Final Thoughts
Many of the rugged, shock-proof, and extreme hard drives that we have reviewed in the past really cannot match the ioSafe Rugged Portable Drive. It gives you all of the protect that you would want! You have crush protection, shock protection, immersion protection, chemical protection, extreme environment protection, altitude protection and theft protection. If for some reason your drive does get damaged or corrupted they also provide up to $5000 in data recovery service. So with all of that you really do not have to worry about losing any of the data on the drive!
I like that ioSafe is using the newer, faster USB 3.0 connection, but they could have used a faster hard drive to take advantage of the speed increase. The 5200RPM Seagate drive that is inside is an ok drive, but it would have been nice to see a 7200RPM drive. Just like most USB 3.0 devices the Rugged Portable is backwards compatible so you can use it as a USB 2.0 drive as well.
The overall design of the drive is great. The CNC-machined aluminum looks awesome pretty much anywhere you will put this drive. The single connection, LED and lock port on the back of the drive keep things sleek and simplistic. The drive does not require an external power source, which means you only need to carry the USB 3.0 cable with you, which is a plus.
Right now you can pick up the 500GB version of this drive for $199 at my favorite online retailer. This drive of course carries a premium price because it is practically indestructible! The drive also comes with a “hassle-free” 1-year warranty and longer warranties can be purchased directly from ioSafe. Overall ThinkComputers gives the ioSafe 500GB Rugged Portable Hard Drive a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Practically indestructible!
– Data recovery service included
– Sleek design
– USB 3.0
Cons:
– Could have used a faster hard drive
