The Bottom Line
ioSafe specializes in hard drives that defy Murphy's Law. In fact, I suspect somewhere at the ioSafe offices there is a room designed to incarcerate "Murphy" should he ever be caught. The new ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive lets you take the tested ioSafe protection with you when you travel. No more fear of damage in luggage, hotel rooms, falling off of tables at events, or harsh conditions at location shoots. The ioSafe Rugged Portable takes your photos and locks them away safely so you can concentrate on taking more photos.
Pros
- Included 1 year no-hassle warranty
- Included 1 year data recovery service
- Compact size and reasonable weight
- Works on Mac and PC
Cons
- Doesn't protect from fire
Description
- Available storage from 250GB to 1TB
- Bilet-machined Aluminum or Titanium protective case (depending on model)
- Extended data recovery and warranty plans available
Guide Review - Review of the ioSafe Rugged Portable Hard Drive
Ever stand on a hard drive? What about drop one into the rapids? Have one fall out of your luggage on the airport tarmac?
Hard drives are generally fragile devices that we somehow still trust to keep our photos safe. ioSafe thinks hard drives can be better. For a few years now they've proved they can build tough hard drives that survive things like being shot or run over by construction equipment. These drives all had one thing in common - their weight and size didn't make them travel friendly. The new ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive changes that.
Designed to handle things like 5,000 pounds of crushing force, a 20 foot drop, and liquid immersion for up to 3 days, the ioSafe is likely to take anything your life can dish out when you travel. The only notable thing this version doesn't handle is fire. This isn't designed to be your normal desktop back up drive. This is designed to travel with you. For home/office use where you want fire protection, look into the rest of ioSafe's product line.
The ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive is still heavy compared to a "normal" hard drive but at around a pound the weight isn't prohibitive for travel either. Most of us have lenses that weigh more than this hard drive. The design is compact at about the size of your hand and only one inch thick. This drive would easily fit in my camera bag or computer bag for travel.
The ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive comes preformatted for PC but it only takes a couple minutes to reformat for Mac use. Access and write speeds to the drive are pretty good but nothing spectacular. The drive works with USB 2/3 and a FireWire version is in the works. It is Kensington Lock compatible as well. Still, the main attraction of this drive is knowing it is going to survive just about anything you throw at it and that if it doesn't there's the included data recovery service.
The included data recovery service (1 year coverage and you HAVE TO ACTIVATE IT) covers you when you've managed to find something that trashes the outside of the ioSafe drive (or there is a dive failure). Unlike most companies, ioSafe hasn't got a lot of "we don't cover it if x happens" clauses in the warranty and the data recovery service. Cat walked across the keyboard and hit the delete key? No problem! Your Ex pitched it in the fishtank? No worries! Your child thought it was the perfect mold for his sandcastle? Send it on!
Hard drives are generally fragile devices that we somehow still trust to keep our photos safe. ioSafe thinks hard drives can be better. For a few years now they've proved they can build tough hard drives that survive things like being shot or run over by construction equipment. These drives all had one thing in common - their weight and size didn't make them travel friendly. The new ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive changes that.
Designed to handle things like 5,000 pounds of crushing force, a 20 foot drop, and liquid immersion for up to 3 days, the ioSafe is likely to take anything your life can dish out when you travel. The only notable thing this version doesn't handle is fire. This isn't designed to be your normal desktop back up drive. This is designed to travel with you. For home/office use where you want fire protection, look into the rest of ioSafe's product line.
The ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive is still heavy compared to a "normal" hard drive but at around a pound the weight isn't prohibitive for travel either. Most of us have lenses that weigh more than this hard drive. The design is compact at about the size of your hand and only one inch thick. This drive would easily fit in my camera bag or computer bag for travel.
The ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive comes preformatted for PC but it only takes a couple minutes to reformat for Mac use. Access and write speeds to the drive are pretty good but nothing spectacular. The drive works with USB 2/3 and a FireWire version is in the works. It is Kensington Lock compatible as well. Still, the main attraction of this drive is knowing it is going to survive just about anything you throw at it and that if it doesn't there's the included data recovery service.
The included data recovery service (1 year coverage and you HAVE TO ACTIVATE IT) covers you when you've managed to find something that trashes the outside of the ioSafe drive (or there is a dive failure). Unlike most companies, ioSafe hasn't got a lot of "we don't cover it if x happens" clauses in the warranty and the data recovery service. Cat walked across the keyboard and hit the delete key? No problem! Your Ex pitched it in the fishtank? No worries! Your child thought it was the perfect mold for his sandcastle? Send it on!
Disclosure: Review samples were loaned by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.