Features:

  • A compact, plug-and-stay, high-speed USB 3.1 flash drive that's ideal for adding more storage to laptops, game consoles, in-car audio and more
  • Simple, fast way to add up to 256GB of storage to your device
  • Read speeds up to 130MB/s1
  • Write up to 15X faster than standard USB 2.0 drives1
  • Move a full-length movie to the drive in less than 30 seconds
Small size, big storage, gets warm, but not really hot

I have owned the previous version 128GB similar device and this item works about the same. Does it get warm? Yes. Does it get uncomfortably warm? Not in my opinion. I keep mine in the USB port and use it as external storage. I don't play movies from it, but I do use it for quite a large amount of data. I would estimate I write or read 10 files per day to this always-connected device. I have gotten read speeds above 100 MB per second, and the worst I have gotten is about 50 MB per second, sustained. This unit is faster than an older USB HD I have. Speed for me is important, so I cannot recommend this enough in that regard. It is not as fast as an internal SSD drive, but it is faster than an external USB mechanical drive. I am still using my 128GB Ultrafit as a backup. I see no reason not to expect this unit to last me as long - over a year without a problem on the previous unit and several months with this new one.

Tesla Model 3 Dashcam

If buying for a device requiring FAT32 format (which Model 3 does) do yourself a favor and do not get the 256 GB, get a smaller drive it will already be FAT32 format. If for a Tesla, all you need to do is add the TeslaCam folder and be all set for the Model 3. Sandisk default format for 256GB is not FAT32 and there's no easy way to reformat as they do not have a program they can provide, you are stuck trying to find a third party sketchy program to do the reformat . According to Sandisk's website only Flash drives 128GB or less are defaulted to FAT32 format. I switched to the 64GB and it was already in FAT32 format. In reality 8GB would be sufficient for a Tesla as they only keep a rolling 60 minutes (aka less than 2GB) (NOTE: if you save videos using the Tesla's record function those 10 minute clips are written to new files named with a timestamp so in theory you could use more than 2GB, but in reality no normal person will)

Not for heavy use

You've been warned, do not use this type of memory for repeated delete/write/rewrite! flash memory comes in SLC, MLC, TLC, and I think this may be QLC, though I'm no expert. What that means is Single Layer Cell, Multi, Tripple, Quad. Basically each bit is a cell in SLC so its fast and lasts a long time, but in TLC its 3 bits per cell so its slower and does not last as long. Specifically the life cycle of each cell deteriorates with each write, read does not damage the cell. Technical speak aside, I am very happy with my purchase. I need it for read speed and capacity, not write speed or life. I also need it to be physically small and stay plugged in. I'll write once, which I'm doing right now, and then it stays plugged into my Xbox 360 and won't get written to after being loaded down. That's right, I'm using it on a usb2 device, so as long as it can maintain read at the max usb2 speed i'll be happy.

Teeny Tiny & Fast

As small as it can be made. Totally secure eyelet on it, not some little attachment that will break off. It does read at 130 MB/s as promised, wrote seq. at about 50 MB/sec. This is a plastic case. Previous thumbs of this size were in metal cases, which always corrorded when worn around my neck. So the plastic will be good. But is sure gets hot!

Great little, high capacity flash drive

I wanted a larger flash drive for backing up my laptop, (not my only backup device). This was the largest capacity, but smallest size I could find. After it arrived, I ran the standard fake flash check, and this drive really was 256GB. Copying my laptop's OS image went smoothly, and faster than my old 32GB flash drive. But, that was USB 2 device... A test boot and use found it to be both reliable, and fast enough in case something happens to my normal SSD. Even bringing up LibreOffice was quick, less than 5 seconds. Note that I over-wrote the built-in FAT32 file system, as I use ZFS on Linux. This drive works just fine with alternate OSes & file systems. And my current laptop only has USB 3.0, (5Gbps), with slower processors, (dual core Celeron). So this flash drive would likely be faster on newer hardware. Last, I knew this was not as fast as some of the smaller capacity flash drives. Check the specifications, and make sure you understand that before you buy.

Neither my Mac or PC would recognize the stupid thing. I literally spent 2 hours researching and ...

The first one I received did not work. Neither my Mac or PC would recognize the stupid thing. I literally spent 2 hours researching and resetting my smc, making sure in utilities the usb drives were there and then finally I gave up. Contacted amazon and got the new one today and works like a charm. Plug and play, didn't even have to format for Mac. Love the secure access vault (Kids are nosey you know)! At this point it's getting 5 stars because Amazon rocked in replacing it, and I'm just happy the the darn thing works. If it decides to not play nice I'll update my review.

Small form factor huge storage...works perfectly!

I bought this to allow for storage and backups of my new laptop. Having this much storage in such a small form factor allows me to keep the thumb drive plugged into my laptop without it getting caught on things or banged around. I was able to set my backup client to backup to a chosen folder on the drive and auto backup each day. Works great, I changed the default folder locations for my pictures, documents, and downloads to the thumb drive and all works perfectly. I am even installing some applications to it to save resources for higher priority applications. If you need extra space in a small package this is the best way to go.

Best Laptop storage extension

An Amazing DiskOnKey. I used the previews model with 128GB as an extension storage for my Dell XPS 12, it's always plugged in and doesn't interfere with my case and bag. I have waited for a 256GB variant for quite some time and as soon as I saw there's a new USB 3.1 256GB model I bought it. It's an amazing device for laptops, It works very fast. Read speeds are higher than the previews USB 3.0 model. Write speed is a bit higher. Worth every penny!

Tiny, Tiny, Tiny Flash Drive

The provided photos from the manufacturer are pitiful. Hardly enough to make an educated buying decision. I know, I floundered for may days before deciding to purchase it. You can't tell anything about its size or usability from the provided photo. So I've added some perspective photos. It is the size of a single M & M candy. 3/4" x 1/2" It can easily become lost. It should come with a lanyard. It does have an opening in the plastic head for a small cord to attach a lanyard. USB 3.1 is fast. Holds a lot of data. I was miniaturizing my everyday carry items and this was one item that freed up space. PS. I also got a split pea peanut lighter from countycomm.com to go with my Maratac AAA flashlight and my Uncle Henry pocket knife

A Very Fast Flash Drive

I ordered this flash drive to use in my truck as a storage device for mp3's. I had an older flash drive that wound up with some bad sectors and my music kept locking up in mid song. This drive works flawlessly and loads really fast. The USB port in my truck is in the console so I needed something small and this fits the bill. Shipping was very fast. I would recommend this drive to anyone looking for speed and something small in size.

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