Computer gadgets are a pretty interesting topic. It affects almost all areas of the high-tech industry. However, most people do not need to delve into the intricacies of technological progress. They need one thing: for everything to work well. Sometimes an unprepared user faces the question of choosing a high-quality USB drive. How to choose the best option from the wide range that is now available on the market? For this, this material was written. And it will consider the flash drive, which seems ideal, based on the ratio of "price-quality". It is called SanDisk Cruzer Blade. What kind of drive is this? Let's try to figure it out.
A little bit about the company
SanDisk was founded in California (USA) in 1988. If it weren’t for these guys, the world would never have recognized MMS cards. In tandem with Sony, they developed the Memory Stick Duo. And familiar Micro SD memory cards are also their invention. The history of the company developed until it came to solid-state drives. Now this manufacturer is the largest supplier of storage devices for a wide variety of laptop brands. USB drives, memory cards, hard drives, solid state drives are just a few of the products from this manufacturer. Most of the flash drives sold in Russia and the CIS countries carry the SanDisk label. Not surprisingly, the SanDisk Cruzer Blade has become very popular in our region.
The trouble is that in China there are a lot of fakes under the SanDisk brand now. If you inadvertently purchase a Chinese marriage, then there will be no joy from the purchase at all. This is especially true for micro SD drives. When buying memory cards, flash drives and other drives, be sure to ask the seller for a certificate of conformity with GOST. If it is not, then it is better to refrain from buying such a device. It is possible that before you is a guest from the Middle Kingdom. More precisely, from the Chinese cellars.
Positioning
The company is positioning SanDisk Cruzer Blade as a budget product to meet the needs of the average user. The flash drive was conceived as a miniature portable device for storing documents, music and other content. Therefore, it is deprived of many modern bells and whistles. This drive is for everyone. Not everyone needs a cool look or support for newfangled interfaces. The flash drive just needs to work. And from this position, the Cruzer Blade is the perfect product. Especially when you consider the cost of the drive.
Budget flash drives and drives are a pretty controversial area. Until now, the manufacturers of these devices do not have a clear border between mid-level gadgets and low-cost devices. Without a doubt, only one thing: budget products from "SanDisk" are unparalleled in terms of quality. And this fact is undeniable. One has only to read the reviews of the owners about any cheap flash drive of this company, and everything immediately becomes clear.
Contents of delivery
The packaging is purely Spartan. There are no frills here. Just a blister with a corporate logo and a flash drive inside. The packaging opens in the usual way: at the back there are special lines along which you need to make a cut. There are no specialized programs for data encryption or recovery in the kit. Yes, and expect such a drive from this would be pretty stupid. SanDisk Cruser Blade 16GB (like 8GB) belongs to the budget product line. And just can not have any additions in the kit.
Some exclusive models, however, may come with a built-in utility for encrypting data. Even sometimes an antivirus recorded on a USB flash drive takes place. However, such versions of the device are more expensive. But if the buyer wants "all in one", then the price is unlikely to confuse him. To pay a few dollars more for an antivirus product that costs much more in retail? Why not. Often such actions are carried out by retailers, and not by the company itself. In this case, you can count on other bonuses (such as an extended warranty period).
Appearance and design
This is where the "fun" begins. It is immediately clear that the design of the USB-drive was thought out to the smallest detail. The flash drive has a stylish black and red palette and has a rather interesting futuristic shape of the case. And everything is done in such a way that all these designer excesses do not interfere with the comfortable use of the drive. On the contrary, ergonomics are increasing. SanDisk Cruser Blade looks decent. And this is a definite plus.
For a budget drive, such an appearance is a rarity. Most manufacturers are not particularly fond of budget flash drives. As a result, they all turn out to be faceless and similar to each other, like siblings. The merit of SanDisk is that they make all their products exclusive and recognizable. This is the "chip" of the company. Therefore, their products are so popular. The same “Kingston” is hopelessly behind in this regard. This is not surprising, because SanDisk is a pioneer in the production of drives of any type.
Drive Features
Some may complain that there is no protective cap for the "head" of the flash drive. But it’s even better! This accessory has the property of being constantly lost. And with careful use of the drive, it is not needed at all. The flash drive case has a hole for the chain. It can be used as a keyring. So she definitely will not get lost. An undoubted plus is the absence of any intricate mechanisms (such as a rotary case and a traveling head), since over time they become loose and become unusable. The SanDisk Cruser Blade flash drive is an example of style and minimalism.
Specifications
They are very modest. SanDisk Cruzer Blade 16GB can not offer the user either high-speed USB 3.0 read-write technology or any particularly advanced encryption systems. The flash drive has a standard USB 2.0 interface and is positioned as a compact portable gadget for work. He copes with this task one hundred percent. Available volumes of drives in this series - 8, 16 and 32 gigabytes. It makes sense to purchase a drive with the largest capacity, because less than 32 gigabytes will be enough only at first.
USB SanDisk Cruzer Blade is a compact entry-level flash drive. And it has all the characteristics inherent in drives of this class. Yes, it does not shine with technical characteristics, but it is characterized by durability and exceptional reliability. Despite the lack of a metal case. It uses high quality materials, which makes it unusually "tenacious".
Comparison with competitors
There was no particular need for this chapter. And now you will understand why. The fact is that all competitors' products of similar price can not be compared with the SanDisk Cruzer Blade. Manufacturers offer for the same price the obviously worse analogues that do not have at least some sane design or technical component. All analogues, as a rule, have less memory than our hero. Also, many of them have a flimsy body and no less flimsy mechanisms in the design. A vivid example of this is classmates from Kingston. Their budget drives are generally worthless. What remotely resembles Cruzer is an order of magnitude more expensive. And there’s nothing to be done. So it turns out that this USB-drive is ideal in the ratio of "price-quality".
Possible problems
The percentage of factory defects at SanDisk is negligible. The manufacturer carefully monitors the manufacturing process of each device. But failures sometimes happen. There is no escape from this. For example, there are cases when an 8 GB flash drive SanDisk Cruzer Blade burned out when in contact with a computer jack. As it turned out later, it was a matter of closed contacts on the "head" of the drive. However, this is an isolated case. Money was returned to the owner of the defective flash drive, the consignment of drives with a flaw was urgently recalled, and the perpetrators were punished. The company strives to maintain its good name. Therefore, she does not need such incidents.
For the entire life of SanDisk, this puncture was the most significant. All other products of the manufacturer work as they should. And they work for a long time. The reliability of these devices is amazing. This is probably achieved due to the simplicity of the design. Be that as it may, the products of this brand are considered the most reliable and trouble-free. Unlike products from manufacturers such as Kingston or SmartBuy. The latter generally has the most negative rating.
Positive feedback from owners
This is a very important section, since it is the real reviews of those who have already purchased the product that show how the gadget behaves in real conditions, whether the manufacturer's promises come true. Similarly with the SanDisk Cruzer Blade flash drive. Reviews on this drive will help potential buyers make the right impression. For the most part, everyone is happy with the purchase. No problems were observed during operation. In addition to some write errors. But this, apparently, were the "glitches" of the operating system. Windows, as you know, is generous with such "gifts."
Almost all users note the usability of this drive. Its dimensions allow you to comfortably carry it with you anywhere. A catchy design is also good. He highlights the flash drive against the background of the same gadgets. Many noted that despite the presence of a USB 2.0 interface, the read / write speed is not very different from the "troika". The capacity of the version with 32 gigabytes of memory also caused wild delight among some users. They probably used a 4 gigabyte drive before. The 8GB flash drive SanDisk Cruzer Blade definitely suits everyone.
Negative owner reviews
But there are no perfect products. Some owners reported that the drive was very hot during recording. True, it is not clear, is this the way it should be? Or is it a factory marriage? The manufacturing company did not answer this question. In addition, there have been some errors like "SanDisk Cruzer Blade is write protected." But it’s not the flash drive that’s to blame, but the computer’s operating system. It is because of her that there are such problems.
Also a known issue was the spontaneous conversion of the drive's file system to the RAW format. Somehow it was not possible to open files on a flash drive. However, with the help of a utility downloaded from the manufacturer’s website, it was possible to reanimate SanDisk Cruzer Blade. File recovery was also successful. The company's specialists tend to believe that this was again caused by a malfunction of the computer, not the drive itself. Well, that often happens.
Summary
So is it worth it to purchase a SanDisk Cruzer Blade 16GB USB drive? Definitely worth it. This manufacturer is characterized by exceptionally high-quality products. The flash drive has a simple design, which allows it to remain in service for a long time. The original design makes this drive really bright and memorable. The cost of the gadget will pleasantly surprise even those who are used to saving. A flash drive is great for continuous use as a working device, as it has a miniature size.