8GB Flashblu 2

• Kanguru 8GB FlashBlu II USB 2.0
• Flash Drive ALK-8G
• USB Flash Drives

The one and only reason I purchased this particular flash drive is that wee little switch on the side; the one that instantly turns this into a read-only device. This memory stick is used on a nearly daily basis for cleaning up infected client machines, and with said little switch in the LOCK position, I don't have to worry about their infection coming home with me. So, provided that switch is in the right place, you'll have the "security" of a CD-ROM, but still have the flash drives ease of access.

According to Check Flash the write speed is around 8.5MB/s and the read speed is around 21.5MB/s.

One thing I would like to see changed is the location of the lock switch. Instead of being down by the USB connector it would be much easier to work with up by the lanyard slot. Other than that, if you need to be able to lock down your flash drive, this is an awesome product!

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Do not get me wrong, this drive works well for what it intended, it is fully functioning flash memory, however compared to other 8 gig sticks it is a rather bit more in the price department. I already have memory sticks, and for any general use, would have passed this one by without a second glance, save for one thing. This is the only drive in a very long time that I found which has a built in write-protect switch.

This feature alone provided extremely valuable to me. I am a computer technician for a college, and as such am called upon to repair, scan, and disinfect computers. At one point, I would up infecting the flash drive that I used for virus repair. After that, I knew I needed to change, with Anti-Virus CDs I would up burning a new one every month, and with my old stick, I became a vector of infection. Looking around, I found this drive, and had to admit, the lock feature makes it worth the price.

The switch is easy to access, and easy to toggle, unlike the old 128 Attache's which needed a tool to actual manipulate the switch. Windows and Linux are blocked from writing to the disk when it is locked, and for security's sake I remove it before changing the locked status. (Meaning, I do not know if it can be toggled on the fly, and would rather not risk it.) If you are someone who has to deal with the risk of virus-infected computers, this is a good solution for any technician.

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Been looking for years for a write-protect USB drive. Stumbled upon this one this past weekend. Started using it today. Absolutely perfect. I do a lot of virus removal on potentially infected systems. Now I can tackle em head-on without worrying about taking home whatever it is I just got out of someone else's system!

If the prices comes down, I'll be going after the 32 Gig!

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I do a lot of repair work of infected computers for my job, and customers get testy if you infect their computers with other peoples' viruses by sharing a USB drive between computers. With that in mind, I've had a steady need for USB drives with write-protect switches to allow me to safely move files onto an infected computer without worrying that the drive can be infected. The older drives I used are no longer available, and the write-protect switch on them was tiny and a bit of a hassle to flip, so I went around looking for a new replacement.

I found these. They're very bare-bones: no bells or whistles or encryption or bootable virtual OSes on them, but I didn't need any of those features and definitely didn't need to pay extra for those features, so that worked out fine for me. The drives are relatively sturdy in metal cases, and the write protect switch is nicely big and easy to flip on the side of the drive. Transfer speeds are okay; it's neither the fastest nor slowest USB drive I've used, fast enough for moving around the relatively small files I deal with when removing viruses. The plastic lanyard loop in the back lights up to show drive activity, and that's pretty much it as far as other features go.

If you're the sort to care, the little plastic cap that fits on the end of the drive is small and easy to lose. I keep the drives in my office and don't particularly care, but people who want to keep the drive in their pocket or in other less-clean environments may be concerned about that detail.

All in all I'm very pleased with this drive, it does exactly what I need without making me pay for things I don't need.

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Me and a team of support technicians have been using these drives for years, upgrading the size every 2 years or so. The physical lock switch is imperative when dealing with infected computers. The case is strong, and I have never heard of someones drive failing. It is almost the perfect flash drive.

Except, I have to give it 4 stars, because it only has a lame plastic cap that is hard to keep track of, and the black plastic at the business end ALWAYS has problems and doesn't stay in place. I can't believe Kanguru has not fixed this in the years that this drive has been available. It doesn't cause the drive to fail, but it is annoying to deal with, and always flipps the write-protection switch when you take the cap off. All it needs is some good glue, come on Kanguru.