Cheap SD cards and Flash Drives

[GORDON STREETER]

Have other people had issues with cheap cards & drives, I have just lost some important video off of a class 10 32 gig card on my camcorder and a flash drive that I was using in my Smart TV was just as bad.
I then brought an expensive flash drive for the TV that cured the problem and wondering if an expensive SD card will also be the answer.
I know "you only get what you pay for" in life but have others had problems ?

[Tim Falce]

I always use Sandisk and now buy from Amazon. The problem is that you can buy something labelled as an expensive card and they can turn out to be hooky Chinese crap, this even happened with Amazon fulfilled orders but at least they took action on it.

[andrewc]

I tend to use Sandisk or Lexar and are choosy where I buy from as there are many fakes out there.

I've seen problems with camcorders etc in race cars where the vibrations have vibrated the card away from the corresponding pins on the camera, causing corruption. Have encountered same problems with batteries and battery contacts.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

I always use Sandisk and now buy from Amazon. The problem is that you can buy something labelled as an expensive card and they can turn out to be hooky Chinese crap, this even happened with Amazon fulfilled orders but at least they took action on it.

The price difference between Sandisk and Cheapo Inc really isn't all that much anyway - not worth the risk. Buy a decent brand and buy from a reputable source.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

The price difference between Sandisk and Cheapo Inc really isn't all that much anyway - not worth the risk. Buy a decent brand and buy from a reputable source.

Well I don't know about "not a lot of difference between Sandisk and cheapo" as it is a whole minefield out there.
The cheapo flashdrive cost me £11 off the net and looking on line a Sandisk Extreme USB 3 16gig can be brought for under £15, but can you be sure that they are genuine ?
I actually brought one in Maplins for £27 for recording and playback on the Smart TV and has given me no trouble.
As for the cheapo SD 32gig card, twice it's lost everything (although I haven't tried recovery yet) one wasn't "life and death" and the other l had a lucky break as I had already downloaded it onto the PC, and it was an important wedding !
I notice that most are made in China (including sandisk) !!!!

[davyboy]

It's less to do with the brand and more to do with where you buy it from. Only buy these devices from Amazon - not 'fulfilled by Amazon' - but Amazon themselves. DO NOT buy off eBay or anywhere else. These are among the most faked/cloned items around at the moment.

[andrewc]

I tend to buy memory from MyMemory or PicStop.

I once bought a fake Sandisk from Ebay. The price was very good. Product looked very convincing, but wasn't reading / writing at the supposed speed. Ebay gave me my money back. Card eventually died but I never trusted it with anything important. This was in the early days when counterfeiting memory cards was scarce (or it wasn't as widely known about).

[P3ndula]

Originally Posted by andrewc

I tend to buy memory from MyMemory.

Same. For now MyMemory have unbeatable prices. I haven't bought anything from amazon in ages.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I notice that most are made in China (including sandisk) !!!!

Made in China to a certain spec is a lot different to made in a shed in China. I don't know what you call cheap but I paid about £28 for a 32gb Sandisk. I'm not sure how you tell their authenticity but mine came direct from Amazon so hopefully it will be genuine.

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Made in China to a certain spec is a lot different to made in a shed in China. I don't know what you call cheap but I paid about £28 for a 32gb Sandisk. I'm not sure how you tell their authenticity but mine came direct from Amazon so hopefully it will be genuine.

Amazon's own stuff is authentic. I did work for a business that supplied Amazon and they put you through plenty of hoops before they'll take you on as a supplier. From a customer perspective, they'll correct a problem with something they supply themselves immediately. Becoming an Amazon marketplace participant is a different kettle of fish and the checks are nowhere near as rigorous.

In terms of SD cards, you will find cheaper out there but it's not worth the risk, hassle or disappointment... stick with Amazon or somebody else reputable you trust.

[Tim the Grey]

Tim? Plug the card into a PC, and check the Drive Properties, from My Computer? It should come up as a Sandisk if it's kosher... I had an odd one from ebay, that was labelled Rockstone, or similar, when I asked the computer.
Real ones should have the Sandisk Product number printed in white down the side...

I contacted Sandisk themselves, as ebay didn't want to know...

[Tim Falce]

Tim, it came up as Nikon D7100 and after formatting it just says Removable disc. There is a serial number on the bottom of the disc but no names.

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Tim, it came up as Nikon D7100 and after formatting it just says Removable disc. There is a serial number on the bottom of the disc but no names.

The camera likely formatted it when you inserted it first. There are a variety of problems with the fakes but the most common is insufficient space. Check to see if you have the space you'd thought you'd bought.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Check to see if you have the space you'd thought you'd bought.

It says 32 gazzilion Kbs which seems to equate to about 29.7GB so the manufacturers are a bit misleading aren't they.

[Woolley]

It always uses up part of the space for the tables and partition information so the actual useable space tends to be around 90% of the total.

[GORDON STREETER]

I normally use The 7 Day Shop as their prices are just about the same give or take a gnats nob !
However I am talking about cheapo cards and drives and not genuine decent ones that I would think they supply.
I suppose as I have a top of the range HD Camcorder I should use a top of the range card as I have never had any problems when I was using smaller gb decent ones !

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

It says 32 gazzilion Kbs which seems to equate to about 29.7GB so the manufacturers are a bit misleading aren't they.

That's OK. So long as it's near enough, that's fine. The fakes are way off... e.g. you'll get 2GB useable space on a so called 32GB card.

By the way, many people don't realize that there are actually 1,048,576 KB in a GB [not 1,000,000] and as Woolley says, a small area is reserved for tables, directory i-nodes etc... reducing the useable space slightly.

[Tim the Grey]

Hi, sorry, been busy.
Tim? When you have it in the PC, right click the icon, and hit Properties, down the bottom of the pop up? Blunder in there for a minute, and you'll see a physical hardware name? Or something like that. It should give a sandisk model and serial number. Bear in mind I last did this about 6 years ago!
I just buy from retail outlets with a brand image to look after, never from ebay.
7 day Shop are pretty good for Sandisk, as are Amazon. High Street places have comedy pricing. If they were an order of magnitude away from online, I'd be tempted, but they are just ridiculous.

[flagwaver]

Don't forget it is not only the quality of the card but the speed it "writes" at. I always use a class 10 if I am taking action shots as it reduces the buffering time.