Patriot Supersonic Xpress 16GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Model PSF16GXPUSB

Pros: cheap usb 3 flash drive with quite a bit of space
transfers as fast as advertised

Cons: The plastic locking mechanism failed probably in the first two weeks. I thought it would be nice to have capless like my old cruzer but this is a spring, not a slide. Still works fine as a flash drive but I can't just hand it to someone to put in their computer because it will keep popping out unless you put it in just right, as I have learned how to.

Other Thoughts: Next flash drive will just have a cap, sure I might lose it but at least I know it will work.

Pros: It was fast and did everything I needed it to do.

Cons: Did not last long

Other Thoughts: I have had this thumb drive for a little over a year. I often use it to transfer large cluster of files or larger files (1gb +). I also often use it to play videos on various devices, usually Blu-Ray Players, however about a month ago it kept telling me I need to reformat it. Which I did, but sadly it never came back. It will often finish a quick format but as soon as I unplug it and plug it back in, whether on the same computer or another, it will not read and ask to be formatted again. If I try to complete a full format it never finishes. I truly enjoyed this drive while it was working, but I am severely disappointed with how long it lasted as I have numerous others thumb drives that have lasted considerably longer.

Pros: * Solid physical design.

Cons: * Worked for about a week, then lost format and says 'Media is write protected' whenever you try to reformat (under WinXP, Win7, Ubuntu or OpenSUSE).
* Google'd solution to write protection error is low-level format; unfortunately, this requires going through Patriot's 'customer service' to get a low-level format utility.
Rather than post said utility for download (since this seems to be a very common problem), they require you to register on their forum and post your email in a public, Google-indexed forum til they can read it and respond by emailing you a download link.
When I did as they requested but commented in the same post that putting the utility up for public download with a disclaimer about its data-destructive results might be preferable, the thread moderator deleted my post rather than make any effort to provide customer support. If they simply wanted to stifle criticism by editing that bit out of the post that would be one thing, but ignoring the product defect that brought me to their forum struck me as particularly immature. I suppose I should be grateful that my post was acknowledged so quickly, as there were other users in the thread from the previous month still waiting for their download link.
* USB3.0 interface mated to internals too slow to take advantage of 3.0 speeds (noted while the product was actually working).

Other Thoughts: Last Patriot product I plan to purchase, based on the lack of professionalism and regard for customer service displayed on their support forum.

Pros: I am using this thumb flash drive to running FreeNAS on my desktop as a cloud storage. I like the button ejection with no cap to lose. It is also small and thin to prevent covering other USB ports

Cons: Pulling out the drive can be tricky without accidentally pressing the cap cover.

If you truly need a fast USB flash drive, this is not it.

Other Thoughts: While this flash drive claims it is USB3.0 but I read later that the max read and write speed of this drive are 20-50Mbs, which is under the threshold of USB2.0.

That said, it is fast enough to run FreeNAS with no hiccups. I tried Ubuntu 12, and it was somewhat clunky. FreeNAS uses ~12Mbs

Pros: Seemed like a well-designed/self-contained unit

Cons: Mechanism failed within days despite very light use.

Other Thoughts: As a storage medium, it is still functional. BUT, it no longer retracts into the housing, defeating the whole purpose for my going for this particular device. This is my first and – likely – last “Patriot” purchase.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

I'm sorry to hear that you had issues with our retract mechanism of our flash drive. Please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail and I'll be glad to assist you in the matter.

Kind Regards,
Jamie
E-mail: Support@Patriotmem.com
Patriot Memory Customer Care

Pros: The price was great for the size and speed of the drive, and the retractable design seemed pretty nifty.

Cons: The retractable design quickly broke; in order to use it, I ended up having to put on a piece of tape so that it would stay extended.

Other Thoughts: I emailed support@patriotmem.com, and will edit if they have a fix for this issue.

Pros: work as supposed

Cons: die after about 6 months

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Letuyen,

I'm sorry to hear that you had an issue with our flash drive failing. We'll be glad to replace the unit for you. Please send me an e-mail and we'll be glad to get a replacement sent out to you.

Thank you for choosing Patriot Memory!

Best Regards,
Roger
Patriot Memory Customer Support
support@patriotmem.com

Pros: Small, sleek design

Cons: Purchased product on 7/8/2012. Worked great for the first month. However, now the slider sticks halfway. Requiring me to push it closed.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

I'm sorry to hear that the slider on your drive malfunctioned. For assistance with a replacement, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincere Regards,
Alan
Support@Patriotmem.com
Patriot Memory Technical Support

Pros: The drive has decent read write speeds.

Cons: The sliding door has broken off. The plastic is extremely cheap, and there is a spring inside the unit. This will be the last drive I buy with moving parts as there are much better options out there. What is worse than the drive is the Patriot customer support. I sent an email to RMA the drive, and they responded that I take pictures of the drive. They did not offer a no questions asked world class customer service like other companies. I work in the computer industry and this drive was used reasonably in computers.

Other Thoughts: Patriot customer support is just awful. This will be the last product I buy from them, and I will not recommend them to anyone. I recommend that you look for a drive without moving parts. Corsair and Kingston make better products.

Pros: Fast and durable.

Cons: Click-open is a little awkward.

Other Thoughts: I've had this drive for a while now, and it's handled abuse in my pocket, being washed in the washing machine (twice) and even a small bend where it was accidentally stepped on.

The speed is real nice, and I use this drive weekly to transfer large video files between two PCs.