USB 2.0 Swivel Pro Flash Drive 1GB

Comment: First, in my view, 1gb of storage on a flash drive is plenty for most people when moving files from one computer to another. Have a lot of pictures or other media, then you may want to go with more storage capacity. Second, this flash drive is an excellent choice. The swivel cap means that there is nothing to lose and it does protect the connector. I have used several to transport data and pdf files without any problems. Highly recommended.

Comment: Very satisfied with this product. Easy to use from my desktop to my notebook, and other computers. I highly recommend the Swivel Pro Flash Drive for convenience and ease of use.

Comment: I purchased this item based on my experience with a similar product of lower capacity from Imation. This product is in no way similar to the previous one or the one described on this page. The rotating and "push to lock cap" on the older model was a big plus. This one does not function that way, it just rotates to leave a big gap over the connector, so there is functionally no cap at all! The "write protect" slide descibed above and present in the older model is gone. And it is twice as slow as similar products of the same capacity I routinely use. Save your money; this is no bargain at any price.

Comment: THIS is a great electronics product -- really at the 4.5 star level, but I'd rather mark this one "up" than "down."

Most USB Flash Drives lack something in design and function; this one got almost every bit RIGHT.

First of all, don't you hate keeping up with USB Flash Drive caps? I do -- and when I CAN keep up with them, they crack and then fall off easily, making them even harder to keep. And -- they're important. Those connectors are the windows into the soul of what's being kept on the drive. Cap loss is not a problem with this drive: the "cap" is really a cover that swivels around a mid-point on the drive itself. To use the drive, expose the connector by sliding the cover back about 2mm, then swivel it away, plug in the drive, and use. When you've unmounted the drive and removed it from the machine, reverse the procedure, remembering to reseat the drive connector into the cap, which has a bit of a lip to keep dust from entering the connector well at the sides.

My second requirement for a flash drive is that it have a write lock. Sometimes, I use my USB Flash Drive to transfer data to another user's computer. I follow the tenet "trust but verify," so when I hand over my USB Flash Drive to another user to copy something from it, I slide the write lock ON. No accidental erasures - or virus transfers. Too many USB Flash Drives these days are manufactured without write locks. This one, although it doesn't feel as substantial (if that's the right term to use for a mostly-plastic and PCB device) as it could, is at least recessed into a small detent and seems to click into either position quite well.

This USB Flash Drive comes with some kind of management software, but it only works on Windows and there was nothing on the drive for my Mac OS X systems.

Also, the Imation USB Flash Drive comes with a neck cord for truly geeking yourself up.

The only slightly negative comments I make are that the cap is drilled for the neck cord, and if the swivel ever breaks and the cap comes away from the drive, the part I care most about - the drive - is gone. Also, that write lock lever seems flimsy. I'd rather just have an exposed DIP switch in the recess and manipulate it with a mechanical pencil - thus requiring conscientious human agency to change it, vice the possible accidental unlock likely with the present arrangement..

I bought my Imation 1 GB USB Flash Drive at Target for around US$72, so they beat all the online prices I found -- and no shipping charge.

In summary, I was very happy to find a product this size, with a "cap" I can't lose/won't likely break, has a write lock, and comes from a brand-name manufacturer. And the price wasn't outrageous, either (certainly in line with 1 GB USB Flash Drives from other manufacturers). Get yours today!