Are 256gb flash drives reliable?

[hackmole]

I've seen some pretty dirt cheap prices for 256gb usb 2.0 flash drives like around $20 or less. Are these large flash drives reliable? I have a whole bunch of mostly text documents I'd like to back up and instead of burning like 15 dvds, it would be a lot more convenient to put a backup on a flash drive. I haven't seen any that cheap for usb 3.0 otherwise I would shoot for that.

 

[John Connor]

Wow! I have never seen a 256 GB flash drive for $25. Where are these sold at?

I have an Adata 16GB flash drive. These have a lifetime warranty.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211572

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211573

Edit- I see now. They're all on eBay and are cheap Chinese knock offs. I wouldn't trust data to those.

 

[Eeqmcsq]

Those super cheap USB drives are probably fake. They're much smaller flash drives hacked to report a larger capacity. I would stay far, far away from those.

 

[corkyg]

In my experience, flash drives are never completely reliable. I never depend on them to store anything important. For me they are tools that assist in moving data between machines where a LAN link does not exist, or for off line booting. A 256GB flash is way beyond the pale for me.

 

[Cerb]

I've seen some pretty dirt cheap prices for 256gb usb 2.0 flash drives like around $20 or less.

$20 says you've seen 16-64GB flash drives, possibly even factory defects, modified to look like 256GB for $20 or less . What are the sellers' return policies, and consumer protection laws that may apply?

Buy SD and USB flash storage only from reputable, preferably large, retailers, from reputable brands, and preferentially in retail packaging. Super deals on USB or SD, that don't involve holiday sales, MIRs, promo codes, etc., are likely too good to be true, and not worth the risk. Chances are high you'll be buying fakes, or defective full-capacity units. if you luck up and it's neither of those, it will be stolen merchandise.

P.S. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2244873 - flash fraud is far from dead