DailyTech - Corsair Unveils World's Most Rugged USB Flash Drives

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Hardware Corsair Unveils World's Most Rugged USB Flash Drives
Brandon Hill (Blog) - May 1, 2007 5:00 AM

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44 comment(s) - last by CollegeTechGuy.. on May 2 at 7:41 PM

Corsair Flash Survivor Family

Corsair's new Flash Survivor drives are shock-proof and water-proof up to 200 meters

Corsair is adding their own bit of flair to USB 2.0 flash drives with the introduction of its Flash Survivor family. The Flash Survivor drives feature 256-bit encryption and can withstand the elements.

The Flash Survivor's Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) seals allow the drives to be waterproof up to 200 meters. Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milled aluminum coupled with rubber molded collar shielding gives the Flash Survivor its shock and vibration resistance.

"Corsair has built the Flash Survivor family specifically for customers with a "Bring It On!" attitude, someone who doesn’t want to worry if his/her equipment can stand up to the active lifestyle they lead," said Corsair VP of Marketing Jack Peterson. "Storing your valuable information on a USB flash drive capable of weathering the storm of everyday life while ensuring your data is safe -- that is what Flash Survivor is all about."

There will initially be two variants of the new USB 2.0 drives made available: the 4GB Flash Survivor ($59.99) and the 8GB Flash Survivor GT ($129.99). The Flash Survivor GT will offer read speeds of 34MB/sec and write speeds of 23MB/sec.

The Corsair Flash Survivor drives are available now from authorized retailers and come with a 10-year limited warranty.

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And a normal one?

By Rotkiv on 5/1/2007 6:43:32 AM , Rating: 2

What would happen if a ordinary flash drive was submerged or got wet?

RE: And a normal one?

By venny on 5/1/2007 6:57:03 AM , Rating: 2

well, i dropped my flash player in a cup of milk some years back, and it went cuokoo after that. had problems keeping it on ever since. it sometimes turns off itself. never ever drop your flash player in milk. ya...

anyway, y would u bring such a bulky looking flash drive around, n go diving with it anyway?

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RE: And a normal one?

By alifbaa on 5/1/2007 11:11:40 AM , Rating: 3

I'm in the military, so a rugged thumb drive is very important to me. Right now, I have a real nice 4GB drive that is rubberized. It's regularly exposed to all sorts of prolonged vibrations and general abuse. I've so far managed to keep it dry, but having a waterproofed drive would certainly be nice. Its size would be an issue, but I suppose I could always just throw it in a bag instead of carrying it in my pocket.

Having said that, I think these particular drives are more money than their features are worth. Perhaps when I run out of space on my current drive I'll check out the 8gb model and see if the price has come down. I'll probably be looking for a 16gb drive by then though.

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RE: And a normal one?

By alifbaa on 5/1/2007 2:12:46 PM , Rating: 2

The more I look at that picture, the more it looks like this is just a thumb drive jammed into an aluminum match cannister like you would take camping. You can buy a plastic cannister for $1.00 and stuff it with cotton to prevent the drive from being jarred inside. You'll get guaranteed waterproofing, shock protection, and a flash drive for half the price/GB as this thing.

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RE: And a normal one?

By CollegeTechGuy on 5/1/2007 4:43:39 PM , Rating: 2

Your key word would be "player". Of course if you drop your flash playing in a liquid its going to get fried. Because they have a active power source (The Battery). What causes problems in electronics and water is when they have power flowing through the circuitry and the water(really the sodium and impurities in the water) conducts the electricity and will short out something in it, usually blowing a transistor or capacitor or something.
So in the case of a normal flash drive that only has power when its plugged in you don't have to fear about dropping it in water and it shorting out. Only thin to worry about is that its dry before you plug it in (dry on the inside), and that it doesn't rust or corrode the circuitry inside.

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RE: And a normal one?

By codeThug on 5/1/2007 5:23:25 PM , Rating: 2

Actually the best remedy is to submerge and flush the part repeatedly with distilled water (which is fairly non conductive). I've used this method many times on various circuit boards over the years. The trick is to do it right away and then dry the part immediately with forced air to prevent corrosion.

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RE: And a normal one?

By CollegeTechGuy on 5/2/2007 7:41:39 PM , Rating: 2

Rubbing Alcohol works really well, since it dries extremly fast.

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RE: And a normal one?

By noirsoft on 5/1/2007 7:51:02 AM , Rating: 2

Well, I've run Sony Memory Sticks through the washer and dryer with no ill effects.

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RE: And a normal one?

By Seemonkeyscanfly on 5/1/2007 10:56:01 AM , Rating: 3

Well, I took my flash drive on vacation. We went scuba diving in the coral reefs, sunning with fresh coconut oil, sky diving to dry off – damn bird try to fly off with my flash drive had to chase down the bird and fight for it – I hate pelicans, then we spent time in front of a beach fire, enjoyed a few beers and margaritas together. It’s was a lot of fun, and the flash drive was a cheap date. However, things were not the same when we got home. My flash drive did not want to work anymore; it was all corroded and burned out. I guess it had too much fun and decided it would never work again. We parted ways shortly after that; I’ll post some photos if I can find them…..

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RE: And a normal one?

By KaiserCSS on 5/1/2007 11:58:24 AM , Rating: 2

I have but one question: ... why do you do this? ;_;

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RE: And a normal one?

By Seemonkeyscanfly on 5/1/2007 12:15:33 PM , Rating: 2

Oh, because a pop-up spam advertisement said I could save on my vacation.... :)

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RE: And a normal one?

By Tsuwamono on 5/1/2007 12:13:36 PM , Rating: 2

you couldnt get me IN a plane never mind jump out of one...

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RE: And a normal one?

By encryptkeeper on 5/1/2007 2:14:10 PM , Rating: 1

you couldnt get me IN a plane never mind jump out of one...

Pussy.

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RE: And a normal one?

By MustaineC on 5/1/2007 1:21:36 PM , Rating: 1

This is about flash drives, you know? Are you trying to sell some trip to a tropical beach?

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RE: And a normal one?

By Seemonkeyscanfly on 5/1/2007 3:54:24 PM , Rating: 2

I'm selling nothing, just taking my flash drive on vacation.
I think next time we'll go mountain climbing. He's very dependable...you need that in a climbing partner...

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RE: And a normal one?

By Krashnicki on 5/1/2007 4:03:00 PM , Rating: 2

LOL. Thats funny as hell.

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RE: And a normal one?

By GreenEnvt on 5/1/2007 8:03:27 AM , Rating: 2

Generally, not a whole lot. It's all solid state so as long as it dries before you plug it back in it should be fine.
It's similar to how you can run your keyboard through the dishwasher (no soap, no heat dry) with no ill effects as long as you let it dry first. I do that to keyboards in our office when people complain they are all "gunked up"

My sandisk 1gb flash drive has been through the wash numerous times with no apparent ill effects. Rust might become an issue over time though.

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RE: And a normal one?

By pnyffeler on 5/1/2007 12:22:16 PM , Rating: 2

That's amazing! Can you do the same with a wireless keyboard, too?

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RE: And a normal one?

By CollegeTechGuy on 5/1/2007 4:48:58 PM , Rating: 2

I take my wireless keyboard apart and leave the plastic circuit "Board" out and give the rest of the plastic and stuff a bath. If you wanted to just throw the whole thing in the dishwasher you'd definatly have to take out the batteries. But in any keyboard i'd recommend taking out the circuit boards, because you don't want rust or corrosion.

Speaking of which, my keyboard is gonna hit the bath tub right now!

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RE: And a normal one?

By mindless1 on 5/1/2007 5:39:44 PM , Rating: 2

What's so amazing about it? Didn't you know most circuit boards these days are washed when manufactured?

I'd washed all kinds of gear, like motherboards that came from heavy smokers or gravel quarries. If it's battery powered take the battery out first. Remove fans too, and if there is any important text on paper labels, record that info in case the label does not survive.

Contrary to another post, there is no problem using detergent, not soap (which leaves residue), but you would not want dishwasher detergent because it also contains a (often silica) abrasive. While that abrasive may do a great job at the outside of a dirty keyboard it is bad for metal, as is the bleach. A low sudsing detergent could be used in a dishwasher instead if required.

I also tend to disagree about the heat setting on a dishwasher, items that are top rack dishwasher safe have lower heat tolerance than most circuit board assemblies but if you want to play it safe, certainly a lower heat or forced air drying is better.

Making sure the device is thoroughly dry is essential, and some connectors, ports, plugs, sockets, and under large surface mount chips you might have water remaining so unless there is a controlled heat drying sequence it's better to err on the side of a longer drying time that you think is really necessary.

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RE: And a normal one?

By marvdmartian on 5/1/2007 10:29:09 AM , Rating: 2

Depends on the drive. Like was stated already, if you allow it to dry fully before plugging it in, nothing should happen.

However, in a recent Popular Mechanics magazine, I saw a blurb where they tested out 3 flash drives in various extreme situations, including putting it through the washer and dryer. One of those drives died completely, and surprisingly, it was the Corsair jump drive that has the special whammy-dammy rubber coating on it, that's supposed to protect it from damage! They said the cap stayed intact until it hit spin cycle, and when they plugged it in later on, it refused to work. So much for rubber caps! ;)

I would recommend to anyone that submerges a jump drive, to pull it apart afterward, and allow it to dry thoroughly before you plug it back in. Also, if you're building a new computer, make certain that your pins are set correctly on the motherboard, for the front usb ports. I killed my favorite Lexar 128mb jumpdrive by reversing two of the pins by mistake, about 2 years ago! (sheepish grin)

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RE: And a normal one?

By Oobu on 5/1/2007 4:14:23 PM , Rating: 2

I actually forgot my PQi drive in my pocket, washed it, and found it soaking wet. I plugged it in, didn't work. So I thought, "Hmmm, well, it's screwed now, I'll throw it in the dryer!" So, I threw it in the dryer, popped it back in, and BAM worked perfectly ever since!

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RE: And a normal one?

By Oobu on 5/1/2007 4:15:30 PM , Rating: 2

By the way, even after being washed it still scores faster read/write speeds than my Sandisk Cruzer Titanium!

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RE: And a normal one?

By SpatulaCity on 5/1/2007 6:39:38 PM , Rating: 2

A year ago, my girlfriend put my clothes through the washer and dryer with my memorex 128MB USB flash drive still in the pants pocket. I was horrified to discover that it had been washed because I had some very important financial files on it. But amazingly, the thing still worked!!!! It was completely dry and smelling good back then and it still works fine to this day.

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I want one.

By danskmacabre on 5/1/2007 6:37:03 AM , Rating: 3

Not that I go diving and climbing mountains or whatever with a flash drive :D .

But even so, that's a good price for a 4gb flash drive AND it's robust.

RE: I want one.

By alifbaa on 5/1/2007 11:04:50 AM , Rating: 2

Newegg has 16gb drives for $120 (the 8GB price), 8GB drives for $60 (the 4gb price), and 4gb drives for $30. It seems like all this protection built around the drive is doubling the price.

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RE: I want one.

By Puddleglum1 on 5/1/2007 12:32:34 PM , Rating: 2

The premium for the "durable" line is exactly the same as when the Voyagers were first released. The premium is just that it's a new release.

Current prices: 8GB GT is $95 ($15 off sale), to match the regular 8GB version.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Sub...

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RE: I want one.

By ADDAvenger on 5/1/2007 12:43:55 PM , Rating: 2

Shoot, last I knew 2GB sticks were going for $50, but come to think of it that was at least a year ago.. Man this stuff changes fast.

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RE: I want one.

By alifbaa on 5/1/2007 6:18:31 PM , Rating: 2

If you shop at WorstBuy, you can still get a particularly crappy PNY 2GB model for $40. It will break in three months (mine physically broke from the strain of inserting it into the USB slot a dozen times), which will allow you to deal with the "friendly and knowledgable" sales staff they are famous for when you go back to buy another one.

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Thank you!

By Verran on 5/1/2007 10:58:27 AM , Rating: 3

Finally I can take my quicken backups and homework assignments with me when I go scuba diving. And no more leaving my flash drive in the car when I'm rock climbing. This is great...

RE: Thank you!

By Stablecannon on 5/1/2007 1:53:03 PM , Rating: 2

Excellent. So I'm not the only one!

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RE: Thank you!

By tjr508 on 5/1/2007 1:55:30 PM , Rating: 2

FYI, there are a LOT of people who can use this. Ecpecially in the oilfield where half the people on site couldn't get by without USB drives and everyone breaks them all of the time. I've seen some high priced data nearly lost to a broken USB key, and even though backup was in place, there was still a serious delay in data delivery.

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But can it withstand 2000 lb of crushing weight?

By DocDraken on 5/1/2007 8:28:12 AM , Rating: 2

Like the Sandisk Cruzer Titanium? You can drive a car over that one without a problem.

RE: But can it withstand 2000 lb of crushing weight?

By Puddleglum1 on 5/1/2007 12:46:47 PM , Rating: 2

500 lbs. on each tire, so 500 lbs running over it.

If the tire has 28 in² surface area on the ground, then 500 lbs/28 in² is about 17.9 lbs. per square inch.

If the drive is 3" x 1", then 3 in² * 17.9 lbs is about 54 lbs of pressure on the whole thing.

Most cars are about 4000 lbs, I think, which is why it's more like 40 lbs per square inch, and since your foot is bigger than this drive, I think it's safe to assume that your foot will be crushed. But this drive? It'll just take a black-rubber finish.

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Still wondering

By TheGreek on 5/1/2007 12:02:08 PM , Rating: 3

The plastic part that attaches to your keychain, does that still break off after 6 months?

meh

By Hyperlite on 5/1/2007 11:02:37 AM , Rating: 2

i've run several flash drives through the washing machine with no ill effects...

Corsair is attempting to fight slumping flash prices

By zsouthboy on 5/1/2007 11:12:43 AM , Rating: 2

Not a bad idea for a "premium" product, though.

They can keep margins high, and appear to be high end.

How about a serious product?

By mindless1 on 5/1/2007 5:49:18 PM , Rating: 2

The problem is they only took a normal drive and put it in a cannister. I'm sure there are scenarios where this is a lot better, probably good enough but for the larger size.

Even so it is not hard to improve on this (unless there is more to the product than it appears). How about instead of a drive that attempts to keep water out using the casing, the drive can't get water in because there is nowhere for it to go, because the drive is molded shut or potted, then seams and gaps around the USB connector are heat-set to not trap water? How about just making the drive case more durable? At these prices you'd think they could use a thicker titanium shell on the drive itself.