Amazon Basics 256 GB Ultra Fast USB 3.1 Flash Drive, High Capacity External Storage for Photos Videos, Retractable Design, 130MB/s Transfer Speed, Black

All positives on this USB drive, simply took a gamble on the Amazon Basics name after receiving an invitation to buy on promo recently. Not only is it Huge, also fast transfer times on a USB 3.0 connection compared to every one I have, to include a pair of Lexar ones of the same size (& more costly at around $30) purchased at Costco 4-5 years back. Of course, these components typically gets better over time, can recall a pair of 4GB SanDisk ones costing near the same (each). A lot of computer users, myself included, could backup our Windows or "C" partition with this size of a USB drive. As long as the backup program allows. Or can store lots of digital pics & movies, although I prefer to store these on traditional hard drives, the spinning ones. They'll last longer on magnetic versus Flash media. This is Not because of a defect in Flash (cell) type media, rather if sitting unused for a long time (from 2-5+ years), any copies made won't look as good as when taken. Don't store near hot places, like close to a computer. Will be buying more of these in the near future! One more use of this is to have a portable, Secure operating system in your pocket, like Windows to Go or a Linux based one, such as Linux Mint or Ubuntu, among others. There are guides on how to do this, but most important, unplug the main drive on your computer while creating this. Otherwise, can mess the bootloader of your Windows computer up. Just unplug the SATA cable (the narrow one) to your existing drive or remove the drive if NVMe or mSATA. At it's 128GB size, perfect for secrecy! Bottom line, if I could give this drive 10 Stars, I would, and by the time it's said & done, will have 5-6 of these for my purposes (storage & secret OS's). Also has the Amazon Basics warranty. So be sure to test when purchased. EDIT: This drive has been so fast & dependable that I also purchased the 256GB model for $5-6 more!

Build quality: After using the Amazon Basics 128GB USB 3.1 flash drive for several months now, I can confidently say it's become my go-to storage solution for both work and personal use. The moment I took it out of the packaging, I appreciated its simple yet sturdy design - the matte black finish and metal casing give it a premium feel that's held up well in my daily carry. It's slim enough to fit comfortably on my keychain but substantial enough that I don't worry about losing it. What really stands out is how consistently fast this drive performs. I regularly transfer large video files between 10-20GB for my video editing projects, and it handles them with ease. Compared to my older USB 2.0 drives that would take 10-15 minutes for similar transfers, this one completes them in under two minutes. The speed remains reliable even when I'm moving hundreds of smaller files like documents and photos all at once. Works well: The 128GB capacity has proven perfect for my needs as a photographer. It comfortably holds my entire portfolio of RAW images with room to spare for client contracts and reference materials. I particularly like that it works seamlessly across all my devices - whether I'm plugging it into my Windows laptop at work, my Mac at home, or even my friend's computer in a pinch, it's always recognized immediately without any formatting issues. Quality: Durability has been impressive. After months of being tossed in my bag, clipped to my keys, and used in all sorts of environments, it still looks and functions like new. The retractable connector is my favorite feature - no more worrying about lost caps, and it keeps the USB port protected from dust and damage when not in use. Even after extended use, it never gets uncomfortably hot like some cheaper drives I've tried. Functionality: For the price, this flash drive offers performance that rivals more expensive name-brand options. I've recommended it to several colleagues who needed reliable storage, and they've all been equally satisfied. It's become an essential tool in my workflow - whether I'm backing up important documents, sharing large project files, or keeping emergency system recovery tools handy. After putting it through its paces for everything from work projects to personal file storage, I can't imagine needing anything different. The combination of speed, reliability, and value makes this one of the best tech purchases I've made this year. It's the kind of product that just works exactly as you expect it to, day after day, without any fuss or complications.

I was going to write a review about the impressively low transfer speed, but I looked at the description and saw it says 30 Mb/s write speed. So, I guess it was right there, I'm not allowed to complain about that. Mine seemed to top out at 50 Mb/s, so I guess it's better than advertised. The transfer rate doesn't seem consistent, but that could be something else on my end.

I originally bought 1, then I bought another, and now I plan on buying several more of these I wanted a storage device so small it could fit on a keychain, yet fast enough for an emulator to read from without lag. Everything I read online and everything a couple of AI told me indicated that there were simply no options that fit my criteria. I bought one of these as a test just to see how bad a cheap "high speed" flashdrive would be, but I've been completely satisfied so far Most demanding things I've run are gears of war 1-2, forza horizon 1, fable 2, and banjo kazooie N&B. I have very modest hardware but I never had any moments where storage speed felt like a limiting factor

This is your pretty standard, basic thumb drive. It doesn't have any special bells and whistles. I've just used it for some basic small file storage and transfer, and it gets the job done. It's not made super tough, so I probably wouldn't keep it on my keys, but other than that, it's fine for some basic stuff at a reasonable price.

Plenty of storage for my necessary large files that are only accessed a couple of times per year.

Son bought this and likes it fine. Holds a good amount of data.

Great price, Has a lot of storage! I bought this to make some space on my laptop. Super easy to use, you just plug in and drag everything you want into it! I like how its retractable so the usb stays safe and protected. Connects with no problems to all of my laptops!

Fonctionne très bien. Bon rapport qualité prix

Worked exactly as advertised. I bought this specifically to update the GPS maps on the head unit in my 2020 Kia Soul and it worked perfectly. The transfer speeds are fast so loading the map update files onto it didn't take long at all. The head unit recognized it right away with no issues and the update went smoothly. Solid, reliable USB drive at a great price. Would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to do a GPS or software update on their vehicle.

Good

It is a good inexpensive drive, and I hope lasts longer than some of the cheaper ones. The price was reasonable too, and the transfer rates are good.

Very pleased with this as a low cost, moderately sized storage stick. I paid £17.41 for the 256GB version. It's somewhat no-frills in that the form factor is nothing special: the casing is made of plastic and there's a tab on it that you push to make the connector pop out. It's a little bit chunky when compared to some sticks that have a footprint similar to a USB-A socket, so for example when connecting it to a PS4 pro or steam deck dock I use an adapter. The listed 130MB/s read speed is accurate. Write speed is slower, but not as bad as the CrystalDiskMark results indicate. When transferring a 2GB video file across it sat around 50MB/s for most of the write. When filling the entire stick with H2testw the average write speed was about 34MB/s, with reads of about 130MB/s. Note that it comes formatted as FAT32 by default for maximum compatibility so will not allow files larger than 4GB but can easily be reformatted to exFAT which removes this limitation and will work with the vast majority of modern operating systems.