Have a favourite USB thumb drive?

[trinket]

So USB thumb drives are everywhere these days - from makers you've never heard of to brand-name ones, in different capacities, form factors (and "capless", swing out, etc.), colors. I'm starting to really get into them for myself and giving as gifts and am looking for anything that might stand out or you think is must-have for this type of device.

Got a "favorite"? Maybe you've owned a few but find one incredibly appealing or that you keep returning to. Maybe it's particularly clever (like one that's embedded inside a formal pen) or durable. Maybe it's a novelty one like one I saw from a bottled water vendor that's a bottle shape. Maybe it's a 256 MB older than Joan Rivers but keeps performing flawlessly. Any thoughts you had I'd really enjoy hearing!

 

[cit2mo]

A local computer store just opened up near me, and they mailed me flyers giving away either a free SD card or USB drive. I choose the usb drive, and I must say that despite the lack of a brand name on it, it has held up incredibly well and has 4 gig. capacity and is very tiny. a great deal (cuz it was free!!!)

 

[Diodorus]

I like them too. I've seen some that look like surfboards. Fry's carries them. (I think) Their web presence is the outpost.com they also answer to fry's electronics.

 

[provenlogic]

Sandisk, they just work 100% of the time, and last for ages. If you don't drop them in soda or something.

 

[_AJ_]

i have a 1 gig one of these

very very small

 

[Marbas]

^
Cute!

 

[Paws]

I use my MP3 player that also acts as a thumb drive. But I wouldn't call it "my favourite".

 

[trinket]

Thanks to everyone who logged a comment into this thread. Some interesting reading. _AJ_, that's a pretty cute one. I see makers are trying to differentiate their USB keys in the sea of them out there and lately I've seen ones that have an onboard scrolling combination lock to allow access or ones that are specifically rated for "tough" industrial use (metal casing, drop proof rated from a certain distance).

 

[cbtfan]

SanDisk U3 simply the best.

 

[Kins123]

I've been using a Buffalo one I got from the College shop but it recently broke.

I've just got a Sandisk Cruzer Micro through work, it's very nice and very small. Although one problem with it... I asked my brother to copy some files onto it only to find it doesn't work with Vista 64 Bit.

 

[trinket]

SanDisk U3 simply the best.

I have one of those, and agree they're pretty good - nice retractable design, nice and compact - but I'm not a fan of the U3 software that tries to auto-load on any computer you bring the thumb drive to and consumes space onboard itself (then separates those components and the rest of the drive onto their own drive letters). But I was just reading the other day a blurb of praise that SanDisk at least makes a tool that lets you permanently remove that stuff if you want. I'm almost a fan of the more generic brand thumb drives that you pop in and it's just your completely blank available drive without any pre-loaded junk. Maybe I'm being too picky.

 

[trinket]

I've just got a Sandisk Cruzer Micro through work, it's very nice and very small. Although one problem with it... I asked my brother to copy some files onto it only to find it doesn't work with Vista 64 Bit.

That's too bad. I found this thread and wonder if your issue is related with signed vs. unsigned. Does any other USB thumb drive work okay?