Features:

  • SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface; backwards compatible with USB 2.0
  • Supports SDHC (UHS-I), SDXC (UHS-I), microSD, microSDHC (UHS-I), and microSDXC (UHS-I)
  • LED card insertion and data transfer activity indicator
  • Ideal for transferring high-resolution images and video recordings
  • Supports SD and security functions
  • Offers a free download of RecoveRx data recovery software
  • USB Powered
does what it claims to do

Pros 3.3x READ speed improvement minimum, using HD <-> memory card x 3 cycles; default 12MBs using my onboard USB 2 based card reader as baseline, Transcend consistently did 48MBs without and 33 MBs with file verify Write speed is unchanged, but I expected that with my slow cards, 13MBs, same speed as USB 2 Solidly built i/o access LED a plus on back of unit, not visible until used FWIW has 2 year warranty, but it likely will cost more to ask for it if this blows made in Taiwan! and it shows: did not expect the packaging to cram so much legalese, compliance information, warranty, and date of manufacture 8 2018 on a tiny container; all readable with a magnifier; while this doesn't impact what it does, if true it shows the company is organized to back up its product and grow its business Cons can only use either card port at a time, as they explained they could have engineered a few simple conveniences: a simple hole for a lanyard loop helps keep from losing the whole device as its tiny, as well as a hole to loop the cover to it there is no place to store the USB plug cover, I had to velcro a small strip to the cover and unit so I don't lose it

Makes my fastest cards run 50% faster - even from an USB 2.0 port

I have been using several USB 2.0 card readers in the past, including the Transcend M5 Multi-Card Reader and Sandisk Mobilemate SD Plus Memory Card Reader. With memory cards getting faster over the years, I started to get the feeling that my old card readers are limiting the Read/Write speed of my newer memory cards. That's why I purchased this Transcend Information USB 3.0 Card Reader (TS-RDF5K) just to try it out, even through all my computers only have USB 2.0 ports. Upon arrival of the RDF5, I benchmarked over one dozen of my SDHC and microSDHC memory cards, with speed rating from class-4 to class-10 and UHS-1. The program I used is called "CrystalDiskMark v3.01 x64". It reports, among other things, sequential READ and WRITE speed of memory cards. To my surprise, several of my fastest cards showed about 50% improvement in Read/Write speed compared to when using the old M5 card reader. As an example: for the HP CG790A-AZ 32 GB Flash Memory Card Class 10 SDHC I was previously getting 19.6MB/s in Write and 20.1MB/s in Read. But when used with the RDF5, its throughput jumped 50% to 29.7 and 34.8MB/s, respectively. The Transcend 32 GB Class 10 UHS Flash Memory Card TS32GSDHC10U1E also shows nearly identical improvement. The above proves that using old card reader was the bottleneck for my fastest cards. On the other hand, improvements for my slower cards were less noticeable, typically around 5% or less. That include Kingston class-4 SD10G2/16GB,Transcend Class 6 TS16GSDHC6E, etc. See the summary of benchmark results I uploaded to 'Customer Images' section for details. The only negative about this RDF5 card reader is that: it does not allow simultaneous usage of both SDHC and microSDHC slots. That is, you can only insert one card at a time, but never both. Conclusion: I am very happy with the dramatic improvement I can achieve with this card reader, even when it is connected to an USB 2.0 port. Once I upgrade to a new computer with USB 3.0 ports, I expect the benchmark results to be even better - at least for my fastest cards. In the mean time, I consider this card reader the cheapest computer upgrade I can recommend. [Update on Dec 26, 2013] I finally have a computer with USB 3.0 port, so I re-tested ~10 memory cards to see the difference. - For any card marketed as 'UHS-1', I observed huge improvements in both Read and Write speeds. - For any card marketed as 'class 10' but not UHS, I may see some increase in Read, but very little difference in Wrire. Bottom Line: If you have an UHS-1 card, make sure to use the RDF5 card reader in conjunction with USB 3.0 port, in order to get the full benefit.

Cheapest, best USB 3.0 Reader Available

I did a good bit of research on USB 3.0 readers before purchasing this one and found many of the reviews for other units to be hit or miss. This reader from Transcend scores mostly 4 and 5 stars and I can see why. This thing just works, and works with blazing FAST USB 3.0 speeds. The size of the adapter is good, it is wider than most USB sticks, but on my computer chassis with 2 USB 3.0 ports right next to each other, I can still use the adjacent port to charge a device or connect an external drive with a standard USB plug. Clean aesthetics, piano black glossy finish with a blue activity LED that is faint enough so that it does not bother. The main reason I got this drive was because I wanted to test some high-capacity Class10/UHS-I microSD cards I had recently bought since these are known to be counterfeit targets. I only had an older generic USB 2.0 adapter that was capping out at 30MB/s Read and 10MB/s Write, and the devices themselves were not much better over USB 2.0. I also needed the reader to transfer video files from my head-mounted action camera as the transfer speeds over USB 2.0 are excruciatingly slow. I was ecstatic to see the following transfer speeds with the following microSDs: ***USB3.0 Port*** (Intel Z87 chipset) Samsung Pro Class10/UHS-I microSDXC 64GB: 77MB/s Read | 32MB/s Write Samsung Plus Class10/UHS-I microSDHC 32GB: 77MB/s Read | 32MB/s Write ***USB2.0 Port*** (Intel Z87 chipset) Samsung Pro Class10/UHS-I microSDXC 64GB: 42MB/s Read | 22MB/s Write Samsung Plus Class10/UHS-I microSDHC 32GB: 42MB/s Read | 22MB/s Write I was amazed to see 2 things, the Samsung Plus microSD which is only guaranteed transfer speeds of 48MB/s Read and 10MB/s Write actually matched the much more expensive Samsung Pro! I guess this is more of a function of Samsung's flash memory just improving that much to the point there is virtually no difference between the Pro and Plus models now other than capacity. Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, the generic USB 2.0 reader and various devices connected over USB 2.0 were limited to 30MB/s Read and 10MB/s Write, but even over USB 2.0 this reader very nearly reached the maximum throughput of USB 2.0 at 42MB/s Read and also doubled the Write speeds. Very impressed! You will find USB 3.0 readers for much more, but I think you will be hard pressed to find a better performing reader at any price, much less one for <$10! Also, if you are having trouble attaining these speeds with this reader, first verify you have a card that is capable of achieving these transfer speeds. You will most likely need Class10/UHS-1 to benefit from the USB 3.0 speeds. Also make sure you have the Intel USB 3.0 drivers or the drivers for your USB 3.0 controller installed. I thought I had installed my Intel USB 3.0 drivers in the main driver package, but they were separate.

Fast Card Reader with USB 3.0

Overall great adapter. I haven’t used any Transcend products in the past but I do know them as a good company for memory products like RAM. The build quality is nothing to write home about here as it feels like somewhat flimsy plastic but with proper care this shouldn’t be an issue. I haven’t tested the speeds of this device specifically but it is noticeably faster transferring data from my camera memory cards than a similar USB 2 adapter. At this point people really shouldn’t be buying USB 2.0 products with the coming proliferation of USB C and of course just the improvement to USB 3.0. The reader has a spot for standard SD cards as well as MicroSD but I should mention that the MicroSD cards insert the opposite way as the SD cards so if you’re looking the top of the device, the MicroSD cards will insert upside down. Overall it has been a good product to keep in my bag and although I don’t like removeable caps because they get lost, for the price this is an easy adapter/reader to recommend.

Must have tool in your mobile arsenal

I bought this to transfer data from a 64GB SanDisk micro SD card to a 64GB Transcend micro SD card newly installed in my BlackBerry Z30. I paired it with a StarTech USB to USB OTG host adapter. This sucker is F*A*S*T. It quickly transfered over 26GB of music, 4 GB of photos and a bunch of other stuff. The phone immediately sees the USB connection and the SD data is accessible via file manager. I then popped my camera's SD card in to copy the photos I took of the setup over to the phone (uploaded for this review). Needless to say it worked great on a PC too. Tiny Powerhouse should be its name.

Works great and fast on USB3.

I purchased 3 of them. They work great, even better with USB3. I generally use USB3.0 or USB2.X. These keep up with the high speed SD cards well as long as you are using them on USB3. (USB2 is to slow for many fast SD cards.). So use on a USB 3 port for best speeds. They do run a bit warm when doing lots of high speed transfers and I noticed the MicroSDs I've pulled from them are also pretty warm. I was initially concerned about this but have now been using them several months without the warm operations causing any failures. So I upped the rating to 5 stars as I originally took one star off due to this concern. They are a little wider than a normal USB plug. With the cards sticking out the side, you might find they will block using ports next to them, depending on your devices port arrangement. You can solve that by buying a short M-F cable dongle to go between USB ports. Then the cable plugs into the tighter port configuration and this adapter plugs into it. I buy ones made for cell phones or cameras and that way they are short and small enough to carry but still provide full USB capabilities. Just be sure the dongle you buy is USB3 rated or you could lose the speed of this adapter. They look good in black and match the majority of black computer equipment. So they don't look tacky leaving them in place. The cards always fit in with the top of the card toward the outside of the adapter. The sockets are not spring loaded. If you feel resistance inserting a card its probably because you are putting it in wrong and need to flip it over. The cap fits very tightly and snaps into place. Its unlikely to come off accidentally. As long as you're not storing them in a dirty or wet environment, you might just to prefer to leave the caps off. You can use only one card at a time. It seems some reviewers here are angered thinking they could use both sockets at once. Use either the microSD or full sized SD but only one at a time. It can't read both at once. Update Jan 2019: Still using these frequently to transfer info to cards that are going to 3D printers. I've increased my rating to 5 stars as they have worked flawlessly.

Portable USB 3 card reader.

This is a quick review of the USB 3.0/ USB 3.1 Gen 1 A great priced device first off. Frustration free packaging. Nice simple clean design. Well as you know I'm a photographer. I also shoot video. My new custom video PC has USB’s in the back and some on top. This helps me from crawling around the back on the floor. I'm sure have a built in SD and micro SD on my PC would have helped, but poor planing on my part. This solved my problem and worked perfectly. Recommended and use daily. Hope this was helpful.

White is cheaper! Be sure to "eject" via Explorer after you're done!

The white version was $1 cheaper, but Amazon had the default set to black. I would prefer black since my PC build is all black, but it's on the back of the machine, so who really cares? Works as intended and the speed is great in a USB 3.0 slot. I read all the cautions on this product getting hot and even melting SD cards. My assumption is that folks are not "ejecting" the device after using, which effectively keeps it "on." If you don't eject, it will stay active in the USB port and the LED will be flashing, even w/o a card in it. So be sure to eject it (even though you don't need to physically remove it) when you're finished using it. Once you "eject it" using Windows Explorer or similar, simply remove the SD card in it. To reactivate the device, just plug in an SD card again. It's as simple as that.

Great Laptop USB 3.0 And HDTV Video Playback Results

This worked very well for the USB 3.0 results I was looking for. I bought this to use in conjunction with a (Class 10) 64GB SD XC card. The laptop I have has both an SD card reader and a USB 3.0 slot. By mounting the SD card in this Transcend Card Reader (and plugging it into a USB 3.0 port) I saw a noticeable improvement in speed when reading and writing (2GB to 4GB) files over using the built-in SD card reader. I also used this Transcend Card Reader to play MKV and MP4 video files from the SD card on my Samsung (Smart) HDTV. Excellent alternative to using just a USB thumb (flash) drive. I also have read some of the other positive reviews. Please read them as well. I will agree that the SD cards get a little warm to the touch when in use. I will also agree with some claims witnessing increases in transfer speeds that almost double alternate or previous methods. There are many variables that come into play (buffering, channels, IO, controllers, etc.), so I'll just say that the increase in speed is quite noticeable over all the alternate methods I've explored. Yes, I will agree that this card reader takes up some of the space around the USB port and the purchaser should take that into consideration, as with any USB device, the dimensions and product usage. I've purchased a couple of USB "pigtails" and have them on-hand for dealing with USB "real estate" issues. Reading reviews is a great way to learn more about a product, it's pros & cons, it's limitations, and features. When I put an SD card in the reader and plug it into the USB port on the back of my HDTV, it's very snug. Attached is a picture demonstrating how the card reader can interfere with a laptop's DVD RW drive's tray. But all I have to do is attach a USB "pigtail" and problem is solved. This card reader outperforms the other card readers I own and have used. I like it, even if I have to use an USB extension cable. I still give this product the max, 5 stars. I hope this review was helpful. The SD XC card I used (formatted as "exFAT"): o) 64GB SD XC Class 10 SCT Secure Digital Ultimate Extreme High Speed SDXC Flash Memory Card o) Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008YL8GLW The Samsung Smart HDTV: o) Link: http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN32F5500AFXZA

Great product. Quickly connected to both my Mac and ...

Great product. Quickly connected to both my Mac and PC. Has 2 Slots, one for SD and one for Micro SD. In both cases the card sticks out. You can only put one card in at a time, clearly states on the box "Doesn't allow simultaneous reading of 2 cards". You really don't need USB 3.0 since i think its speed is capped at 60 mbs.

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