Kingston Vs. Sandisk Flash Drives

Both Kingston and Sandisk manufacture a variety of flashdrives.

A flash drive is a storage device that plugs into a computer’s USB port. Often small enough to be carried in your pocket, flash drives provide convenient portable storage. Both Kingston and Sandisk manufacture several models of flash drives.

Storage Capacity

Both Sandisk and Kingston flash drives come in a variety of storage capacities. Sandisk drives start at 2 GB; the largest offered is 64 GB. Kingston's drives also begin at 2 GB; its largest is 256 GB, the most in the industry.

Price

Price varies by model and storage capacity. Sandisk flash drives begin at $14.99 for a 2 GB model; the 64 GB model costs $277.99. Kingston’s smallest model costs $12, while the largest model is $1,077.00 (all prices as of 2010).

Password Protection

Many flash drives offer extra security in the form of password protection. Several Kingston models, including the Data Traveler 310, 200, 410 and Vault, have this feature. Sandisk offers password protection in the Extreme Contour, the Cruzer Gator, and the Ultra Backup models.

Color and Style

Each model has a slightly different look; some models come in different colors. Kingston makes yellow, blue, red, lime, purple, black, orange and white drives. Sandisk is somewhat more limited, offering pink, red, black and silver.

Waterproofing

Kingston offers a unique feature on the Data Traveler Vault. This model is waterproof, a feature that is not offered on any currently-manufactured Sandisk flash drive.

References

• Webopedia: USB Flash Drive
• Sandisk: USB Flash Drives
• Kingston Technology: Meet the Data Traveler Family
• Kingston Technology: Data Traveler 310