Purchase: $7-$45 Samsung BAR View in gallery via

Plain and tall, it’s the secure choice for standard users with tight schedules. Smart and snappy when it comes to simple transfers, users who prefer a USB 3.0 protocol, but aren’t looking for giant choices will find this a quick, casual, affordable choice in the USB drive market. Purchase: $6-$46 Kingston Technology DataTraveler 100 G3 View in gallery via For normal treatment and housing unremarkable information in a plain, inexpensive, quaint body, it’s never bad to have one of these on hand.

It’s not going to stand and deliver after the bombs drop, so don’t abuse it. Gig for gig, there’s few other thumb drives in existence than offer both USB 3.0 functionality, and 128 gigs worth of cheap storage in a quick, retractable body. Purchase: $8-$17 Verbatim Pinstripe View in gallery via It’s also able to expand the memory of Chromebooks or smaller netbooks with skimpy storage space. Most average users won’t need more than this for most storage needs.

Security is handled by 128-bit encryption that comes with data retrieval by SanDisk. SanDisk Cruzer Fit View in gallery via īuilt to go anywhere, the Fit is about the size of your thumbnail, so it can be plugged in and forgotten about, no worries about knocking it out of the drive or bending it when you move your laptop. Add in a little quality encryption with security features that make it harder to hack or crack, should it fall into the wrong hands, fast transfer rates, and you’ve got the mix for a really good flash drive that is worthy of holding onto your NOC list, your bank data, or The Colonel’s Secret Recipe. Since they are little more than a memory card, with no moving parts to easily break, finding a good flash drive is usually as easy as locating one that is built with a tough exterior, for protection from the wetness, dust, and shocks of the world.

Best encrypted thumb drive