Mr. Flash PQI U172 2GB USB Flash Drive REVIEW
I bought the PQI U172 about a month ago so I’m a bit slow in getting this review out. My apologies. I originally picked one up just because running all the websites I do and doing all the traveling I do I need a truly portable backup for my site files. Servers crash and hard drives fail. So I need something that I can carry with me always in the event one of my sites goes down. That way I have an emergency backup right on my keychain or lanyard that I can use to plug into any computer with internet access and get my site(s) back up even if all data is lost. So with that being said, let’s get right to it.
The Good
- 2GB of memory!
- Pretty decent transfer speeds.
- Nice and tiny.
- Cheap.
So yeah 2GB of solid state, ready to go, keychain size memory for $24 is good to go in my book. I picked mine up for about $34 on Amazon back when they were first released because I’m not the waiting type. But now you can get them for about $24. Click here: 2GB USB Flash Drive.
I filled the drive in under 10 minutes on a Windows machine with 1GB RAM. So the transfer speed isn’t half bad considering the device size and that it’s USB.
I was very impressed with the design overall. I was half expecting to be walking around with a huge dildo size thing on my lanyard but from tip to tip the whole device is about an inch and a half long with the cover on. I was overall very impressed by it’s design because not only is it short but it’s thin as well. Fits perfectly into the smallest spaces even on front panel USB ports where most system designers failed to account for the USB drives that would be connecting to their USB ports. Like the Gateway E-4100. In fact it’s size and shape is it’s biggest plus in my opinion. I admittedly thought it would have a problem fitting my systems with it’s oval shape but it turns out I was worried about nothing.
The Bad
- Cheap Craftsmanship.
The only bad news about this little joker happens to be one of it’s pluses in a way. The fact that it’s cheap should tell you right off the bat not to expect too much in terms of craftsmanship. It’s ironic if you read any sales copy or press releases on it you’ll read about it’s durablity and mettalic casing. And true enough the flash drive circuit board itself is encased in a sturdy metal sheath. But what they seem to have not accounted for is the cheap plastic keychain dongle tip and USB connector ends.
On day 2 I was signing off for the day. I went to retrieve my USB drive from the PC and as usual I had to give it a good tug (not yank) to get it out of the USB slot because the USB slots on our new systems are a bit snug since they haven’t been worn in yet. No sooner than my second tug did I hear a snap and “tink tink” as the plastic dongle tip detached from the flash circuit board and the metal sheath fell to the floor leaving the USB connector still in the PC with the bare circuit board sticking out. That’s right, they put it together snap-on style. The only thing holding the whole assembly together is a set of thin plastic clasps on the dongle end that attach to the tip of the actual flash drive circuit board inside the metal sheath. A good tug and it pops right off.
Not to be picky — but this is a review after all — and I should note that this could have likely just been a problem with the particular unit I got. But the protective plastic cover for the USB connector end was easy to lose because it slipped right off. I lost it on day one. I found it later under my desk at work after it had fallen to the floor twice earlier that day, once even while I was talking with friends of mine about it.
The Summary
It’s a good amount of space for the money. Works well in a lite use, office environment. But if you’re the IT guy, do a lot of traveling, or plan to use it on a near daily basis this is likely not the device for you.
Editor’s Note: See our article on Pen Drive Linux for a cool use for this device.
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