Conclusive Thoughts

With the Cruzer Micro SanDisk improved two important aspects of the older Cruzer USB disk: durability and size. The new stick has a retractable USB connector which slides inside into the hard plastic cover; this without compromising on the overall size.

Another noteworthy change is the hook-up hole which allows you to put it on your keyring. The original had a wire (good!) the new one a small metal ring (less good), but the mounting hole in the drive was just plastic in the old one, and is now reinforced with a metal bar. This is vital as you’ll notice in the photo here, where I had to drill new holes in the Cruzer Mini as the wire cut through the plastic housing after years of use…

Performance wise the Cruzer Micro fails to impress with below average read and write speeds, hardly able to outpace the older USB drive. Nevertheless with burst read speeds at 20Mb/s and constant write speeds at 8+Mb/s is Vista ReadyBoost certified.

The strength of the Cruzer Micro lies in its diminutive size and its lower price, the Kingston HyperX costs around $/€50, the Micro can be found at €10/$20. Quite a difference in price wouldn’t you say?

If speed is secondary to price, durability and size the SanDisk Cruzer Micro will definitely not disappoint you.



SanDisk Cruzer Micro 4Gb
+ Very Durable Design
+ USB connector slides inside housing when not used
+ Low Price
- Average Read/Write Performance

We thank Eelke and SanDisk for making this review possible. Check back soon for more USB stick coverage!