- Divya Dhomne
Choose the best Pen Drive for you
Updated: Aug 5, 2020

Pen Drive is a portable device used to store and transfer data, also called USB Flash Drive, Thumb Drive, Flash Stick, and Gig Stick. It is the best option for transferring the data and is commonly used in offices, schools, and personal. They are also safe to store any confidential information.
Pen Drive is very important for our day to day life. However, you should consider some factors before buying it.
USB INTERFACE
USB interface is one of the most significant factors while buying a Pen Drive. The Flash Drive must support your device. There are various kinds of USB interfaces in the market, like USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB On the Go, and Micro USB. The most commonly used is USB 2.0. It is used for laptops and desktops. USB 3.0 is slightly higher in price, owing to its better data transfer speed, however, the uses of USB 3.0 & USB 2.0 are the same. Micro USB is used for tablets and smartphones.
STORAGE CAPACITY
USB Flash Drives are available in multiple storage capacities. There are 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and more. It depends on the user's requirements what kind of Pen Drive they need. Music files, videos or pictures, require more space as compared to storing word documents, excel sheets, text files, etc. Documents and text files can be stored in 2 to 4 GB Flash Drive while for the songs and videos, they can take up anywhere between 8 GB to 512 GB space.
BRAND
Pen Drives need to be safe as they hold important data. So, it's better not to choose non-branded USB Drives offering cheap price. Always go for good quality and reputed brands. Do some research and pick one that fulfils all your needs. Some of the best brands for USB Flash Drives are HP, IBall, SanDisk Cruzer, Sony, Toshiba, and Strontium.
DESIGN
There are several different types of Pen Drives in the market that attract customers. These are Security Flash Drives, Music Flash Drives, Boot Flash Drives, Card Flash Drives, Key Chain Flash Drives and many more. They're all different in shapes and sizes. You can choose any one of them as per your preference.
DATA TRANSFERRING SPEED
The data transfer speed is split into two parts, i.e. Read and Write Speed. The performance of the Pen Drive depends on its data transferring speed. The higher the Read/ Write Speed of the Flash Drive, the better the performance. The speed of the Pen Drive is measured in MB/s or Megabytes per second. Reading Speed is the speed at which you can access the data from the Pen Drive. Whereas, writing Speed is the speed at which you write the files on the drive.
PRICE
While buying anything, first, list down your requirements then make a list of the drives that come in the criteria. Then compare the prices and choose one that fulfils all your needs.
WARRANTY
Pen Drives have a specific warranty period. Every brand offers a different warranty. Usually, they come with 3 to 5 years of warranty.
Some Myths Regarding Pen Drives
There are so many myths about pen drives but not all of them are true. Let's go through some myths here.
REMOVING PEN DRIVE DURING OPERATION CAN DAMAGE IT
This is not necessarily true because the manufacturers take care of this thing. However, there is a slight risk due to Electrostatic Discharge.
MAGNETS CAUSE DAMAGE
The drives are not manufactured by the magnetic material. So, magnets cannot harm the drive.
WATER RUINS THE DRIVE
Water does not harm a Pen Drive unless and until you power on the device. When it happens, the power flows in the water and damages the drive.
Pen Drives are multipurpose devices and can help a lot in data saving and sharing. Thus, it is crucial that you make a thought out decision while buying a pen drive for yourself.
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