models or similar. @WelshBloke posted a photo of the Cruzer Fit (Samsung makes a similar unit).

The Cruzer Blade is a fairly conventional, cheap plastic USB 2.0 device from many years ago. It's a bit bigger than the Samsung BAR Plus design:


And yes, the Cruzer Fit is incredibly difficult to remove. Like I said, it's designed to be plugged into a laptop and never (rarely) removed.

If you want something a little bigger than the BAR Plus, the Sandisk Ultra is a good one.
 

Jimminy

Senior member
May 19, 2020
393
142
116
If you want something a little bigger than the BAR Plus, the Sandisk Ultra is a good

I think that sandisk ultra is what I just ordered from amazon prime sale yesterday. It's not microscopic. You don't need magnifying glass to see it, and tweezers to unplug it
 

Jimminy

Senior member
May 19, 2020
393
142
116
These are the small ones!
View attachment 109035

SanDisk cruzer fit, great pendrives. I've had loads and lost all but one! 😆
That looks like what I have. Damn near invisible without magnification. I'm pretty sure it was a cruzer something or other. It's just a tad larger than an amoeba.

I'm thinking it's USB3 though. Maybe it is USB2. That makes it even more worthless
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,616
385
126
Those 'nano' drives can get disconcertingly hot as well during high utilization and persist for a while after, so hot you can't even remove them normally. Have to use fingernails instead of skin. There is not enough material to enlist as heat spreader/conductor over a wider surface area.
 
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tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,616
385
126
In my mind, those kind of temps are just not conducive to longevity and increase the odds for premature failure. I have a SanDisk Cruzer Fit 32GB that I swear is like trying to handle freshly spent brass on the firing range, after only some moderate utilization. I don't trust to use it for that reason just sitting here on a shelf, replaced it with some 'normal' sized USB flash drives.
 
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mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,412
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mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,412
1,586
126
That looks like what I have. Damn near invisible without magnification. I'm pretty sure it was a cruzer something or other. It's just a tad larger than an amoeba.

I'm thinking it's USB3 though. Maybe it is USB2. That makes it even more worthless
The current generation tiny Sandisk Ultra Fit (and Ultra Flair, and other Sandisks that are USB3 with the same design where they are no larger body than a USB-A plug, and have all the electronics embedded into a tiny blue plastic slug that has the USB electrical contacts on it) are prone to overheating on extended writes, throttling speed, and in some cases getting hot enough to freeze up. They do stay cool enough in read mode if you just wanted to play back audio files on a USB-capable device.
 

Jimminy

Senior member
May 19, 2020
393
142
116
The SanDisk Ultra is great, and are not considered slow. Is this what you bought?

It sure looks like the ones I bought. Maybe they're fakes?

They have pretty good read speeds, but the write speed is no better than my run of the mill kingstons and some other low end flash drives. About 30 MB/sec. I though that was pretty shitty for an "ultra" device.

Here is what I saw with crystal disk mark:
 

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mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,412
1,586
126
It sure looks like the ones I bought. Maybe they're fakes?

They have pretty good read speeds, but the write speed is no better than my run of the mill kingstons and some other low end flash drives. About 30 MB/sec. I though that was pretty shitty for an "ultra" device.

Here is what I saw with crystal disk mark:
"Ultra" is just marketing. If you want high performance, it's going to cost more. Their HP drives are named Extreme Pro, and usually disproportionately high priced than a few competitors with equal or better performance.

I linked a few of the lower cost alternatives a few posts back, but Black Friday deals could offer other price competitive alternatives, for example a Patriot Rage Supersonic Prime 500GB for $35:


128GB tho', due to the current flash chip density, you won't get best performance from anything that small, because high performance comes from parallelized access to multiple flash chips, from an SSD bridge type controller, so there is a certain minimum capacity for USB flash drives these days, before it's too few chips for enough parallelized access to reach the best speeds.
 
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