I got this USB flash drive as a gift, and was really looking forward to using my first USB 3.0 flash drive. Unfortunately, after several tests, I can positively verify that this drive DOES NOT provide the USB 3.0 file transfer rates.

In order to test it I had formatted the drive and used a large 8 GB file to test the transfer rate. I transfered it a couple of times from my Mac Mini, and each time it took over 12 minutes to transfer it. I tried transferring the same file to a very similar looking USB 2 Silicone Power flash drive, and I got about the same transfer rate. Next, I used my Seagate USB 3 external hard drive, and the whole transfer time took about a minute. I am pretty disappointed in Kingston such an obviously false claim about their product.

Other than the misleading transfer rate, this is a pretty solid flash drive. One of the most appealing aspects of this flash drive is its design. It is very compact, simply-designed, and being made out of single metal piece incredibly sturdy. The flash drive is meant to be carried around on a key-chain, which is very convenient and secure. (I’ve lost too many flash drives over the years that I had been carrying in my pocket or the messenger bag.) However, if your key-chain happens to be very cluttered with keys and other carry-on items then you will want to attach and detach the flash drive whenever you use it. This can be a bit of a pain with this design, and I recommend you get a small carabiner for that purpose.

**** Product provided for review purposes. ****