Customer Reviews

LaCie CooKey 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 131048

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is exactly what it makes itself out to be. It is a solid metal key, virtually as thin as most keys. It has a quick transfer speed. I've experienced no problems since I started using it several weeks ago. Keep in mind it has no light but I've gotten used to that.

My only complaint is the cap. It is a tiny "clip" that covers the very tip of the drive. It is designed to cover just the connector. I think I would have preferred a sheath of some sort. Amazingly, I haven't lost the cap that is smaller than a penny. When I do, I'll learn whether or not the connector is truly durable.

It's a little more expensive but I love the fact that it's on my key ring and it doesn't add bulk. It's all metal so should be very durable.

Overall, I'm satisfied!

**UPDATE AUGUST, 2010** I used this USB drive almost everyday since my last review. I keep it on a key ring with other metal keys. I lost the cap so the connector has been exposed to the other keys, etc. It is still working great. No problems with durability.

**UPDATE APRIL, 2011** Still working great. Still kept on a key ring of metal keys. I'm going to buy a second one soon.

I purchased this flash drive because I really liked the concept of key-like flash drive in my key chain. But it came with disadvantages.
Pros:
1. Looks very good in key chain
2. Has great storage capacity and looks
3. Plugs in as regular drive, no installed software that pops up or anything.

Cons:
1. Its made for key chain, which contains other keys also, which constitute weight, so , when plugged into usb port, the weight from other keys make it loose connection intermittently.
2. The little plastic protection cover is lost very soon

I would recommend it for not very frequent users who need capability of flash drive once in a while.
Would not recommend for users who heavily rely on data on flash drive.

Goes with you anywhere, and you won't lose it unless you lose your keys. Very rugged design- it's just like having another key on your ring. Really handy when sharing things like photos and things.

The only downside I can see (Not a flaw of the product mind you) is a couple times I nearly left work with it still plugged into my work computer with my car and house keys attached. Again, not a flaw of the product, but a flaw of the user. You just have to remember to take your keys with you.

I love my LaCie CooKey 32 GB flash drive. It's a very generous amount of space. It looks fantastic, and disappears when on a key chain. Better yet, it shouldn't get damaged easily.

BUT... one of the main reasons I spent the extra money for the 32 GB edition, was so I could use it in place of a memory card on my Xbox 360. But when I stick this in, I only get a message saying that this flash drive isn't supported! So please take note of that if you wanted that in this flash drive.

Other than that, this flash drive is perfect.

Dear Amazonians,

I recently bought this key, as I had the previous version, the iAmaKey, also made by LaCie. I have to say that having a key-shaped USB drive that can be carried in the pocket at all times is indispensable. I find myself using this quite often. The key fits on a keychain as any other key would, and seems to be very water-resistant, making it fairly tough. However, there is a seam that runs though the metal, and the seam separates after some time, making the key unusable. This happened to my CooKey, as well as to the IamaKey that I had before. If LaCie is reading this review: Please redesign this key with a unibody construction, like what Apple has done with their MacBook Pro computers, as well as their newer iMacs. Yes, this may be slightly more costly, but I cannot tell you how aggravating it is to lose data because the drive it is stored on fails due to poor construction. Of course, I would not carry data on this key that is absolutely essential, should I ever misplace it or otherwise lose it, but this drive should be a lot more dependable than its current design permits. LaCie has done a great job concept-wise, and now they need to improve this drive, so that it does not come apart at the seam (literally)...

--Daniel

It's a very cool USB key to have on a keychain, and very durable in that regard, BUT BE WARNED THIS WILL NOT WORK ON AN XBOX 360 AS A MEMORY CARD.
It gives some kind of error, even after reformatting the key to various filesystems.

I used to take ScanDisk 16 gb with me on my business trips. I wanted to get a bigger capacity and Amazon's image looked like unlike the smaller size, the 32 gb ScanDisk drive looked bulkier. So I was willing to pay more to get LaCie 32 gb. I use my LaCie CooKey 32 gb to backup a little bit less than 8 gb files using LaCie bakcup software that came with LaCie external hard drive backup system. I can tell you that it takes a lot longer to backup on the LaCie CooKey compared to my old ScanDisk. Of course it still takes less time to back up than to do straight copy and paste the files but I am surprised how long it takes. For example, to copy 2% of the 8 gb of the files that I want to back up, it is taking 12 minutes(I am using Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3). I love the convenience and the key shape but at that price, I was expecting something a lot faster.

Works excellent, sized just like a key! Very thin (more than normal USB but seem to stay in place with no difficulty and work 100% even though it looks weird) The only negative thing I could say about them is the little plastic covers for the tips tend to come off in your pocket and I lost them all already. But other than that these things are really cool. I love the look on people's faces when I take out my keys and stick them into the computer, lol.

Although Amazon's product description doesn't talk about this product's stated features much, the LaCie website provides the following summary of the product's functionality:

"The Key to Total Security.

* Encrypt all your data
* Automatic backup
* Lock your computer
* Secure online backup"

( From [...] )

In various lacie.com pages, it re-states the ability to encrypt all your data. However, the Public-Private software included on the key that is used to manage this encrypted data only allows you to create a single encrypted volume of a maximum size of 4GB. The volume can't be more than 4GB, and you can't create additional volumes. This means that your 16GB flash drive is limited to 4GB of encrypted data, and 12GB of unencrypted data. That might be okay for some people, but it's hardly the same as saying you can "encrypt all your data". I've confirmed the behavior with customer support as well. Very frustrating.

[ Update 1/6/2012 ] After contacting LaCie again, they provided me with the following very helpful FAQ (read the second question). By making a backup of the entire key's data, formatting the key as NTFS, then restoring all the files to the key, it is quite easy to create a 14GB partition (manual and other software takes up some space). Much happier now so increasing to 4 stars (1 off for having incorrect information in the manual).

http://manuals.lacie.com/en/manuals/private-public/faq

This flash drive is sturdy and durable, with a little bit of solid heft to it. I don't worry about it breaking. It holds my largest files for easy transfer between machines. I am planning to exchange most of my older drives with these.