Beside using a 128MB and a 512MB for my digital camera, i don't have a USB key.

I was curious about if any users out there uses those things and to find out what experiences they could share.

This might help anyone willing to invest in a USB key. Like me

personally i have no need for one, i just email myself w/e i need on rare occasions.

I love USB drives. I call 'em flash drives though.
One reason is, if the computer has no internet or LAN access, a USB drive will almost always work. Also, since our school computers have no useful software other than MS office, it's nice to be able to run portable apps from a USB drive. And, they can hold a LOT more than email can. Gmail gives what, 2 Gb? My flash drive is 512Mb, but think how long it would take to download 512MB from your mail! They're relatively cheap; you should get one.

I have a Corsair 128MB. Its nice but I wish I gotten 1 or 2 gb so I could at least use it for Vista's ReadyBoost.

I knew nothing about USB Flash Drives,when I recently bought my little Sandisk,Cruzer Micro Flash Drive 1gb capacity,for $20.
Man do I love it and use it.The nice thing for sure,is that it works both on our Win 98 and XP computers.
Highly recommended.

VAN

I use a 256MB Memorex USB 2.0 drive that work has provided me. I use it for storing data, flashing bioses, ghosting machine, running NTFS DOS and more. It works really well by itself. It has survived many a fall. The only time I have had these die on me is because of faulty hardware on some computers.

I've got a 4GB PNY Thumb Drive that I use daily on site. It contains 90% of the stuff I use frequently, acts as a handy backup target in a pinch (ever try burning a CD on a half toasted client's machine...), and is a hell of alot easier to carry than a CD case (which stays in the truck now).

I'm very happy with the two that I've had (the first one died a couple of years ago after about 6 or 7 years service). Perhaps the best computing related item I've ever purchased in the last few years. Unbelievably handy and much easier than burning a CD in a lot of instances.

The only drawbacks I see for them:
1) If you get into a corporate environment, there can be problems, since the tendency is to lock down USB ports these days.
2) They can be so small as to lose. If/when you get one be sure you secure it somehow so you don't lose it, run it through the wash, etc. Security issues are of concern too, since they can be easily walked off with too.

This leads into perhaps the biggest concern you'll need to have beyond manufacturer reliabilities, etc. If the drive has a cap, make sure that the key ring (if there isn't one) is not on the cap, or that the cap doesn't come off easily. My first one had the keyring on the cap, which was easily released, so it couldn't have been used/stored on a key chain.

ya we i call them flash drives too. my school just got a fiber connection a month ago so dload speeds are nothing to worry about
and i just ran into something today where a flash drive would have been helpful. i'm repairing comps at school and installing edubuntu on them to donate and i needed a 56k modem driver to connect to the internet on that comp.. luckily i was able to find a floppy disk, lol. yep, a floppy disk. i havnt used one in years.

i have a 1gb pen drive, just for general file tansfers etc, always find them useful!

I have four 256 MB drives: 1xTwinMOS, 2xLexar, 1x”noname”
The “noname” one I got for free less than two weeks ago at a local event, the other three I’ve had for a few years, I think I bought the first one back in 2002.
I have hardly used any of them at all; I either mail the stuff or put it on a DVD-RAM/DVD-RW.
I will probably use those for BIOS flashing when I get a new comp (there are no more updates for my current one).

Larger drives are too expensive compared to portable HDD:s, buying a 8+GB drive is therefore just not cost efficient.

If you’re buying a flash drive, go for at least 1GB, but 2-4GB is preferred depending on your needs and the prices. Check the transfer speed of the drives before buying, they can vary considerably (some drives have 20+ MB/s, while others have like 3-8 MB/s).

I LOVE USB drives. I call 'em LIFESAVERS though

I have a 2 of these:
http://www.caselogic.com/2_capacity_usb_dr...m?modelid=66125
a red on and a grey one

and 4 of these
http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(11...lash_Drive.aspx

grey one hold holds 2 8GB ones
These hold just about every XP patch, Office 2003 and 2007, office patches for both, some Slipstreamed ISOs, one is bootable with an XP password recovery linux the other has a USB bootable XP (but its messed up at the moment)

red holds a 2GB and a 4GB
the 4GB holds My Build Software (antivirus, adobe flash/reader, other school software and bat files) and the 2GB holds all my spyware/virus removal tools and any possibly tainted user backups (the 2GB sees all the bad files)

the 8GB ones usually stay in the office because i cant make them bootable password protect them but the 2 and 4GB ones are password 'protected' and are always on my person or in the PC next to me