Technology @lemmy.world Armand1 @lemmy.world 11 hr. ago

I benchmarked 6 different metal USB sticks

Background

I have had the same Kingston DataTraveller DTSE9 since around 2010, when I was still in school. I've carried it on my keychain for at least 12 years and it still works, its "the old reliable".

That said, it's slow. Very slow. I use it mostly as a boot USB for Linux / Windows, so I need several sticks with decent random read speed, and decent write speed for when I update them.

My criteria were:

All-metal construction for durability, including the keychain loop
Sits well on a keychain next to keys
Reasonable speed, including random reads.

Testing method

I evaluated the sticks in two ways.

I ran CrystalDiskMark with 256 MiB (x5) configuration.

I also measured the angle at which the USB stick sits on a keyring. I found that several of them could not sit perpendicular to a keyring it because of their geometry, which makes it difficult to comfortably use them next to keys.

At the datum of 0 degrees, the key sits perpendicular to the keyring.

Results

The competitors

Here are the 6 main competitors in this space I bought.

All transfer units are in MB/s.

Product	Price (£)	Angle on keyring (0deg is best)	Sequential reads Q8T1	Sequential reads Q1T1	Random reads Q32T1	Random reads Q1T1	Sequential writes Q8T1	Sequential writes Q1T1	Random writes Q32T1	Random writes Q1T1
Corsair GTX 128GB	65 (256GB version)	0	470.214	429.330	157.436	19.390	436.990	414.201	166.829	38.937
Samsung Bar 64GB	10	55	305.424	305.268	14.517	13.428	36.434	36.247	20.537	21.619
Kingston DTSE9G3 64GB	11	0	246.705	244.496	13.756	13.028	100.236	110.054	0.484	0.474
Integral Arc 3	10	0	162.336	161.338	15.567	11.188	49.457	47.965	5.032	4.244
Kingston DataTraveller Micro 64GB	11	0	247.000	245.247	13.788	12.961	100.932	101.292	0.496	0.470
Sandisk Ultra Luxe 64GB	12	25	403.863	399.974	12.438	12.054	91.835	91.685	4.272	4.258

Some additional notes:

The Samsung Bar had really sharp corners. You might need to file them down like I did.
Corsair GTX: the 128GB version is no longer available and the lowest capacity is 256GB. It's more of a portable SSD in the form of a USB stick, which makes it really fast, but it's bulkier than a normal USB stick, though not by much. Often it takes up more than one USB port because it's wide. It's still very good and I recommend it.

Other devices

Some related products I own but don't qualify for this comparison but are offered up here for context.

Here's why they don't qualify.

Crucial P3 Plus: It's an NVME SSD. Can be made portable with a good enclosure, but too bulky for what I'm looking for.
Samsung 860 Evo: It's a SATA SSD, definitely not the right form factor.
Sandisk Ultra Curve: I bought this thinking it was made out of metal, but it was not. It's fairly flimsy plastic.
Kingston DTSE9 16GB: This is my old stick. The old reliable. No longer sold, but I've tested its successor.
Samsung SD Card: It's a 2016 MicroSD card connected to my PC via a MicroSD-SD adapter and a USB card reader. I included this as a meme.

Product	Sequential reads Q8T1	Sequential reads Q1T1	Random reads Q32T1	Random reads Q1T1	Sequential writes Q8T1	Sequential writes Q1T1	Random writes Q32T1	Random writes Q1T1
Crucial P3 Plus M.2 NVME 2TB	1598.227	1332.131	305.220	46.643	1560.989	1452.256	238.134	102.502
Samsung 860 Evo SATA 1TB	564.446	539.913	272.631	43.322	536.440	518.168	238.752	101.313
Sandisk Ultra Curve	160.091	158.859	9.271	9.043	58.680	60.377	2.902	3.209
Old Kingston DTSE9 16GB	18.452	18.220	8.473	8.096	13.626	13.629	0.115	0.026
Samsung Memory Pro Plus Micro SD Card	20.765	20.969	5.146	5.102	19.493	20.316	2.181	3.421

Conclusion

There are no clear winners in this fight.

The Corsair GTX is the fastest in all categories by a country mile, but has a larger form-factor than other entries and higher price. Very good, but not for everyone.
Samsung Bar has the fastest random writes, and decent performance in other metrics for its USB stick form factor, but sits awful on a keychain due to the angled hole.
The Integral Arc 3 has solid random performance, but worst sequential performance than the rest.
Sandisk Ultra Luxe gets the best overall balance of performance, but does not sit on the keychain super well.
The two Kingston's perform effectively the same, with the Micro being much more compact. That said, that can be a disadvantage on a keyring if there are adjacent items.
All competitors (bar the GTX) had similar random reads.

For me, I'd say the right choice is either the Kingston DTSE9G3. It's a nice upgrade over my old DTSE9 and sits nicely next to it's grandfather. If I needed any random writes though, for copying lots of small documents like code files, I'd pick the Integral Arc 3.

85 comments

The Sandisk one got me filesystem corruption, since it's always super hot (especially in notebook) even in idle, to the point the controller shuts down for a second and the again on for a few. Put a tiny heatsink on it and it works since (although goofy).
I bought two of these a few years ago and they are really reliable. USB 2.0 so they are slow as shit, but I still use them to install linux.
Pro tip from me (a pro): Never buy flash drives that aren't one metal body. I have broke a 128GB flash drive simply by putting a tad bit too much pressure on it and misaligning the USB connector. It now doesn't work. I also injured one by misaligning the usb in the plastic case. It still works but isn't ideal.

Even if it is one plastic body, the plastic will chip away with insertions. My SanDisk Ultra Dual is in rough shape because of the weak plastic. Meanwhile my SanDisk Ultra Dual Luxe (the metal variant) is still pristine.

Also, don't buy cheap flash drives if you wish to use them frequently. They have terribly slow speeds even if they use a USB 3.0 interface. They might work okay as install media which you only need to use every few months or years, but they have painfully slow write speeds.

Edit: Yes, I know the metal drives have thermal issues. But thermal issues are better then losing the entire drive because the casing chips away and exposes the connector to things that eventually kill it.
- I agree of course, hence why I am only picking metal ones. I've lost USB sticks to broken clips and bodies.
  
  Why would they have thermal issues? If anything, they should dissipate heat better than plastic drives.
  
  Or is it that by thermal issues people mean that they get hot to the touch?
One of these took me through university in 2002

I really miss the hardware read only switch.

Computer labs did not have front USB back in those days, so we had to choose between floppies or diving under the desks. I was in the diver club.

32MB was massive for documents at the time. It could hold your entire academic life back then.
Bought December 2007, downtown Portland Radio Shack, which was coincidentally my last purchase from the chain.

It's also the very last of the Disk of Death hacker series started in 1995 on Floppies.

May its light continue to shine (unnecessarily)
- Shit I had one of those. Now I'm feeling all nostalgic remembering fidgetting with the slider
- Still have this same usb stick and it works flawlessly
- 8GB hot damn. I thought I was shit hot with 2 haha.
- 8GB in 2007?! How much did that cost?
- Still have the 4GB version of this one somewhere. Bought in the same year
  
  Served be well over the years
This is probably my favourite metal flashdrive of all time. I had a 1GB of the first generation and then later another usb3 one of 32GB

These days I carry one of these on my keychain.

Surprisingly fast given the size. Will do 300MB/s sequential read. About 90MB/s write

I use medicat/ventoy on it with windows 11 , debian and linux mint ISOs on it.
- I did see that second one, but I realised it would not fit my criteria for the angle of the hole, so I didn't get one.
Thanks, I wish more people did their own tests and published them like this since marketing for electronics is loose at best
- Yeah, about the only place I trust for electronics reviews is rtings, and usually consumer reports for household appliances. Everywhere else seems infected by the affiliate bug
I didn't see anyone else say this so I'll chime in: when I've had to keep bulky things on a keyring (a CPR pocket mask comes to mind) I'll put it on its own small keyring and then hang that on the main keyring with the keys. It isn't a perfect solution, but it helps a lot.
- Handy tip. I used to do that too.
  
  Also had a chain between two rings for a bit of a fidget toy 😅.
It's wild just how slow most thumb drives benchmark even with recent models, the Samsung Bar at 36MB/s is just ridiculous, that's 30 minutes of waiting to fill it up entirely!

A basic V30 microSD card is at least that fast!
Love the thorough report. I also have an Ole reliable from circa 2008. Never fails, slow as balls.
did any of them do the write fast for 5 seconds, then freeze for 10 seconds shit? that's the worst when a pendrive does that, and I've experienced that with multiple drives
- That's because your PC is faster than the drive. You fill the cache quickly, then wait while it writes to flash. It's not a big deal.
- I remember having that problem with the original Kingston.
  
  Because I didn't manually copy large files, I couldn't say.
  
  If there's any you'd like me to test this for (except the Samsung Bar, because I've given it away) I can do so.
Thank you thank you thank you. This is exactly what I want on Lemmy.
Why only usb-a?.. Is that all that's on offer? Surely a Usb-c would be faster and smaller?
- Still a ton of devices with no c port. Even if op went that route they'd likely have to keep an adapter around too. I recently picked up a hybrid A/C drive. Using the C port side always feels like it's gonna just snap off lol.
Nice necklace, Mr. Reedus
I have a stick dangeling on my keychain too, also in heavy use. But due to my Mac-Friends i need one with usb-c. So I settled for this: The hinge is still holding on since almost a year. Also have two of those: But they seem a lot cheaper, flimsier and I probably got ripped off by a dropshipper.

Havent benchmarked them, if anyone knows of a comparison as good as this one for "dual" usb sticks, let me know!
- I just picked up a 2 pack of 128GB of that top one for $20 at Costco, seems decent so far
Others have said this but THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is extremely valuable info for me as I pretty much only want full metal flash drives. I have a couple Samsung Bars, and I will absolutely snag a GTX.
beautiful post, thank you!! I've been using the same traveling USB for ages at this point and will probably upgrade soon, this research is super useful
Oh my god, thank you so much for this. I have always had the hardest time finding these exact same requirements, and this is perfect. All metal construction and coexisting with keys has always been a priority for me, but it seems like everyone is inexplicably fine with copping out by just dangling their data on this flimsy little string tied to a brittle plastic case and I cannot understand it.

I'm not currently looking for one at this exact moment, but I will be returning here when I am. You're doing the lord's work out here!
shit, dude. fuck
I had one Samsung Bar fail after two years, the second one still works.

At the moment I'm using a Philips Moon Edition USB stick but only since February. Can't speak for long term usage and didn't do any benchmark but I'm happy so far and the form factor would meet your criteria.
- You should benchmark it as I have and post your results!
I've got a 128GB Kingston DTSE9G2 and it has served me very well for close to a decade. Shit's built like a tank and has sustained a lot of abuse being packed in my pocket with all the keys. Even survived a bike accident where I landed on the pocket (the pain was intolerable though...)
My husband has had a metal USB stick that is shaped like a key and is very thin specifically for this purpose. I don't know the brand as it's not printed on it, but it's lasted him a long time and I would assume it to win this contest by a landslide. Excellent analysis, very interesting!

For reference, it looks like this (not the same brand):
- I have a few of these!
- It would win the "will it fit nicely on a keychain" by a landsline.
  
  However I doubt it would suit OP's needs as the contacts are exposed so durability may be suspect, and seeing as it is generic I doubt the performance is up to his standards.
  
  The contacts were surprisingly robust. Mine just died, sadly.
  
  New ones are crappy knockoffs, but they're cheap enough.
- LaCie IAmAKey. No longer made. Current ones are made from aluminum and bend easily. Originals were stainless and rigid.
  
  My 2006 one just died, and I'm so frustrated with the new ones. Fortunately they're pretty cheap, so who cares.
  
  Yep I had a couple aluminum ones, the 90 degree walls by the contacts would always bend inward to make a trapezoid ship on the connector instead of a rectangle and they sucked to try to bend back every time
- They are usually no-name brand swag items
  Edit: And your picture is USB 2.0
- I got that from my middle school. Mine is red.
This is comprehensive, and impressive. Good job. Saving this post for my next purchase.
I have a metal dual USB A & C microSD card reader on my keychain. It lets me swap out cards easily, and should it ever be damaged, the chances are slimmer that the tiny microSD will be destroyed.
nice post
you should check out the kingston SE9 G2. It has a smaller loop end and so it works way better on a keychain. unfortunately they didn't keep the feature for the G3.

Amazon Link
- I remember seeing that around! In the UK you can't buy it anymore. It costs £50-200 on Amazon, here and here
Thanks for doing this! I've been pretty happy with my Samsung bar, considering how durable it's supposed to be, but it's great to hear about other options.

You may want to consider posting this to https://slrpnk.net/c/product_reviews.
Any noticeable durability issues? Had my Samsung stick die completely just outside of warranty window....
- I just got it, so I couldn't say. Someone else in these comments said theirs failed too.
  
  I have 2, a 32gb and a 64gb, that I've had for over 6 years I think. Not sure exactly how long since I've had them for a long time - since before I met my wife, so maybe I got them when they first came out?
This is awesome. I think I need to get a Corsair. And looks like I can probably use it for self defense too.
- It's about the size of an adult index finger, if that helps.
  
  that thing looks like a pip boy. i don't want to carry any of the others you tested into battle
I'm not surprised the Corsair is better - it looks like there's a whole nvme drive in there.
Awesome work, thankyou for taking the time to do this.

I too love a metal USB stick for the keychain, and my old DTSE9 could do with a refresh!
Wow, great work!

Due my own personal bad habits, I fear I wouldn't see 12 years out of most of those because of the lack of caps. A lot of random stuff ends up in my pocket when I'm doing projects. Screws and other things that will not have happy fun times with bare type A pins.
- You'd be surprised! That old USB key has gone through the washing machine several times by accident and survived.
  
  Also, the gap on a usb stick is pretty small and the pins reach quite deep, so unless you're dealing with M3's or smaller I doubt that the screws will end up in there.
  
  Yeah, I mostly deal in m3 screws for my projects which, I know from experience, do get caught in type-A plugs.
This is an awesome analysis. I need to make a plug for my favorite, the Kingston FCR-ML3C. Its a micro metal usbc /usbA micro SD card reader. I upgrade my Samsung micro SD in it every once in awhile for speed and space upgrades. It sits lovely on my ID badge (works on Keychain too) and it's a Swiss army type device that will work on whatever type of data port comes my way. Have used it for years and simply love it.
Much appreciated!

With no clear winner in terms of performance, which one do you think has the most durable material? I have been using a Corsair Voyager mini for years, which I think has an aluminum shell, and it very quickly bent inward on the side that doesn’t have the contacts, usually I need to put a key or some other metal thing into the USB slot of the drive to re-flatten it before it can be plugged in.
- Hard to say. None of them flex much under pressure, but I don't really want to do a durability test...
  
  Fair enough! Thanks for the data!
Can you show how you filed down the samsung bar?
- The sharp parts were on the side you plug into the computer, all the way around the lip but especially the corners.
  
  I used a large steel file, but a smaller diamond file would work too I'm sure.
  
  Simply rub the corners at a 45 degree angle with the file until it no longer hurts to touch. Go slowly and gently so you don't bend it.
The Samsung bar needs to be on the sides of a key ring so it falls flatter.
- Made me stop bringing it. I wear my keys on a Climbing Carabiner and if it sits right it is perfect. But fuck off if it doesn't, it's pure anger in metal usb stick form.
  
  There was a keychain Multitool, I think it was called the shard, and it had a hobby knife blade on it that could open in your pocket. People were getting stabbed in the leg or hand reaching their hand in their pocket.
  
  That is pure chaotic hatred in keychain form.
Good review, it reminds me of a Project Farm video. That guy reviews things very much from a practical use standpoint.
That Kingston DataTraveller I have as well and it's my ol' reliable from at least 9 years ago. For some reason PCs put up a fuss with recognizing other people's USBs at boot, I've never once had an issue with the Kingston.

It is true that it is slower but for a live distro, install and troubleshoot disk it does the job perfectly fine.
- For me I found that the lack of responsiveness when in the booted environment was problematic. I use stuff like GParted on Linux bootable USBs to manage partitions too.
  
  Writing a new image to the stick was also really slow.
  
  New sticks are £10 for 64GB, so I recommend giving one of the above a try and see if you get a better experience!
- I've had DataTraveller sticks since the late 90s/early 00s. Never given me a problem.
Every metal one I ever had has at somepoint had the board fall out of the housing and get lost. They never survive the keyring.
- I had that happen with the Kingston at one point in its life. Can't remember how it happened.
  
  I was lucky and spotted it before I lost it. I super-glued it back in and it works fine!
Very cool! Thanks for sharing.

Just a thought on random write: If you are using swap/page files, it may have more of an impact. Or if you are updating the system in place.
I have no clue whether updating by flashing a new system image would be treated as sequential or extracted randomly as individual files.
- When you boot from a USB, it's usually read-only, so I figured random writes wouldn't be super important.
  
  I'm hoping that flashing a new image is mostly sequential, but I might do a quick test with Rufus if you're interested.
Thx! awesome review!
This looks awesome. Posting so I can read it later - the Mbin mobile site absolutely butchers your table, and I feel like submitting a bug report~
- Yeah I noticed on my app too. Using Markdown syntax but the table is quite wide so it's hard to fit on a mobile screen. I've found that rotating my phone to landscape helps, at least on my app.
Dude, if you've been using your last one for 12 years then you really really don't care about any of these stats/benchmarks

[edit] I retract my comment
- Caring about these bench marks is how you find one to last another 12 years.
- If he’s going to use the next one for 12 years he definitely cares about picking a good one.

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