Customer Reviews

Lexar Echo SE 32 GB USB 2.0 Backup Drive LEHSE32GBSBNA

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Lexar Echo SE 16 GB USB 2.0 Backup Drive is a disappointment. I purchase a lot of USB drives, from cheap to expensive, for a variety of needs. Even out of all the low cost budget drives I have bought, this one has one of the weakest constructions.

One reason to purchase a thumb drive is portability. The plastic surface has a tacky texture that doesn't seem fragile. I learned how easily broken this drive could be when the lanyard bar broke from simply having a lanyard attached to it to carry it. So this device would be easily lost if you were to have it break on you or if you were carrying it loose in your pocket.

PROS:

++ Data transfer speeds are better than most similar drives

++16 GB capacity allows for good sized backups

++ Fat32 formatted for compatibility

++ Compatible with Mac and PC operating systems (Windows 7, XP, Vista, OS X)

++ Very light case

++ USB 2.0 connection is backwards compatible for older computers

++ Retractable designs means no worries about lost caps

++ Easy to format and enable encryption to protect your data

CONS:

-- Body design is weak and larger than necessary; rear bar is easily broken

-- Slower mounts and stops than other USB drives I have

-- Premium cost

-- Other software alternatives can do the same and be installed on any drive

THE SOFTWARE

The included software is OK and is much less disappointing than most included software. For those wondering why it doesn't "do anything" when they insert it, you have to launch the software manually and can then have it install on your computer for automatic backups. That's actually a good thing. Companies have gotten a lot of flack over software that installs itself without giving users the choice.

The install files include "EchoBackup_Win.exe" for Windows computers and "EchoBackup_Mac" for Macs. I only tested the Windows version, but it has a sufficient number of options, including encrypting backups and setting up folders that will automatically get backed up whenever the drive is inserted. My only comment about it is that there are tons of free software programs that will do the same thing and can easily be copied to a thumb-drive. So I wouldn't choose this drive based on the added software.

There are a few ways in order to enable encryption. The best way may be to use another tool to encrypt the drive after re-formatting it. This way you can test the drive as well as use the encryption you prefer.

THE PERFORMANCE

Copying files to this drive was on the higher end of the speed range offered by USB 2.0 thumb drives.

Average Read Speed: 21.2 MB/s

Average Write Speed: 9.5 MB/s

Speeds with the included software were comparable, which is better than most software offers.

CONCLUSION

The 16 GB capacity makes this drive useful for file backups and USB storage. The retractable head means you don't have to worry about losing a cap, but you might have to worry about getting dust or debris into the tip.

Everything about this drive would have been acceptable if not for the poor build quality. Considering the premium, I would lean on choosing an alternative. This is a drive I wanted to love but it doesn't perform up to par. There are many higher end drives by Kingston, Sandisk, Patriot, Corsair and others that can be used for backups but have much better builds. I would research some of those.

Happy shopping.

What looks like a flash, acts like a flash, but is much more than your average flash?

This gadget provides a painless backup solution for businesspersons and students who can't survive without their trusty laptop/netbook/notebook and the information therein. Even for users unfamiliar with backup software, the Echo software included on the drive is a snap to use. Once the backup drive is inserted into a USB port on your computer, it will take you through some simple steps to configure the backup. You can choose the easy predefined Automatic plan or you can choose the more advanced Custom backup plan. There is a Quick Start Guide, also included on the drive, which provides a brief explanation of the options that are available.

When configuring your Custom backup profile, you can specify which file types you want backed-up. You can select ALL files, or there are some basic ones such as text, spreadsheet, presentation, music, videos, photos et al that you can select. There is also an OTHER category where you can define other file types that may be important to you, for example, zip, rar, pdf, etc. In addition, you select which folder(s) you want backed-up, set filters if required, and set the number of versions of files to keep, a useful option if you accidentally delete or modify a file. There is also the option to select an Automatic backup which activates every time you plug in your flash drive, and Live which continuously backs up your modified files to the flash drive without your intervention.

Restoring files is just a matter of clicking on the Restore menu button, selecting the files and/or folders you want restored and setting the location where to restore the files, then hit RESTORE. Alternatively, if when creating your profile, you had decided not to password protect it and encrypt it, the files can be accessed quite easily from directly on the root of the backup drive in the My Backup folder.

To backup another computer, you would have to install the software on that computer and set up another backup profile.

This version of the Lexar Echo has only 16GB of storage capacity, and is really too small to back up more than one home computer with music and video files; it can barely back up one computer, much less two or more. On the other hand, it would certainly be good for business people on the road since they will generally be using smaller files and the backup is a no-brainer.

While it has a good feel to it and the retractable connector saves losing caps, it is a bit on the `chunky' side and competes for space with other USB devices. It can also get damaged if you're not careful when moving the laptop around and it gets hit during the process, as it sticks out quite a bit.

I did not check for backup/restore speeds nor did I follow up on the 2GB of free online backup space which was offered in the setup. It appears this is no longer available at DMAILER, the backup software manufacturer; but instead I was guided to check YuuWaa online backup services.

Extremely handy for business or school use, and especially for people who have senior moments and accidentally delete or write over important files on a regular basis.

Amanda Richards, July 8, 2011

I have not used a device like this before now, so I cannot compare it to others, but I found it very nicely designed, easy to use, and effective for what I wanted.

I was pleased by the small size. It looked sturdy, too, as if I can carry it around without worrying about damage. Contributing to that was the retractable USB plug, which slides in and out via a little button reminiscent of an X-acto knife. The light gray color makes it easy to find without being garish---I am NOT a fan of neon pink tech gear!

I was a bit put off when it arrived encased in plastic on a cardboard card (which was a DEVIL to open!) with absolutely NO instructions. Lacking any guidance,I just plugged it in, and that was all I needed to do; it installed its software with no intervention required. There is PDF user's guide which was moderately helpful. There is a defined profile for files that will be backed up, or the user can define custom profiles and identify what profile is to be used as the default.

Back-up was quick and seems to be accurate.

When I plugged the device into another computer, as I might do if I were working away from my home computer, it was easy to find a particular file that I would want to retrieve.

The biggest annoyance I find is that every time I log onto my computer it now chides me if I do not have the Lexar Echo plugged in. I do not want to leave it in the computer all the time and might prefer a less intrusive message, such as " You haven't backed up in (CHOOSE AN INTERVAL);plug in your Lexar Echo to protect your data." It does seem expensive for a 16-GB back-up, but convenience is worth something.

The drive itself seems to be plenty fast compared to my older 2GB USB drive. CrystalDiskMark benchmark shows nearly 31 MB/s sequential and 512k read and 12.5MB/s sequential write which actually exceeds the Lexar's stated specs - how often do you see that? By comparison, this is 5-6x faster than my 2GB USB drive, and is even respectable compared to some older SATA drives. For my uses (easily portable storage), this drive will be a nice improvement in capacity and speed over my old drive. I was worried this drive would be huge, but it is similar in size to my old drive, and the retractable USB plug is a nice touch that makes it more compact.

Admittedly I am not interested in their backup software as I have a backup solution for my entire system (which would not fit on 16GB), and that software is probably why this drive carries a cost premium over similarly sized drives. For that reason (and for my purposes) if I were to need another drive I would probably choose a different, cheaper drive. However, if you do not have a backup solution and 16GB (or one of their larger drives) works for your setup, this may be a good solution for you. You can find the manual for the backup software on their website (here is a direct link, hopefully Amazon won't delete it: [...].). It comes with both Windows (including Win 7) and Mac versions of the software, a nice touch.

The drive is focused on backup, so it does not have any security for files you drag and drop onto the drive (like they have for some of their other drives), but you can password protect backups using their backup software.

Visually this USB drive is like any other, you may like it or not. I do not care how it looks, if the texture of plastic is nice or I`m not trying to guess if it will brake until it does. But it is solid drive, it is Lexar.

This USB has backup program which I use for my .doc and .xls files, and because of the content I do take care of this drive. That said, few words about backing files.

Provided program is easy to set up and use. It makes copy of all folders and sub folders of the drive that you choose, so it looks like in my computer, but if there are no .doc or .xls files in them, the folders stay empty. You choose what type of files to back up. That`s how I found few missing pages, that were saved in different folders by accident (in mp3 music for example) just by browsing through folders on drive. It was easy - no other junk, just what I was looking for. During or after work I just plug it in and voila! full automation :) Once set up the drive does everything on it`s own. You can backup few computers, as long as there is enough space on USB drive. For businessman or student or writer this is very useful gadget. I lost my work few times in past, not going to in future. For storing pictures, music or movies, get something else - bigger or prettier - if that`s what you looking for. One more thing, during set up you can choose between many languages, which I found useful, because English is not my first.

I received the Lexar Echo SE 32 GB USB 2.0 Backup Drive about a week ago and was amused how little and shallow the directions are. The instructions seem to be written by the software programmer who assumes the user knows as much about the software as he does. Anyway, I have a Dell Studio 540 desktop with Windows 7 64 bit. I plugged in the backup drive and Windows immediately recognized it. In a couple seconds the Dmailer software took control with it's setup page. Walking through the several steps of choosing which folders and files to backup, the software started backing up my data. All went well. Later I changed some files and Dmailer started backing up ALL my folders and files. Then I learned the hard way. Once Dmailer backs up all your selected folders and files, you MUST configure Dmailer to back up ONLY changed folders and files. Once Dmailer finishes backing up the first time, you need to go back to "backup settings" to set the backup according to date, uncheck "no date filters", "live backup", and "start backup automatically". Since my backup files are 17 gb, I set the number of versions to keep to one. Previously I forgot about that feature and the next time I backed up, the drive ran out of space because it couldn;t backup another 17 gb. Lastly, I found out that in order to erase any or all data, I had to use Windows Explorer (with the Lexar drive plugged in) and drill down to "My Backup" and look for whatever I wanted to delete. If "My Backup" is deleted, the drive reverts back to it's original state and you must re-install all your information regarding what data to save, etc...one last thing...using Windows Explorer, one can copy and paste files and/or folders to the backup drive without using Dmailer. I thought that might perk some people up.

Anyway, after all parameters are set, the Dmailer works as advertised...especially when it comes to backing up JUST files changed since original backup took place. I would have given this product a 5 star if Dmailer would have been more clear in their operating instructions. Other than that minor issue, I highly recommend this product. Once you got the Dmailer software used for backup figured out, this puppy is a dream come true.

Update:

Here it is January 30, 2012 and this is what I have to report on the Lexar Echo SE 32gb stick. This stick has a retractable connector that locks when the

connector is extended. Lately, the lock wasn't holding and when the connector is extended and plugged into the USB port, the connector retracts because the lock is not locking the connector in the extended position. I had to resort to using crazy glue to glue the connector in the extended position. I also put crazy glue on the pin that is used to extend the connector. Although I have not had any problems so far with the stick backing up my files, I have some doubts about how well this stick will hold up mechanically. Now I keep a tube of crazy glue handy just in case the housing falls apart.

Summary: The electronics in this stick are very reliable. The mechanical workings of extending the connector and the housing itself SUCK.

I am rating this unit with 2 stars after what happened to the lock.

Amen.

February 23, 2012 Update

So far the crazy glue is holding the connector in the extended position and I use it almost every day. I now keep it in a protected case so it

doesn't collect dust or dirt on the connector. Again I vouch for the electronics on this puppy, but the mechanics....well...you know.

3-2011 Update

the slide latch mechanism on this key failed pretty early on. I find I'm forced to hold the slide while I insert the drive to keep the USB connector from being pushed back into the body. Also, the large body makes it difficult to use with some USB ports, mainly those that have very little extra space around the port, like those found on keyboards, especially Mac keyboards. If you have a Mac, you will either have to use the USB ports on the rear or use a USB extender cable.

The Lexar Echo is a nice thumb drive offered by a reputable memory company Lexar/Crucial. Performance wise, it is on par with similar capacity drives that I own from Sandisk, and Kingston. The body is molded of metalic-colored plastic. The retractable USB connector feels sturdy and well made. The drive itself is a nice high-quality 16GB drive with solid performance numbers. It commands a premium price due to the included automated backup software. Considering the fact that people spend good money on this type of software alone, it seems like a good deal. The only problem is, anything under 32GB is just too small to be an effective backup solution for most people. If you have anything other than a meager multimedia collection, this isn't going to cut it. Think about it, if your 32GB iPod is already nearing capacity, you'll barely be able to backup half of your music collection, let alone movies, and photos. Flash drives (within the realm of affordability) are just not a good format for this type of software unless you share a computer or are constantly on the go. Unfortunately, there is no way to specify a different target drive other than the Lexar drive in the software, so you're stuck backing up to the flash drive. Given that this software functionality vaguely reminds me of a mini-me type ARCserve with full and incremental backups as well as restore, this is overkill for this capacity drive. These types of backup solutions are good if you are constantly on the move and cannot be tethered to a USB hard drive, but that's only until you can back it up to a more spacious drive. This is perfect for students, traveling business people, or anyone else who needs to constantly backup data and/or encrypt on the go as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you're a home user running Vista, Win 7, or OSX, it won't be a viable full backup solution. For instance, I'm currently using over 200 GB on OSX and it is by far my LEAST used computer. Unless you do a ton of traveling and moving around or only have documents to backup, buy a cheaper flash drive for when you're on the go and invest the savings into a 500+GB external USB hard drive. I gave it four stars because it's a speedy and useful backup solution for those who need and would benefit from it.

I have both the Echo ZE and SE, and the SE is clearly the superior drive. I ran a few simple comparison tests also using a couple other flash drives I had lying about. Here are the results.

Backup test - unencrypted (using the included software)

2.8GB, 8200 files

Echo ZE 8GB - 27.5 minutes (note on the ZE - I had to reformat it to NTFS. My results with FAT32 were literally 5x slower on all tests)

Echo SE 16GB - 16.5 minutes

OCZ Rally2 8GB - 17 minutes

Straight file copy, 1.3GB, 4800 files:

Echo ZE 8GB - 10 minutes

Echo SE 16GB - 7 minutes

OCZ Rally2 8GB - 6.5 minutes

Sandisk Cruzer Titanium 2GB - 11.5 minutes

Then I deleted the files I just copied:

Echo ZE 8GB - 2.5 minutes

Echo SE 16GB - 2 minutes

OCZ Rally2 8GB - 2.5 minutes

Sandisk Cruzer Titanium 2GB - 3.5 minutes

The OCZ is a couple years old, but it is considered a "performance" drive (or at least it was 2 years ago). So the fact that the Echo SE was right on par with it makes me feel the performance is pretty good.

The casing feels a little flimsy, but that might be just because it is so light. Also I'm used to using flash drives that have metal casing whereas this one is plastic so it's not necessarily a fair comparison. I do like that it is very light. I suppose overall the build quality feels sturdy enough, all things considered.

It is a capless design with a retractable tip, which is my preference since caps can get easily lost over time. It has a small notch where you can attach a lanyard. It needs to be a pretty thin lanyard though because the notch is very small. I don't think it's big enough to accommodate an o-ring. If it does, you'll probably need to apply a little bit of force and might end up scuffing the case a bit. The 'X' in the logo is the blue light which indicates when it is plugged in and reading/writing. The overall size is average, about the same as my Sandisk Cruzer Titanium.

The backup software is the same one that comes with the Echo SE. It's pretty mediocre. It's fairly easy to use, and allows you to password protect and encrypt your backup if you want. It lacks more advanced features and doesn't allow you to pick individual files to backup. You either pick entire folders or file types (e.g. all .doc files). The backup software is just a file on the flash drive and can actually be run off non-Lexar flash drives. I just copied the file to my OCZ flash drive and was able to run the backup software from that drive too. If you have it configured to be used as a backup drive, each time you plug it in, it will start scanning your hard drive for new/updated files to backup. You have to manually stop the software. This is of course good if you use the drive only as a backup. But if you also want to use it as a regular flash drive, it's inconvenient because you have to stop the backup software (which usually takes several seconds).

So although it bills itself as a backup drive, it's really just a regular flash drive with backup software. Still that isn't a bad thing. Although it lacks some more advanced backup features, it is simple to use, has pretty good performance, and is portable. Depending on what your needs are, this could be a useful flash drive for you. It isn't great at anything, but it does a little bit of everything.

Like many USB drives, the Lexar Echo (16 GB in my case) extends and retracts by pushing a sliding button on the side. Instead of including a CD the backup software is conveniently loaded directly on the USB drive itself. There's really not much to the device, which is exactly what you need when backing up files. I'm on Windows Vista and it recognized the drive immediately and opened up a window with the available space and files. 16 GB is enough to handle pictures and music, but not the rest of the files that sit on my desktop computer... the larger drives would be useful in that scenario. All in all I'm really happy with the drive and think it's a great addition to my backup family!

The Echo SE Backup drive from Lexar is the entry level offering for it's new line of flash drives bundled with backup software from Dmailer, a French online storage company (you'll be offered a chance to create an account with them). The flash drive itself is pretty much your typical flash drive in terms of design and performance. What sets this product apart is that it has all the backup software on the Flash drive: no need to install any software. This makes it particularly handy for backing up multiple systems (it's simple to set it up to back up more than one computer, a nice plus). The backup software is overall pretty basic, but I think for most people that is a good thing. They make it easy to setup the backup and forget about it which is what most people want. The size and capacity makes this a really good mobile backup product. Yes you could buy a cheaper flash drive and download free backup software, but I think the average user will spend more time fiddling with getting that working than is worth the ten or twenty bucks they could save.

In my case I use it to backup the all the music, document and program save directories on a student's lap top. It was easy to set it up only to backup stuff that changes and to keep a couple of versions of each file. I've got their iPod dock on a USB hub with this flash drive plugged in so every time the student sits down to sync their music (which is pretty often) all the changed files on their laptop get backed up. It's pretty much "fire and forget" at that point. No backup have to be scheduled and files are only backed up as needed (which keeps the backups short). Simple, fast, and easy.

Any drawbacks? If you need to back up individual files over 4GB you are going to have to reformat this drive to NTFS and re-install the backup software. It's not hard (Lexar has all the instructions you need on their site) but it would be annoying. Fortunately few people have files that large. Also the 16GB drive I got is too small to do full drive backups. You can buy larger drives (up to 128GB) from Lexar and that will actually cover most users. Most people rarely exceed 50GB so the average home user can get by on 128GB pretty easily. However if you're looking to back up a lot of video or games this drive wouldn't be for you.

Overall I would say that the ease of use makes this a good choice for anyone with a laptop or anyone intimidated by traditional backup software (having a 1TB back-up drive does you no good if you don't schedule backups). On the other hand power users with lots of data would generally be better off setting up their own networked storage solution.