[unluky]

Anyone have one they use that WORKS? This is NOT for my car, just to carry movies etc on when I travel.

Some very cheap 1-2 TB thumb drives out there, but they are all off names and reviews can be faked to some degree.........

I usually stick with SanDisk because they just work, but when you can get 100-200% more space for LESS $ - It's hard not to wonder. Would not be keeping national secrets and if it smoked it smoked - not a huge deal, but I figured at least a few of you had rolled the dice on one before - might as well ask......

any recommends?

[stevenc]

The cheap ones are all fake. You need to stick with a name brand which means $150 for 1 tb.

You could buy a NVME and stick it in an enclosure

https://amzn.to/3i8q9uK
https://amzn.to/3icczX4

Another option

https://www.microcenter.com/product/...id-state-drive

[King Rudi]

I ended up just buying a WD Black 5TB external HDD and keep it in my laptop bag. I know, not the answer you are looking for, but dollars versus space....

[TiMSport]

How about trying one of the questionable brands on Amazon and if you don't like it, simply return it? Also, what exactly does fake mean when it comes to these thumb drives? They will either work or they won't.

[vreihen16]

Several years ago, I had a chuckle when a friend picked up a larger-than-possible USB thumb drive for $59. Turns out that it was formatted at the factory as a scam with a whole lot of phantom blocks to look like a huge drive, but was really a 4GB drive that threw write errors once the real 4GB ran out.....

[TiMSport]

When I think of "fake" used in this context, I think of where you buy a Sandisk or WD or other well known brand but receive a copy/fake. There are a lot of companies making memory these days and that's one of the reasons it has gotten so cheap. Nowadays 1TB or 2TB is nothing so I think there are non household brands that make legit products. That's just my opinion and I think Amazon doesn't want to be held accountable for crap being sold on their platform.

[unluky]

Yes - I have 2-3 HD's I could carry, but when I am moving fast and light a thumb drive works best. Also easier to use on a plane. Never fails the 5-6 movies I take - I don't want to watch! =) 1st world problems - right?

My gut said I would be sorry trying one of those. I have a 256, I'll just get a reputable 512 and make sure and load before I fly..........

Thanks!

Matt

[unluky]

I usually get burnt with cheap/fakes - so I try and ask. There are a few things I have had luck with them, but more times than not - no.

These just seemed to good to be true.

https://smile.amazon.com/1TB-USB-3-0...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

https://smile.amazon.com/2TB-USB-3-0...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[TiMSport]

Yeah I can understand. Found this site but not too familiar with it.

https://reviewmeta.com/brand/womdofour

[unluky]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

Yeah I can understand. Found this site but not too familiar with it.

https://reviewmeta.com/brand/womdofour

That is a great site! Thank you!

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by unluky

That is a great site! Thank you!

Sure. After a quick glance at the numbers, that brand seems to be holding up pretty well. Lol. WTH, it might be worth it because you don't have anything to lose. Free returns on Amazon. If these are decent that is an incredible deal for 1TB or 2TB thumb drives.

[unluky]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

Sure. After a quick glance at the numbers, that brand seems to be holding up pretty well. Lol. WTH, it might be worth it because you don't have anything to lose. Free returns on Amazon. If these are decent that is an incredible deal for 1TB or 2TB thumb drives.

Read a lot claiming that they are NOT 3.0. That could be bad for loading and deleting movies from it, but might be worse for watching from the stick too.

One way to find out I guess............

[iminhell1]

Other option, https://www.idrive.com/
Upload them there and stream to any device.

[TiMSport]

Doubt he wants that for travel purposes, especially on an airplane.

[stevenc]

Originally Posted by TiMSport

When I think of "fake" used in this context, I think of where you buy a Sandisk or WD or other well known brand but receive a copy/fake. There are a lot of companies making memory these days and that's one of the reasons it has gotten so cheap. Nowadays 1TB or 2TB is nothing so I think there are non household brands that make legit products. That's just my opinion and I think Amazon doesn't want to be held accountable for crap being sold on their platform.

These "fake" drives are small drives (say 64gb) that have their firmware cracked to make them look the 1tb drives to windows and only when you try and put more than 64gb on them do you get write errors. Very common scam.

[TiMSport]

Originally Posted by stevenc

These "fake" drives are small drives (say 64gb) that have their firmware cracked to make them look the 1tb drives to windows and only when you try and put more than 64gb on them do you get write errors. Very common scam.

I see, interesting. Well like I mentioned earlier, specifically the brand the OP was looking at, I would think if these were fakes there would be a big shitstorm over it on Amazon and they would likely remove this vendor from their marketplace. Now it is conceivable the reading speeds are less than advertised however. I'd be curious about how good these are. I personally don't need a 1TB/2TB thumb drive as I don't typically watch movies on my laptop when traveling, etc. Only thing I usually use thumb drives for is loading up lossless music files and for me, 256 or 512GB is good enough.

THIS looks like the best deal to me albeit a 512GB but it's a reputable brand and has tons of reviews. Bestbuy wants $110 for the same one!
https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-512GB.../dp/B083ZLJ5MG

[vreihen16]

Red flags on both listings, for being re-purposed multiple times for other products dating back to at least 2008 from the reviews!!!!!

Originally Posted by unluky

These just seemed to good to be true.

https://smile.amazon.com/1TB-USB-3-0...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

https://smile.amazon.com/2TB-USB-3-0...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[TiMSport]

That Sandisk 512GB is probably the best bet, especially for that price.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Several years ago, I had a chuckle when a friend picked up a larger-than-possible USB thumb drive for $59. Turns out that it was formatted at the factory as a scam with a whole lot of phantom blocks to look like a huge drive, but was really a 4GB drive that threw write errors once the real 4GB ran out.....

Probably also loaded with spyware, key loggers, CIA surveillance tools, etc.

[UncleWede]

One of the officers came about SEVERAL 2TB drives. I think he ordered some compounds for his woodworking from a country that begins with CH. Something like $30.

He has been using them for about 6 months, backing up his CNC images for said woodworking lathe. So far, he hasn't asked me to try and retrieve any lost data.

[N8N]

I'm going back and forth myself between buying a SSD to put in a portable case, and a thumb drive or SDXC in a USB adapter. I had a 2TB laptop drive in a portable case and it was used mainly as a backup of my personal files and music library, it has been sitting on my stereo rack since I last used it, not even next to anything with tubes but a cassette deck that is almost never powered on. The HDD has failed after ~2 years, I don't know why I seem to go through these things like Kleenex, they just don't last. Which is odd as I carry my work laptop back and forth to the office every day, my last one lasted ~4 years and still boots up, I just need to (find the time to) hack the BIOS so I can wipe it and install a clean (non-corporate image) copy of Windows. So, I'll be reading this thread with interest.

[RelaxIN2]

Originally Posted by unluky

That is a great site! Thank you!

That is a nice site... I also use a site called Fakespot

https://www.fakespot.com/