I first learned to program on a Wang 2200 (S or T, I forget which) that had 5K of memory and a tape drive.

This 32 gig drive reminds me that I'm living in what would have been a science fiction story when I was younger.

In for one.

jwark wrote:I bought this drive to keep a backup of my music (downloaded in mp3 format). I do not care much about the speed, but I am looking for reliablity. Reviews I have found say it was either a great little drive or a piece of junk. More on the reliable than the negative so I bought one.

That's almost the exact use that this drive is perfect for - data backup.

If you're going to be moving that much data around on a regular basis, this one might not provide the throughput you require - but for simple data backup this drive seems perfect.

At least that's what I've used it for in the past and I haven't had any issues with failures.

Altazi wrote:Run, do not walk, away from this unit. The read and write speeds of this devices are pretty bad - 5 MB/s and 3 MB/s respectively. - and this from the manufacturer's website. These specs are definitely on the low end of USB flash drive performance.

Not sure what you were reading but the mfgr website for this model lists 10MB/s read and 5MB/s write: http://www.centon.com/pn/usb/pro/dsp32gb-001

Depends on how you work.

I don't trust any of these and I don't care about speed. So I have 3 separate devices I use to back up my critical data. One of them is this flash drive. Had it a year or so. No problems, but then it is not in regular use.

I would not trust this unit if I wanted something hanging off the port on a daily basis.

lalaclassic wrote:Wow, I feel old, (and not with the times)... especially when I go... they make 32 GB USB drives now?!!?

Actually, they make up to 256GB usb sticks now:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=256gb+usb+stick%5C#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=256gb+usb+stick&pbx=1&oq=256gb+usb+stick&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=18823l18823l0l19045l1l1l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=e7a0bbe362cc4009&biw=1399&bih=780

And, of course, you could get a USB powered hard drive that is 1500GB right now:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=seagate+gogflex+1.5tb#hl=en&pwst=1&sa=X&ei=2pE5Tr_MMuLeiALu4pmADw&sqi=2&ved=0CBUQvwUoAQ&q=seagate+goflex+freeagent+1.5tb&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=e7a0bbe362cc4009&biw=1399&bih=780

I put my MP3's on it, stuck it in the SYNC USB port of my Ford Fusion, and THREW THE CAP AWAY!!

eklebau wrote:Do they really have a lifetime warranty on the Microcenter brand? I have one that is dead! They also seem to squeeze too tight.

Yeah, I walked in without a receipt and they just swapped it out right away.

Gets awful reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Centon-DataStick-Flash-Drive-GB-001/product-reviews/B001QFYCU2/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar

[quote postid="4578101" user="Jthrock"]"defiantly agree" brings a strange image to mind. Picture someone saying "Yes, I admit it. You were right. But with a petulant look on their face.

kcmark wrote:A free one, only to lose again. A detachable cap is a bad design, not worth the hassle, IMO.

I usually just toss the detachable caps, though am a fan of the cruzer, if not the sandisk s3 software, in terms of design.

Centon has a lifetime warranty on this: http://www.centon.com/support/warranty/policy

I know there are some bad reviews but if it breaks, just get it fixed or replaced and move on with life. $25 for a 32Gb is a steal!

theguruguys wrote:Yeah, I walked in without a receipt and they just swapped it out right away.

Kick ASS! Next time I drive up to Fairfax VA I will have to blow in there! Thanks.

bpr2 wrote:woah, please let there be a tracking device for this thing. Imagine losing 32 gigs worth of data somewhere!

This is the reason why you should always have a backup!

This drive would be perfect for an Ubuntu.. or another other diagnostic bootable software.

SockV wrote:Remember when the 32 meg thumbdrives were more expensive than this?

...must be a bargain.

I remember paying $70 for a 256mb flashdrive, such bs......

speedshark wrote:Unless your camera has a low resolution, or you're only going to be there for a few days, I'm not sure if 32 gigs would cut it. I could fill this up in 2-3 days, easily. Of course, I have a pro-dslr and I take at least 200 shots a day, minimum. I had to bring a 500gb usb drive to Arizona when we were there for a week and a half!

I highly doubt the guy asking if this flashdrive can hold pictures really needs more than 32gb of storage....and probably doesn't have a professional camera- especially not at disneyworld where it could be broken or stolen easily.

kilroy0097 wrote:Mostly good reviews only a few DOA or Malfunctions in the bunch from then till now. I say the chances of having a working product is pretty good if this batch is a fairly new batch i.e. post Feb 2011.

What are the chances the clearance sale on WOOT has the post-bad-batch flash drives?

After reading the reviews on this particular device and Centon in general as a company, I'm not touching this deal with a 10 foot pole. All the reviews I've seen are pretty darn negative aside from the usual company paid reviews of people who work for the company to put good reviews of their products online.

I've heard lots of complaints about loss of data, loss of readability as a USB device, need to reformat, and even complete malfunction of the device with no support from Centon on replacement or service. I hope these people are filing complaints with the Consumer agencies that deal with those types of issues and/or with the Attorney General of their states or the Better Business Bureau so these practices are stopped.

Buyers beware.

mochajavaman wrote:What are the chances the clearance sale on WOOT has the post-bad-batch flash drives?

Highly possible, the last Woot product I purchased was a Scooba to clean my tile floors which worked alright for a short period of time but costed around $110. I'm pretty sure I got a refurbished one or one from a bad batch as I had to go through the whole warranty with the company and they sent me out a brand new one, supposedly but I stopped using it for a while and when I tried to use it again the battery was shot.

I say the best way to approach this site when buying stuff is kinda like gambling at the casino and putting money down on the craps table, you may win and get lucky but in the likely event that you lose if you're not happy with losing the money then you shouldn't even play the game in the 1st place.

I'm staying away from this one just because of the recent and horribly bad reviews from this year on this same product. Centon may be trying to dump their inventory and looking to no longer make this particular flash drive version as even Amazon had only 7 of them left.

Happy Shopping...

offline999 wrote:I don't understand the obsession with the cap. The majority of the USB cables and devices I own don't have caps. They seem to be able to withstand the dangerous confines of my pocket without failing. What's up?

Agreed; while certainly a flaw that could perhaps tilt an "all other things equal" comparison, I fail to see the disaster quotient on not having a cap.

SockV wrote:Remember when the 32 meg thumbdrives were more expensive than this?

...must be a bargain.

Geez, you must be a pup. In 1986 I bought an IBM 8080 personal computer, it didn't come with a hard drive. I paid $500 for a 500Mb Seagate hard drive! The cost of memory on a per byte basis has come down approximately 100,000 times since then.

Wntrgarnet wrote:The only way to not lose the cap in a week is;
A) superglue cap on(rendering it useless but without lost parts)
B) duct tape cap on... I as stated in above condition
C) plastic zipper bag (when cap falls off, and will still be contained in bag)
D) throw cap away at arrival (it never came with a cap)

If you don't see where I am going.. I and you tl;dr's... you WILL LOSE THE CAP

These are standard issue at work for me. Absolutely everyone in the department is walking around with a capless flash drive. It's insane how loosely these caps fit.

amzman wrote:After reading the reviews on this particular device and Centon in general as a company, I'm not touching this deal with a 10 foot pole. All the reviews I've seen are pretty darn negative aside from the usual company paid reviews of people who work for the company to put good reviews of their products online.

I've heard lots of complaints about loss of data, loss of readability as a USB device, need to reformat, and even complete malfunction of the device with no support from Centon on replacement or service. I hope these people are filing complaints with the Consumer agencies that deal with those types of issues and/or with the Attorney General of their states or the Better Business Bureau so these practices are stopped.

Buyers beware.

I have seen these flash drives on Amazon as well and they all have terrible reviews from this manufacturer. I know I would not risk putting my backups on this drive. Maybe only for music in my car, but I would rather use a more reputable brand and spend the extra. woot usually has some awesome deals and while this is an awesome deal for the size, the brand is a POS. Stay Away!

idemockle wrote:I have a 2gb version of one of these. After having it for about a year, the plastic casing came off, and I discovered that it is actually a micro SD card in disguise. Really. It is literally a micro SD card glued to a circuit board with the leads down. I lol'd. Makes no difference in how well it works, and it's worked great for me so far, but just thought that was funny.

so if i tore it apart i would have a cheap microsd card?

Wntrgarnet wrote:The only way to not lose the cap in a week is;
A) superglue cap on(rendering it useless but without lost parts)
B) duct tape cap on... I as stated in above condition
C) plastic zipper bag (when cap falls off, and will still be contained in bag)
D) throw cap away at arrival (it never came with a cap)

If you don't see where I am going.. I and you tl;dr's... you WILL LOSE THE CAP

Well I haven't lost the cap to any of my USB devices. But I did leave them out where my Chihuahua got a hold of them and chewed the heck out of them all.

epobirs wrote:I keep a half dozen flash drives in my cargo pants pockets.

It that a USB drive in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? My mistake, it's a half-dozen USB drives!

Cheers - Jon651

Toeknee25 wrote:My thoughts exactly. The size is great but that cap is a liability. I need to replace my 4GB Titanium Cruzer too :\

I have a few drives that retract. I thought that was neat until the lock broke on all of them. They now retract just putting them into the USB port.

I even have some swivel-type drives. Those are great, until the swivel breaks (which it does).

Just give me a cap. At least I can replace it if I lose it. Or, I could choose not to replace it. I have a couple of older drives with missing caps. The caps have been gone for years. They still work.

I got one the last time this flash drive was on Woot. It went through the wash once. I didn't think it would be a big deal. I let the drive dry out and plugged it in. It never worked. So beware.

UnSpace wrote:I first learned to program on a Wang 2200 (S or T, I forget which) that had 5K of memory and a tape drive.

This 32 gig drive reminds me that I'm living in what would have been a science fiction story when I was younger.

In for one.

I was once told, when I bought a 300 MB hard drive, that I "would never use that much space."

I've got my 32MB usb flash drive sitting in front of me, paid 70ish bucks for it brand new not even 10 years ago. Wow.

TJFoxxxx wrote:I was once told, when I bought a 300 MB hard drive, that I "would never use that much space."

Yeah I've got a 200ish mb caviar somewhere around here that I was told the same thing about.

Do people really still need these silly charts? Will hold 25,000 pictures 15,000 minutes of video, etc. Not that they are anywhere near the same for everyone.

I think by now people have an idea of how much a 32GB card will hold.

daparker wrote:I remember paying over a thousand dollars for an 800 meg hard drive back in the early 90's - drive memory was almost $1.50 a meg.
This drive is about $1.28 a GB or less than a penny a MB

No, it's $0.78 per GB (24.99 div by 32, not the other way around). But still less than a penny a MB.

When I built my first computer (in the days of Windows 3.11), I paid $200 for four 1-MB memory sticks, $50 per MB, and a good deal at the time.

UnSpace wrote:
This 32 gig drive reminds me that I'm living in what would have been a science fiction story when I was younger.

True dat. When flash drives got up to 128 MEG, I started thinking, "Maybe we could shoehorn a small customized Linux OS onto these things." Now, they're large enough to put multiple full-blown versions of Linux and other OS's... what a godsend for data recovery technicians, spies, hackers, etc.

tehspaz wrote:I see people thinking of moving large files on this device, like HD movies, etc. Has anyone mentioned the limitations of FAT32?

If you want to move files among different operating systems (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc) you'll most likely be using FAT32, but in so doing, you'll lose the ability to store files larger than 4GB.

Have you heard of formatting a drive? not hard at all.

why are people so stupid?

JUST in case people are worried about speeds, I'm testing my drive right now (Check Flash 1.6.2) and I'm getting 15.97 MB/s read and 13.81 MB/s write. (which is better than mfg spec). Perhaps you're running tests on different types of testing methods or are using a program that does a different way of testing, but I'm happy with my current drive and I purchased more so that I could not have to worry about accidentally losing one, somehow.

USB 3.0 or GTFO

This should hold ALL of the pictures and video that I intend to take at THE STAR TREK KAHN-VENTION in Las Vegas next week!!!!

Anyone else going?!!

^^X^^

Dan! wrote:Lots of folks really trashing these USB sticks, but one survived a trip through the washer and the dryer.

I just bought two more.

I guess that means the drive is high efficiency...

dirtydave0221 wrote:Have you heard of formatting a drive? not hard at all.

why are people so stupid?

That was such an easy target, why bother? It would have been a whole lot easier posting a wikipedia link than to write your post.

minos1 wrote:That was such an easy target, why bother? It would have been a whole lot easier posting a wikipedia link than to write your post.

yet you post a reply to it, as if it were necessary...hmmm