Customer Reviews

SanDisk Cruzer Contour 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ8-8192-A75

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I will not list the specifications in this review because you can read it from other reviewers or the SanDisk site. Instead I would like to address some of the comments listed in other reviews.

Comparing this drive to my other brand, this drive is a little larger. However, anytime you have something sticking out of the USB on your laptop it can get in the way or accidentally hit, no matter what the size.

True there is not way to put a lanyard on the drive, but it does have a case with a hook for a lanyard. This is a much better idea for transporting because the drive is protected in the case.

The transfer speed of this drive is many times faster than my other drive. I transferred 7gb of files in less than 8 minutes and without any corrupt files.

The mechanism for opening and closing the drive is a little odd, but I have had no problems. It just takes a little getting use to. Plus, you do not have to worry about misplacing a cap.

The issues a few reviewers had are very minor to me. I personally really like this drive because it works great, it is fast and has a lot of space.

Available in 4 GB and 8 GB capacities, this U3 Smart device makes the concept of portable applications a reality. Yes, you can carry your own configured programs in your pocket and run them on someone else's computer. Windows Vista users know about ReadyBoost, which enables the PC to use the Flash drive as additional RAM. For laptop owners, this is perhaps the cheapest way to get a RAM upgrade.

Available in 4 GB and 8 GB capacities, the SanDisk Cruzer Contour makes the concept of portable applications a reality. Yes, you can carry your own configured programs in your pocket and run them on someone else's computer.

But why would anyone need an 8 GB drive? The answer is partly U3 and partly our desire to make our data portable. It is certified for Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS X (The device comes with a "Works with Windows Vista" label, not a "Certified for Windows Vista" one.)

I have already lost one cap from my SanDisk Cruzer Micro drive, but this won't be an issue with the Cruzer Contour, as it has a sliding cover that hides the USB connector when not in use. It features ReadyBoost and includes the following U3 compatible programs:

* CruzerSync - Desktop synchronisation tool
* SignupShield - Password manager
* Skype - PC to PC video and audio calls
* Avast - Antivirus
* HP Photosmart - Digital photo organiser/editor
* Sudoku/Mahjong - Games

More realistically, you could take your email, browser bookmarks, and many large files with you. The drive synchronises with your PC when connected but it will not leave any trace on any other PC. The supplied programs and the U3 software took up 110 MB, leaving 7.52 GB free. The file system uses FAT32, which makes it compatible with older PCs. You can remove U3 completely, but then the U3 programs won't work and you will have a dumb 8 GB storage device.

In Use:

There is no lanyard provided - indeed the drive has no hook, but it comes with a leather pouch with a hook for the lanyard or keychain. It is a snug fit, so the drive is not going to slide out.

Now, sliding the Cruzer Contour's cover off and on was not as smooth as I expected. The USB connector's dust protection flap is folded when packed, and has to hinge outwards as you slide it. After several uses, it still takes some effort to get the USB connector to slide out and it is equally tricky to close it. Perhaps this will settle down after regular use.

The 8 GB Cruzer Contour can hold up to:

* 19,200 photos
* 1920 tunes
* 2560 minutes of MP4 QCIF videos

In theory, that is just under 43 hours of movies! I suspect that you could watch more movies on a battery-powered laptop using a USB drive than by running them from its hard disk or by playing the DVD drive.

Compatibility:

You will need at least Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP or Windows Vista to use U3. For storage only, you can use Windows 2000 or later, Mac OSX+, or Linux. The PC must have a high speed USB 2.0 port, which will be found on most PCs bought in the past six years.

Recommendation:

You pay a bit more for the U3 and ReadyBoost functionality but it is worth it for the convenience of having customised programs and extra RAM in your pocket.

Got the SanDisk Titanium 2 & 4GB Cruzer. Needed more storage and went with the 8GB Contour. Was waiting for it since December of 06 and not happy about SanDisk changing the Feb or March release date by two months. Thought they had their reasons and I would wait for their quality product. Simply, this device isn't meant for heavy use. The black part in the picture is thin plastic. As you push on it to open and close the drive, you can feel a little give in the plastic. It comes with a nice protective case but, for the price, I was expecting something like their Titanium Cruzers. Something I can toss in my pocket with change or keys and not worry about. As for my being "happy" with it, I'm looking to see who has an 8GB or larger which doesn't feel as brittle.

I spent the additional money for the Contour to take advantage of the increased transfer rates. I am completely happy with the performance, the hardware, and the connection mechanism (which others have complained about).
I installed Linux (Fedora 8) on the drive and use it as my portable operating system, and backup for my office machine. I have had the drive in service for five months, used every day with no problems. On one occasion I timed the transfer of a just over one GB, it took 70 seconds.
The drive is by far my largest in physical size, but that is a very small factor in light of the high performance. For machines that I have difficulty reaching the USB ports I use an extension (wire) with no problems. The leather storage pouch is a nice bonus, since I have dropped mine a few time on the concrete (durable).
UPDATE: Jan 2010; I have now had this drive in use for over two and a half years. I use it every day to keep office and home machines in synch (and as a live backup). I still have an operating system on it (Fedora 11). I can't imagine how many GB have been transferred on and off of this drive - seems indestructible.

A fairly good usb drive in terms of read / write speeds, but I just cant get past the outer shell of this one.

It's meant to look pretty and have sort of a switchblade feel - you retract the black portion about 1/2" then return it to the starting position to get the connector out. When done you push it forward 1/2" past the starting position then back. During the process there is a little flap that covers the connector when it is recessed.

The motion isn't very smooth, and it feels like there are multiple points of failure on this drive. Also because you have to move the slider in the correct order if it jammed in the wrong spot it could be a real pain to fix.

It works well as a USB drive, but if there is another one for the same price I'd suggest it over this one.

SanDisk's Cruzer Contour is a beautiful piece of equipment. It is finished in what appears to be stainless steel and the unit has very nice heft to it. It works beautifully and while I didn't run any speed tests, I feel confident that its performance is equal to or better than most other USB drives. The bad news is that the Contour has two serious design flaws: first, it is wide...too wide to fit in tight circumstances such as plugging into the back of PCs or many laptops. The other problem is that it has no provision for attaching any kind of cord, strap or key chain. Its smooth (and very sleek) metal case has not hole, hook or bar. These two issues caused me to return the unit.

I bought this flash drive primarily for its write speed. I'd rather not have U3 installed as the emulated CDROM drive spawns an Autorun dialog and interferes with the operation of my CD burning software (Nero).

When I got the drive I immediately removed U3. After a while I noticed that the write speed in Windows Explorer never exceeded 14MB/s, even with large files. As I had paid a price premium for Sandisk's `flagship' flash drive I investigated and found that when U3 is installed Windows reports write speed of around 17MB/s, but when U3 is removed the write speed dropped to ~14MB/s.

I contacted Sandisk about this (it took a week for the first reply). After a few exchanges, including using benchmarking software from the Sandisk support site to confirm my finding, the tech support conversation ended with this reply:

"With U3, it can be removed like you have done or prevent it from auto running as previously mentioned. With the U3 partition recognized as a disc, it can create issues with software such as Nero, Roxio and other ROM software.

"Unfortunately the Contour's speed is optimized when using U3. When U3 is removed, you may experience a drop in the transfer rate of data to the flash drive. The testing on this device was done with U3 installed and it does optimize the speed of the device. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Apparently removing U3 may reduce the write speed of the drive, in my case by 3 MB/s. There does not seem to be any warning about this on the product page or the U3 page of the Sandisk website. As far as I knew U3 was an optional feature and its removal would not incur a performance penalty. To enjoy the superior performance I paid for I have to keep an annoying feature that interferes with some of the software I use (I have to unplug the drive to burn a DVD). I'm not in the US right now. For the cost of sending the drive back (Sandisk does not think the drive is defective anyway) I can buy a 4 GB drive that sports ~14MB/s write speed with large files.

I'm very dissatisfied with this purchase.

I like this USB drive.
It's fast enough to dump 2600+ file (backup) in a few minutes.
I tried it with Vista Ready Boost. Not sure about any performance increase as I'm running with 2GB memory, and don't keep a lot of Windows open. I'm sure it would help if your memory is on the low side.
The classy little Contour is sometimes stubborn to reveal its connector, or at least till you get the hang of it. It's a pull back/push forward to reveal, and push forward/pull back to close. If you've ever used the other Cruzer drives, you pull back to close, push forward to reveal. Wouldn't recommend owning both types, too confusing. It does come with user activated PW protection, and other software stuff if you want. You can format the drive with out blowing away any firmware. If somehow it does go away, you can reload from SanDisk.

I like SanDisk products, I use SD cards in cameras, MP3 (Rhapsody) .rax players, and PDA's, no problems over the past two years. Price keep dropping also. I liked this UNIT sooo much I bought another 8GB Contour to be delivered tomorrow. PLUG: Amazon is my friend, I truly find their prices, and delivery times outstandingly good! Tracking and customer service are also high on my list of what makes a good online retailer, broker, reseller of things! They may not always be lowest price, but a fair price, and you will get your order! Nuff said about that.

If you need an extra 8GB of storage, that's portable and fast, quick to connect, cool looking(not a toy), secure and reliable the Contour is a good choice for sure. I now have two. I do recommend this product. byit

Warning: this product is in fact not compatible with Max OS X or Linux. It requires access to a computer running windows at least once to get rid of the U3 "partition". After that has been removed it will be compatible and so far (after a couple of days use) seems to work fine.

It is rather big and will certainly not fit in all USB ports because of it.

SanDisk customer service is also not very good (they did not read my email before replying to it, and force you to use their unpleasant message system).

UPDATE: turns out sandisk has a mac removal tool, but they won't put it on their webpage, customer support tells me they will email it to anyone who requests. I have no information on tools for Linux.

I purchased this 8 gig memory stick this past week. Bottom line is that the housing has real potential for jamming. It is awkward to open and close....Sandisk could have designed the outer casing much better as it feels flimsy. Other than that, it is still worth the price IF you can get it for under $100...BUT just be careful (go slow) when opening and closing it so you avoid jamming. I look forward to the next model...16 gig that is hardy and simple to use. Guess I expected better from a brillant company like Sandisk.