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19. Verbatim USB 2.0 and Patriot Memory USB 3.0 Flash Drives

Attractively designed tech-goodies for the living room and the home office (or just about any other place in the house).

Verbatim USB 2.0 and Patriot Memory USB 3.0 Flash Drives

Everyone needs a good flash drive, right? If data needs to go from point A to point B, and you don’t have the time or space requirements to throw it into the cloud somewhere, flash drives are the way to go. That and they’re cheaper and smaller than ever.

Verbatim has several new USB 2.0 drives that should prove to be quite durable, or at least stay wherever you stick them. The Tuff N Tiny series is exactly that: small enough for a keychain, yet durable enough to survive the elements. The TNT, as we’ve started to call it, is shock-proof, water-resistant, and measures in at an inch long, or small enough for any keychain (a lanyard is included for this exact purpose). The Tuff N Tiny is available in 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB capacities, and the pricing starts at $12.99.

There’s also a Clip N Go flash drive, and while it isn’t as durable as the TNT, it’s almost as small. Plus, its integrated clip allows you to stick it just about anywhere (on a folder, for example) without it falling off. The speeds for both drives are pretty standard, as they’re USB 2.0 devices. Don’t expect anything higher than 15-20 MB/sec. or so for read speeds, and about half that for write speeds. Of course, these drives aren’t built for speed; they’re built for portability and/or durability.

Speaking of speed, we’re also including a pair of USB 3.0 flash drives from Patriot Memory. We’ve always been fans of the Magnum line from Patriot, and the 128 GB Supersonic Magnum is no different. The shape and design of the Supersonic is the same as its predecessors, but there are some nice blue accents this time around. We tested the Supersonic Magnum with a 1080p MKV video file, and the speeds were pretty impressive: 67.67 MB/sec. for write speed, and 78.08 MB/sec. for reading.

The other 3.0 drive, the 32 GB Supersonic Xpress, is also pretty fast, but not quite as speedy as the Magnum. The write speeds were closer to 26 MB/sec., which is on par with some higher-end USB 2.0 devices. It is smaller than the Supersonic, however, and has a hideable, pop-up USB head. If we had to choose one, the Magnum is the winner, but even the Xpress is significantly faster than most USB 2.0 drives.

Patriot also sent some really nice SD cards along, just for good measure. The 32 GB LX Pro and 64 GB, SDXC (that Secure Digital Extreme Capacity) LX Series are both Class 10 SD cards, which means they’re fast enough for HD video recording with your DSLR. We don’t have a USB 3.0 card reader on hand, but both of these cards are going to max out whatever USB 2.0 reader you have, which means read speeds of at least 25 MB/sec., and speeds closer to 80 MB/sec. if you have a 3.0-capable reader.