Customer Reviews

Delkin Devices Reader-38 18-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I use this unit for all my downloads from Compact Flash cards and SD cards, it works very well. Bought this unit because we use the same model were I work, Chicago Tribune Photo Dept, and it stands up to a LOT of use. It's very fast and built well. Would buy the same unit again if I had to.

We've gone through quite a few card readers over the years but this got to be by far the best one yet. It accepts just about any card, altho we only use the CF slot. Its SMOKING fast compared to the others we've owned. Downloading pictures off of my 4GB microdrive used to take close to an hour, with this one its a matter of minutes.
I love it. I think you'd be pleased if you got it.

I really like the reader. It is a decent size, is very quick with moving files, and works with my PDA. I've had it for over 6 months and it has been great.

My original card reader went to my wife when hers fell apart (she crushed it by accident but will not admit it). She still uses a smart media card but her laptop and our new printer will not read those ancient cards. My old computer has no such card slots built in so I HAD to get another card reader.

This Delkin reader functions well but it's tough to get an SD card in the slot provided. It handles the other formats with ease. My only knock on it is it does not have a cover. My old Belkin multi reader had a flip cover over the slots to keep dust out.

With usb memory card readers going for about a quarter of the DDReader-38's price -- or even less -- why would anybody want to spend something close to a double sawbuck for this one?

First, it's blindingly fast when plugged into a good usb 2.0 connection. 'Nuff said.

Second, it's solidly built and, for a change, NOT in China (mine came from Taiwan). I get the sense that this reader will still be working in 10 years. I doubt that many of the $3-6 cheapies will hang around that long.

Third, it seems to treat the memory cards gently. I have a cheap A-Data branded reader which came bundled with a package of SD-HC cards. It's as fast as this one, but every time I use it, I worry that it's going to damage the card. The card is hard to guide into the A-Data's slot, and it feels like it's grinding the gold contacts on the card when I do finally find the right angle. The Delkin is easier to use and seems much smoother.

Finally, the DDReader-38 takes a usb cable, rather than plugging right into the computer. That makes it much easier to connect when the computer is under the desk. Changing memory cards is a good bit easier too. As a bonus, the Delkin uses the same type of usb cable as my camera and mp3 player, so I can just leave that cable permanently plugged in.

The Delkin does have a couple of negatives.

First, you might need drivers.

Or not. It works fine with the built-in generic storage class driver in Windows XP. To my surprise, it also works beautifully (and fast!) with Maximum Decim's unofficial NUSB storage class driver for Windows 98SE. I haven't yet tried it with Linux, but most recent Linux variants do a decent job of emulating a generic storage class driver, so I don't foresee any problems.

However, for Windows 2000 you have to download a driver from Delkin's website. I discovered this, to my chagrin, when I was out in the field and couldn't copy pics onto my older laptop. (Gotta read these product descriptions more closely in the future.)

The good news here is that for those who prefer to avoid NUSB and similar unofficial drivers, Delkin *does* supply an official driver for Win 98SE on their website. My hat's off to them for that. Fewer and fewer accessory manufacturers these days recognize that some us are still using old computers and old operating systems by choice. (I'm not going to spend a couple hundred bucks to hobble my poor old 500mHz K6-2 computer with Windows XP.)

The other is that the driver creates no fewer than FOUR virtual disk drives on your computer when the reader is connected. Which one has the active memory card in it? I can't see any way to tell, other than to open each one in turn and see which one DOESN'T say "insert a disc." Also, with the NUSB Win98 driver, you have to unmount all four devices separately when you're done -- something of an annoyance. (It's a 2-click operation in Win XP and Windows 2000.)

But these are minor points. This is an outstanding piece of gear. Recommended.

Update - we just purchased this...
our old reader was too slow...

we like the versatility of the many cards this will read -
did not see that listed anywhere, so here are the details
on what cards are acceptable for use on this unit:

Accepts 18 different memory card formats
including SDHC and UDMA-enabled CompactFlash!

CompactFlash Type I
CompactFlash Type II
MicroDrive
MagicStor
SmartMedia
Memory Stick
Memory Stick Pro
Memory Stick Duo
Memory Stick Select
Memory Stick Pro Duo
Secure Digital
Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC)
Mini Secure Digital
TransFlash (micro SD)
Multimedia Card 4.0 (MMC Plus)
Multimedia Card
Reduced Size MMC 4.0 (MMC Mobile)
Reduced Size MMC
xD

Got ours quickly and WOW! it read a really big full card
MUCH much faster than our old card reader,
and setup was a no-brainer. Plug and play. simple!

This is the fourth universal card reader I have tried, and it is better than the Hama one but also does not work all the time. Sometimes, I have to reconnect it three times before it picks up and works.

I bought this card reader to facilitate downloading images from my two cameras, which use two different storage cards. The reader works well, quickly transferring images from the camera to the computer without muss, fuss, or using up the charge of the camera batteries.

The unit is small, requires no drivers - just plug and play - and has a small light to tell you when it's active. If there are other bells and whistles that might make it better, I can't think of what they are. The feel is a little light, so whether it's particularly sturdy remains to be seen. But so far, it's functional, and worth the price..

The Delkin 18-in-1 memory card reader does a wonderful job. Works every time with no problems! A wise investment and great product.

I bought a new computer which has Windows 7 which is not compatible with my Olympus Camedia camera software. I love my camera and don't want to have to buy a new one. My son suggested me to buy this Smartmedia card reader which should help me download the pictures from my camera. However, when I plugged in the device onto my computer and put in the Smartmedia card, it asked me to re-format the card which I did. I still cannot get it to work. I am waiting for my son to come home in Xmas to help me figure out. If not, I may need to call Delkin to see why it doesn't work.