Super Fast, Metal USB 3.0 Flash Drive

I'm looking for a metal flash drive that is USB 3.0 and has super fast speeds. The capacity I'm looking for is 128GB. I would prefer that the flash drive is relatively portable (not too clunky or anything like that).
The one I have my eye on right now is SanDisk's Extreme PRO 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive.

It seems to be the fastest USB, right after Lexar's JD P10 (but their 128GB variation is like 200 and some dollars...no way) on this chart from TweakTown:
http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/cont...pro_128gb_usb_3_0_flash_drive_review_full.png

Can anyone recommend anything else? My original plan was to buy a 2TB WD External, but then the speeds of this USB are really convincing. Would you guys recommend an external over a USB drive? Or vice versa?

 

The Mushkin Ventura Ulta flash drives.

A USB 3.0 USB stick with a SandForce SF-2281 controller.

Read/write performance is rated at up to 450 MB/s Reads /445 MB/s Writes

Mushkin.com

I have several SanDisk Extreme from 16GB to 64GB.

The 64GB I have in my routers USB 3 port for Network storage and get transfers up to 24MB/s

This post has benchmarks of an empty SanDisk Extreme 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi...t780-gt783-owners-lounge-850.html#post9156422

 

The Mushkin is definitely an attractive design and the price is impressive for 120GB of storage.
The quality appears to be reliable -- aircraft-grade aluminum. The speed is almost unbelievable, but why is it lower than the SanDisk Extreme in the benchmarks?

Also, I'm still contemplating to just buy a 2TB external instead of this, but then again, it's that portability...

Edit: I also forgot to mention that the Mushkin is HUGE for a flash drive...I am kind of astonished at how gigantic it is. Definitely a con, to be honest. I want something a tad bit more portable. I also read on many reviews that this one gets pretty hot temperatures.
Edit 2: Forget my curiosity about the benchmarks of this one vs. the SanDisk Extreme...those are transfer speeds.

 

I own the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB. It is insanely fast. Like I usually see transfer speeds according to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 of 250MB/s to 300MB/s. Not sure how accurate that is but it just crushes anything I've ever used before. It is extremely well built feeling while maintaining a small and portable profile unlike some large capacity USB thumbdrives. It's $150 on Amazon right now (in the US). I know you wanted an alternative recommended, but this is my complete backup drive and I love it (I used it to replace a 250GB Seagate Expansion since my actual data files really don't take up too much space).

 

Thanks for your feedback. Yeah, it looks like the Extreme Pro 128GB matches my description the closest so far, unless someone else can suggest otherwise. Like I said above, the Muskin is a super awesome idea -- large capacity at a more than fair price, but it's so clunky, reviews show that it does not honor the write/read speed Mushkin claims, and the warranty is only two years.

I could get the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB for $150, OR I could just get myself a 2TB WD External Drive for $113.99...
What do you guys think about the External Drive option? I know that the external drive is in a different league, since it's not a flash drive, but it's really about space for me...and sort of speed as well. Not sure what I should choose, to be honest. Feedback is much appreciated.

 

The way I see it is pretty black or white. 128GB vs 2TB is a massive difference. If storage is important, then the 2TB drive for sure. There really doesn't seem like a need for fast transfer speed here so I say go the 2TB route. Personally, I didn't need a lot of storage but I needed something portable to hold a good amount and that could transfer items rapidly. If I needed storage space, I would have opted for an HDD.

Edit: Another reason I decided flashdrive over HDD or anything bulky is that I transfer data between my laptop and tablet a lot. Although I use Dropbox and OneDrive to automatically sync many files, I also do not upload certain files any transfer them manually. My Tablet has only an unpowered 2.0 port so for storage, an HDD would require AC power and I don't find that to be portable. Again, it all comes down to what your needs are exactly.

 

There is also an intermediate option: Put an mSATA SSD of the size / price you want into this enclosure.

John

 

That is a great idea, but I have still have yet to put in a new mSATA in my own notebook. When I have done that, I may consider this the next step as far as my external storage goes. But until I do it for my laptop, first and foremost, I'll go with either a USB drive or External HDD. Although, the mSATA sounds like a great idea though with the speed in mind...

EDIT: Actually, this ended up being a lot cheaper than what I expected. I thought about the Samsung 840 EVO SSD in a 250GB capacity and the price is only $20 more than the SanDisk drive and has double the capacity and blazing speeds since it's an SSD. But I'm honestly starting to think if it's really worth it or not. $174.99 + the $20 enclosure for a 250GB SSD. Even though the WD My Passport is a mechanical hard drive, is it really that bad? (Actually, yes it probably is -- I am just so intimidated by all of the space I can get for just under $120...) I really don't like the cables with that enclosure for the mSATA adapter. It's still really convincing since it's going to be a super fast drive compared to anything else. Anyone have an opinion on this?

 

Get the flash drive since that seem to be what you want. Just remember how easy they are to get left behind. I bought the Kingston Hyper X when they were first introduced and have managed to hold onto it since (I did leave it behind once but managed to retrieve it before it was taken.)

As an added security measure, I lock all my portable drives with BitLocker which makes them unusable and so they're more likely to be turned in.

 

Yeah, to be honest, the flash drive is what I want, but it's the limited capacities that they come in that annoy me. And on top of that, a good and fast flash drive is super expensive. Even though the SanDisk Extreme Pro is practically one of the fastest there is, it's $150. Even though WD's My Passport is an HDD, you can get 2TB for just under $120. That's a huge difference in storage, but then again, HDDs are snail-like in comparison to the mSATA option or flash drive option (particularly the Extreme Pro). Basically, I just cannot choose storage or speed -- because of the price. If I want both, it's going to cost a lot. Sometimes I don't have the need for speed, but I like to have it available when I need it (which I do sometimes). And the amount of storage I take, is a lot with the video editing I do and game files that I keep.

And also, I'll be honest -- the look matters a ton to me. I want something with a sleek metal exterior that is not clunky (with the exception of the WD MyPassport).

Any recommendations, folks?

 

Honestly you're asking for black and white here. These are 2 different items that serve 2 different purposes. We can't help you on this one. You need to decide for yourself if you need the storage space or not. I feel knowing if you need 128GB vs 2048GB is important. If you do video editing and such, you need storage. If the only thing appealing about the flashdrive is speed, then it's not for you. In that case it has become a gimmick. There really is no middle ground here for the $100-$150 price range. Using that mSATA enclosure might be just as fast as the SanDisk. As for the HDD, since it's USB 3.0, it's going to be just as fast as most of the higher storage USB 3.0 flashdrives in that price range. Maybe even faster (so 256GB flashdrives are not worth it essentially).

If you need storage, get the HDD. If you don't need the storage, get the flashdrive. I don't own an external HDD because I don't need storage. I own the SanDisk to transport essentially my computer's complete backup with me. That's how little storage I use. I swap data enough that speed for large amounts of files or large sizes of files helps me. But I bought 128GB knowing I need no more than 70GB of actually space and that I wanted an ultraportable device to keep in my pocket that doesn't need a powered USB port for my tablet as well. So it comes down to this. What do you need? Portable vs Ultraportable, High Capacity Storage vs Limited Storage, 100MBps Read/Write vs 250MBps Read/Write?

The HDD is portable but not as portable as the FD (store in a backpack as compared to pocket). The HDD is a lot of storage while the FD is not for backing up large amounts of data. The FD is about 2.5x faster than the mechanical drive over USB 3.0 connection, mind you they will be the exact same speed over USB 2.0 (where are you plugging it into all the time?).

That's the best we can do in helping you decide between the two. You have to figure out what of those you need. If you're intimidated by the capacity of the HDD then do you need that amount of storage to begin with? If you plan to do video editing, is the FD even enough storage? If at all you think the FD is not enough storage, then it is not enough. Get the HDD, but if the HDD is too much, then get a cheaper lower capacity HDD.

That's all I got, I kind of ramble but hopefully it can help you decide.

 

Thank you for your honest reply. Yes, I suppose what I am asking for is not really existent with the price in mind. You've helped me realize that the storage is what I'm after. I doubt it will be as slow as I had in mind since it's USB 3.0 connection instead of 2.0. I'm fine with waiting a little bit longer as opposed to the SanDisk, even though the SanDisk is super fast. I may get a fast USB that is not as large in capacity to accompany my main backup which looks like will be the 2TB WD My Passport external drive.

I think I will just go with the 2 TB and probably buy a 64GB (or even a 128GB one that is cheaper/not as fast as the SanDisk) flash drive for quick/time-sensitive instances.