Customer Reviews

Corsair 4GB Flash Voyager Mini USB 2.0 Flash Drive CMFUSBMINI-4GB

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"This makes it the perfect flash drive for users with busy and active lifestyles." FAIL.

[...].

Size: small. retracted, it's 1.5" long.

Performance and compatibility: very good. i only use the drive for data transfer between machines. i've never had any complaints or issues with using the drive on Windows XP, Vista, or OS X. writes and reads are very good.

Durability and Build Quality: this is why i'm giving the drive 2 stars. i put this drive on my keychain and goes into my pocket everyday, and over the past 8 months, the following things have happened:

1. the original metal clasp snapped around week 3. that was ok, since i then put the keychain directly into that rubber hole.
2. the rubber is glued to the plastic unit. . .that started to pull away. somewhere around 5 months.
3. the rubber around the hole is starting to tear. 7 months.
4. lastly,the biggest malfunction is retractable tip no longer locks into place. 8 months.

Support: i have submitted an RMA request with Corsair, and i will update this review with my experience.

Support Update (Feb 25): I received the replacement (a new unit) yesterday after sending the defective unit. I was a little surprised to see how 'solid' a new unit is compared to the one that I sent in. I hope it holds up better than the old one. I've been impressed with their responsiveness over email. I am lucky that they are located in Fremont, so the turnaround time was very quick. I'd give Corsair 5 stars for support.


Timeline:

Feb 13: Email to Corsair describing issue
Feb 13: Received response, replied again using web-based form.
Feb 13: Received RMA number
Feb 18: Sent defective unit ($1.00 shipping, First-Class uninsured)
Feb 19: Email confirming receipt of defective unit.
Feb 23: Notification of shipment of replacement via UPS Ground
Feb 24: Receipt of replacement. New unit in retail packaging.

I really like this drive. It has a nice rubber enclosure and a retractable USB connector. I've copied many large files with it now and here are my average transfer rates:

writing: 9mb/s
reading: 20mb/s

CONCERNS: a little on the small side could make it easy to lose, I hope the retractable connector doesn't break or wear out since it is plastic, no LED data light

LIKES: small, rubber encasing seems like it could take some drops, transfer speeds are good for 4gb, who would have though 4gb could be so cheap!!!

Very compact and attaches to my keychain. The part which attaches to the string could be a bit stronger though. This part is made of rubber and appears soft. While it holds my keychain without problem, looks like I will need to reinforce it with a wire or something like that. Very compact and rugged otherwise.

Update: I have used this USB key for some time now since the initial review. In all fairness, even the part that attaches to the string is strong enough to hold the USB key and the keychain. I think that I applied a bit too much of traction on it when I bought it initially. A very good device to have overall. Definitely recommended overall.

I have owned this flash drive since July 2008 and I love it. It is attached to my cellphone because I am more gentle with my phone than with my keys and it has not broken or anything. Several friends have attached it to their keychains and the clasp has broken within a few weeks to a few months. My lanyard is still going strong.

I had a different mini flash drive and somehow, oneday, all of the data was gone- no computer would even recognize that it was plugged in. This has not been the case with the Corsair, it works everytime that I plug it in. I think the rubberized enclosure makes a huge difference. I will definitely buy Corsair again.

I'm paranoid about data loss, so I keep everything on a flash drive and back it up in 2 or 3 places every other week. I used the Corsair Mini 4G every day for two years, and only switched to another drive when the little slider stopped locking. When I try to put it in the USB drive, it pushes itself closed so I have to hold it open. The government did it, I'm sure, or maybe the aliens.

I switched the metal clasp by looping the string through the hole in the rubber, and using the metal clasp to connect it to my keyring. I thought that the rubber hole might tear, but it didn't.

Yeah, I kept it on my keyring every day for those two years. No problems there. Also, it's not so big that it blocks your other USB ports, even with the rubber casing.

I bought this because I needed more space and a faster drive.
I also own the Flash Voyager full-size version, 1 GB.

I like the small size, but I dislike how you can't tell which way you should insert the USB stick. Sometimes I insert it one way but only to find out I have to insert it a different way - every computer has a different way or orienting the USB port. I don't think knowing this (or realizing it) ahead of time would prevent me from buying it, but it shows there's an issue with the way USB ports were designed.

As far as speed, I didn't measure it, but it appears to be faster than my original Flash Voyager.

I think another reason I like the Flash Voyager line is that the flash drives seem to be reliable. I haven't had the issues my classmates occasionally have.

These thumb drives are so small they are easy to lose. For several weeks, I thought I had lost the second of two I bought. Then, on loading our washing machine, I noticed a little tail sticking out below the agitator. I pulled on it, and it came off, but not before the little Corsair thumb drive stuck its head out.

Imagine my surprise when I tested it and was still able to read all the files on it. I also loaded this comment on it and could read it back to copy into this field.

I don't know how many wash cycles the drive survived, but it was wedged so hard under the agitator that it must have survived at least one cycle. Maybe I won't trust it with my most important files (not before checking write/read for each one!), but it sure seems indestructible.

The only reason for not giving it five stars is the risk of losing such a small thing. Maybe I should have kept it on my key chain.

This thumb drive is very small. It's much smaller than the standard Corsair thumb drive. It's about the same size as an SD card, although not quite as square.

The "pop out" USB connection seems somewhat flimsy, although so far I haven't had any issues with it. I suspect that it's more solid than it feels.

The only complaint I have is that the included strap is pretty much useless. It's very small and flimsy. But these are replaced easily enough.

For the price, this is a great thumb drive. The small size is really impressive, and the performance is as good as anything else out there. As long as you aren't intending to use this in extreme conditions, this is a great purchase.

This drive does its job well and has been reliable since I purchased it. It is a great upgrade from my older 1GB Flash Voyager. I love the retractable connector, which removes the hassle of keeping track of caps. It may be a little more expensive than other keys with similar capacity, but the durability and small size makes up for the small price increase.

A good price on a high capacity and small form jump drive. I have this one and carry it on my key chain with it being smaller than many of the keys I also carry. The only concern I have is that it seems flimsy and fear that it could break, but so far it has suffered no ill effects and continues to function without complaint.