Sandisk Cruzer

Reviews

The SanDisk Cruzer Contour is a USB flash drive. Versions are available with storage capacity of 4 GB, 8GB and 16 GB.

Pros

The Cruzer Contour is the premier USB flash drive from a company that knows a thing or two about making quality flash drives. The Cruzer Contour comes loaded with features, including a retractable USB connector that protects against nicks and scratches. The device can support U3 technology, which allows consumers to transport their files and software under password protection (which is great for businesspeople who need to carry around sensitive information). The Cruzer Contour also looks great. It's made out of shiny black plastic and even has a few sleek ridges for added grip. It sells for a great price - the 16 GB model sells for between $140 and $200.

Cons

The Cruzer Contour is slightly larger than other USB flash drives, but it is still small enough that you can easily slip it inside your pocket and forget that it's there. Or, you can put it in the somewhat bulky SanDisk leather pouch and attach it to your keychain (but you can't attach it right to your keychain like you can with many other USB flash drives because the Cruzer Contour doesn't have the typical hole that allows you to do so).

The Gist

The SanDisk Cruzer Contour is one of the best-looking USB flash drives on the market and its performance lives up to its appearance. It has nearly every feature you could ask for in a compact flash drive.

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Years ago I looked for a 2GB USB fdvihlrsae 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
Posted on 9/23/2012 5:02:00 AM