Conclusion
Corsair’s Flash Survivor is not the fastest, not the smallest, not the most affordable and not the most beautiful USB drive, but it should be of value to mobile users who want to protect their data. The product is available in capacities up to a whopping 32 GB and it is both robust and waterproof. We left it in the bottom of a sink filled with water overnight and the device worked without a hitch the following day.
(Compare Prices on Flash Survivor 4 GB)
The drive connects via traditional USB 2.0, which is available on almost every PC. The Survivor delivers data to your PC at up to 23 MB/s, which is a good result and certainly fast enough for the majority of users. Writes are only slightly slower, but may drop occasionally due to the design of the flash memory. The access time of 1.3 ms can be considered average as well, but it’s certainly much faster than access to any ultra-portable hard drive.
Corsair decided to bundle TrueCrypt 4.3a with its Flash Survivor drives, allowing users to easily create an encrypted container file on the flash Survivor device. The software uses a 256-bit AES algorithm and adds an additional layer of data security on top of the physical robustness of the product.
We found the 32 GB model for less than $230. If you can live with only 16 GB capacity you might want to check out the 16 GB version, which is available for less than $100. While not a bargain, 16 or 32 GB of capacity should suffice to store your personal digital assets in a safe way for a period of many years. The 10-year warranty should provide confidence in the longevity of the Flash Survivor as well.
