Patriot Bolt 64GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive with 256-bit AES encryption, PSF64GBTUSB

by Patriot

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches ; 0.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 0.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003D8Z8US
• Item model number: PSF64GBTUSB
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 25, 2010

Product Description

Capacity: 64 GB

The Patriot Bolt USB Flash drive is perfect for everyone who needs their data on-the-go. Built with hardware based 256-bit AES encryption to protect your sensitive data, you can carry work or personal files wherever you go secure in the knowledge that your data is safe. Your work presentations, your family photos, even your Outlook® contacts are safely and securely tucked away from prying eyes on the Bolt USB flash drive. Bolt has added security with a built in safeguard against tampering; if an incorrect password is entered in 10 consecutive attempts, the drive locks and reformats guaranteeing your data does not fall into the wrong hands. Not only is the Patriot Bolt secure, but it is also lightning fast with up to 27MB/s read, 13MB/s write speeds. Bolt is available in the following capacities: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent product, but has eccentricities, July 3, 2010

By 

Alice C. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Patriot Bolt 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (PSF8GBTUSB) (Personal Computers)

I have been running this USB drive on various Windows XP machines, some new (fast) and some old (slow).

What I like:

1) The Bolt application for locking, unlocking, and setting passwords is easy to use.

2) Drive speed is pretty good once it's unlocked.

What I don't like:
1) The first time you put the drive into a PC, you're likely to have to reboot Windows. This is an annoyance if you use the USB drive to swap files with friends or people at work.

2) The Bolt software takes about a minute to come up. I suspend my PC frequently, and waiting a minute to unlock is a pain.

3) After you unlock the drive, it pops up a confirmation message. You have to wait a couple of seconds before you click "OK" to close the popup.

4) The cap is not attached, so it's easy to lose.

What you have to get used to:

a) If you suspend the PC, the Bolt software doesn't always run automatically when you un-suspend. If you try to access the drive while it's locked, you get a cryptic Windows error message.

b) If you try to plug in an unencrypted USB drive at the same time as the Patriot drive, you will get a "plug in the drive or run as administrator" error message.

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible encrypted usb flash drive with AMAZING customer service, April 29, 2010

By 

Johnny Diep "Joseph" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patriot Bolt 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive with 256-bit AES encryption, PSF4GBTUSB (Personal Computers)

First of all, I'd like to mention that I bought this flash drive elsewhere because Amazon did not have it in stock yet. If they did have it in stock you can bet that I would have bought it from them.

Next, don't fret about the 1 star reviews it's coming from people who don't take the time to read the product description. To clarify things up I did see this on Amazon's Lightning Deal and there was no mention of it being for Mac usage (by that I mean the encryption software,however, you can still use this as a normal flash drive on Mac OS).

The built in encryption software is for Windows based operating systems and is easy to use. I plugged it in and it prompted to run the security program and it was just as easy to set up a password. The Patriot Bolt comes with a built in mechanism like most encrypted flash drives today that will reformat after 10 failed password attempts. I've tested this myself and it does exactly as described and it even lets you know after your 9th attempt that the last one will wipe it. You have the option to lock the drive if you're not using it. Don't worry about this though because it auto locks itself when you take it out.

I have the 8GB version and I get an average read speed of 27-29 Mb/s and an average write of 8-10 Mb/s which is great for me.

Pros
+Built in encryption software for Windows OS
+Fast average read speeds of 28Mb/s
+Average write speeds of 8-10 Mb/s depending on the size of the file
+Comes in an array of storage capacities depending on what you need
+Cheap price for a great product and what it has to offer
+++ Superior customer service above all

Cons
-The cap. Like all flash drives that uses a cap it will get loose after awhile.

I've had this issue before on all my flash drives with the cap getting loose. I've contacted Patriot's customer service before and explained to them the issue and they sent me 2 cap replacements free of charge for my Patriot Xporter XT 8 GB. Patriot has been in the memory business for awhile and they are one of the top brands out there with Corsair. Their customer service is truly magnificent above all others looking to satisfy customers. Take a look at the 1 star reviews that unfairly criticize this product. They are criticizing Patriot for not having Mac OS support because they bought this flash drive under false impressions thinking it works for Mac. That was the buyers fault not the manufacturer's or seller. You take a look at the details and it states that encryption is for Windows use only. But what amazes me even more is Patriot's Customer Service is taking it on themselves to reach out to these distraught buyers and offering help.

Kudos Patriot. Kudos

Bottom line: This flash drive is an awesome consumer alternative for encrypted drives compared to the more costly brands such as Ironkey and SanDisk Enterprise (thosecome loaded with a lot more features but are also 3-4x the price).

***Note for Mac Users***
I know how difficult it is to find things that will work for your Mac. I have a Macbook Pro myself and have trouble finding things but please do not take out your frustration on the credibility of the product. It's incredible and it works great and does what it does for WINDOWS at a great price. If you are in the market for an encrypted flash drive that will work on Mac then here are some alternatives for you.
1. Ironkeys - they are extremely costly and nice looking so I'm sure that's a plus for you Apple fan boys. But seriously the encryption software and the unlocker work for BOTH Mac and Windows. However, the extra features that come with the Ironkey such as an encrypted web browser and identifier and auto back up management only works for Windows. There is no Mac support other than the Password Unlocker and Encryption software. Ironkey is only for those whose files need that level of security. You're paying for the extra features (that only work on Windows) and looks.
2. Corsair Padlock - this is a little different because the encryption software also only works for Windows. However, if you're just looking for password protection then this has it. You have buttons on the flash drive and you are prompted to input the password before you're even allowed to use it.
3. Truecrypt is an encryption software that is free and will encrypt your files for you. It supports all operating systems like Windows, Mac, Linux so if that's all you need then you might want to use Truecrypt.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars well designed hardware, but software needs improvement, October 12, 2010

By 

Lombard Street - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Patriot Bolt 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive with 256-bit AES encryption, PSF16GBTUSB (Personal Computers)

I also own a 16GB DISKGO SECURE GUARDIAN. Let me compare the two.

(1) The Bolt's software needs some improvements. When you unlock the Bolt drive, you can't have a second USB drive attached to your computer (However, you can attach other USB drives AFTER you've unlocked the Bolt). That's not the case for the Guardian. The Guardian won't have any conflicts with other USB drives.

(2) The Bolt shows up as two separate drives (one for the data and one for the Bolt software). I don't know about you, but I am annoyed by that. The Guardian has everything in one place and uses only one drive letter.

(3) The Guardian software allows you to store contact information, which is very helpful because someone who finds your lost drive can contact you using that information.

(4) By now you may want to ask me: if Guardian is so great, why did you buy a Bolt? The only reason: Guardian's exterior design is crap!! Absolutely crap! After two months of use, the cap felt apart and I had to glue it back, and the cap didn't fit well from the beginning. Then the rubber ring around the USB tip also fell off and exposed the electronics. I was worrying that one day the whole thing was gong to fall apart or short-circuited (because now the electronics are very much exposed). That's why I decided to buy a Bolt as a replacement. I will see how it fares vs. the Guardian in terms of performance. Will report back in three months.

(5) just did a simple test of write speed (based on large file transfer). The Bolt reported 8MB/s and the Guardian only 5MB/s. However, as the Guardian I have is one year old, it is possible that newly shipped Guardian may have comparable write speeds. Write speeds range between 5-15 MB/s.

Other similar (hardware encryption, 16GB or 8GB) products on the market:
SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise FIPS Edition 8GB USB Flash Drive SDCZ46-008G-A75 $220
Ironkey Personal S200 16 GB $250 (S200, using SLC RAM, is faster than D200)
IronKey Personal D200 16 GB $162
Lexar JumpDrive Secure II Plus 16 GB $46
Kingston DataTraveler Vault Privacy Edition 16 GB $149
Kingston Digital 8GB USB 2.0 Hi-speed Datatraveler Blackbox $250
Kingston DataTraveler 5000 Ultra-Secure Waterproof USB Drive DT5000/16GB (Black) $163
BlockMaster SafeStick 16G Encrypted USB Flash Drive $265
Verbatim Store 'n' Go Corporate Secure 8 GB $240

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