Customer Reviews

4GB Pivot Flash Drive USB 2.0

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I already had been using an Imation 2 Gig flash drive for about six months when my wife asked me to help her find a 4 Gig one. I didn't hesitate to reccommend this one as mine has always worked flawlessly. This one's even better because of the design with the rubber case. Great product!

This flash drive is great because:

1. it is very easy to create password protected directories for sensitive files,

2. there is no cap to lose.

This is my 6th flash drive

and the first with captured USB connector cover

which actually stays closed.

I hang my thumb drive on a lanyard,

and this is only the second physically sturdy enough

to not break off.

I occasionally need to plug drives into others' Windoze PCs,

too many of which are infected and/or configured to write thumbnails

or otherwise screw up directories, so write protection is a must.

Write protection is impossible for me to switch by fingernail,

requiring a toothpick or other probe;

that is the most prominent downside encountered.

Since the included encryption is software-only,

I suggest instead using TrueCrypt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrueCrypt

... which supports Mac and Linux as well as M$

I have had several Imation drives of varying capacities and have been very pleased with all of them. This one is no exception.

I purchased this as a keychain attachment and accidentally dropped my keys from about 4 feet, whereupon the flimsy plastic loop attachment immediately broke off. Calls to Imation tech support was no help, since the unsympathetic rep said their warranty does not cover physical damage. Terrific.

You would think they would do impact testing on the device before releasing such a low-quality, shoddy product. Would definitely not recommend. There have to be better USB flash products out there.

To start with, I'm a Linux user and care not a whit for the software that came pre-installed on this stick.

This device has acted as my primary key fob now for a year or so. It has worked well and been very durable in the harsh environment of my pocket. The rubberized cover prevents most dust from getting to the USB plug itself, and the rest of the casing is sturdy.

Additionally the write protect switch allows me to feel safe sticking this thing into computers I don't consider terribly secure as I know that no software will be able to randomly install itself on it.

I haven't run any serious speed tests or anything like that, but it hasn't been so slow that I've really noticed.

My main complaint is a complaint that I have with all USB sticks, and that's that FAT32 is a horrible filesystem for these things. Its only virtue is that practically every computer in existence can read it. Otherwise it's slow, and requires complicated wear leveling software in the USB stick itself in order to avoid wearing out the stick in short order. It also is badly designed for removing the stick while data is still cached.

Stick manufacturers should stop implementing weird complex internal wear leveling algorithms designed to make FAT32 work well and instead band together and fund Open Source projects like LogFS (http://logfs.org/) and get them ported to Windows and OS X and stuff drivers for those OSes in a little FAT partition on the stick.

I use this flash drive for school, and I keep it on my keychain. I have not treated this flash drive with care, in fact, I have beat it up pretty good over the past year, and it remains in near perfect condition. I have not had any issues with the flash drive, nor with the swivel or plastic loop. I would recommend this product to anyone who wants a durable flash drive to keep on their keychain.

I was simply looking for a good USB key I could keep on my keychain that would protect the USB connector, and didnt have a cap that could fall off. This item proved to be a good match for me. It was very well made, and is holding up well to the abuse I give my keychain. I would definately recommend.

I have to admit I became incredibly OCD after I had the horrible experience of losing lots of work when my computer and flashdrive both died. I have tried Transcend, Kingston, corsair etc and Imation is by far the best. The usb tip is well protected and easy to move in and out of its cover which is attached (i.e. you can't lose it!). Also, it is by far the fastest at data transfer. Even the smaller sizes take a fraction of the time of the other brands (it even compares with my Iomega external hard drive with 500GB-yes I already told you I am OCD and not going to lose my work again!). Hope this helps and no matter the MB or GB they are all quick!

I have a 512 MB drive just like this one, and it really wasn't big enough for my needs. So I ordered the 4GB version, and got it a few days ago.

It works flawlessly and I just love the pivot design. There is no cap to lose and the end isn't exposed to dust like the sliding variety is. This is such a good design that I wonder why other makers don't create pivot style drives too.

UPDATE: A year and a half later, the drive still works fine... except it is now in two pieces. The problem is in the design. It is designed to be attached to a key-chain, and it simply isn't sturdy enoungh. The rubber grip cover has worn off due to contact with keys and pocket change, and the the plastic pivot cover cracked and broken in half.

Mechanically, the drive still works fine, but it just cannot be used as a key chain attachment if you want it to stay in one piece. I still love the design, but now I wish the body was made of metal rather than plastic.