bhtooefr's Journal: Lexar JumpDrive Classic 64MB Review

I never got around to reviewing my flash drives, so here goes the first of several... BTW, I'm using a different format. Descriptions of each field (if necessary) are in italics after the field.

Cost: $19.99 - $10 MIR = $9.99 (OfficeMax, 2003-09)
Approx. $0.16/MB

Package: Drive only
This field is used to describe what comes with the drive. Lanyards, driver CDs, and the like.

Included software: None
This category is used for both software preloaded on the drive and software on driver CDs.

Drive features: Write-protect switch
This field is NOT used for features provided by included software, i.e. encryption. It is used for things like write-protection, biometrics, etc., which are at least partially implemented in hardware.

Drive speed: USB 1.1
This field will be used to mention the USB version implemented by the drive, and will normally have Read and Write subfields. Subjective analyses (read: wicked fast, fast, moderate, slow, and molasses) of speeds, along with manufacturer-provided theoretical speeds will be listed. However, since it has been a while since this drive has been working, I don't remember the speeds of this one, and Lexar's site doesn't even have theoretical speeds for this model.

Cap retention:
New: Poor
After 1 month: Poor
After 3 months: What cap?
Cap retention is more important than it seems. Often, the caps wear out, exposing the USB connector to dirt and moisture. If the drive does not use a cap (i.e., a SanDisk Cruzer Titanium - no, I don't have one), I would use N/A here.

Physical durability: Good

Electronic durability: Very Poor
Note that this can be affected by the other items - a missing cap, or a broken case, could kill the drive much faster.

Physical Size: Very thin, can be used in a dual-stack port.

Power consumption: <100mA, can be used on a bus-powered hub.

Upshot: Don't touch it with a 10-foot pole. Within four months, mine was dead. If you DO get one, be VERY CAREFUL with the cap, as I think losing the cap was the cause of the failure.