HP v150w USB Flash Drives product reviews

In this day and age, where high speed data transfer is everywhere and only getting faster, to find a high-brand like HP touting USB 2 flashdrives is, to say the least, unusual. USB 2 first hit the consumer market back in April 2000 and was ratified at the end of 2001. That makes it odd in the extreme to see it still being released in "new" products. That said, while it could be argued that it is still relevant because there are still so many devices out there that use it, USB 3 devices are usually backwards-compatible, enabling you to always be able to move data on and off these storage solutions at the best speed possible.

With a push-pull design, meaning no plug-cap to lose, this unit is presented in a dinky plastic case, giving it tolerable durability for short drops, such as from your pocket, however I attached this one to my keyring - the one place I always like to keep a flashdrive with my personal medical data and emergency contact details on it, just in case - and found that within a few days it had started to show the signs of abuse. Not an ideal situation, but it would be fair to say that not everyone would use it for that purpose so maybe this isn't the ideal placement for it.

Data transfer speeds are not stated either on the packaging or the official website, so I wasn't too sure what to expect. Running my usual data speed tests - reading and writing various data configurations, such as a 1gb text file, a 1gb movie file, and 1gb of assorted files of mixed format - I found that on average the write speed was a rather disappointing 10MB/sec, and read times were around the 20MB/s mark. Thinking this must be in error, I ran the same tests on another PC, and again on a third, high-end system rated for advanced gaming. Nope... the results were all within the same range, with the best read speed only reaching 21.5MB/sec and the write speeds maxed out at 10.2MB/sec.

Overall, for the $32 price tag, I wouldn't consider this to be a good investment, when you can buy USB 3 enabled versions from reputable brands for half the price, or unbranded versions via online marketplaces for even less. Unfortunately, I have to say... not worth considering this unit.