LaCie XtremKey review

Having a small and portable USB flash drive capable of carrying around most of your important files is all well and good, but the more you take it out, the more likely it is you'll accidentally damage the drive - putting your important files in danger.

The LaCie XtremKey 32GB has been designed to be as tough and resilient as possible, while still remaining relatively portable. It's water resistant up to 200 metres (656ft), can survive 10 metre (32ft) drops and can withstand being crushed by up to 10 tonnes of pressure.

It can also withstand heats as high as 200°C (392°F) for 3 minutes and freezing conditions as low as -30°C (-22°F) for 24 hours, thanks to its ZAMAC metal alloy body.

While it's not small, it's not unbearably chunky either, and the design is certainly slick and eye catching. Though we didn't start a fire or go diving to really put the LaCie XtremKey through its paces, it certainly felt to us like a solidly built device that you could safely store your files on.

AES 256-bit encryption protects your files from dangers that the reinforced body could not, and 32GB of online secure storage is also included via LaCie's Wuala service.

Read and write speeds were good, with 203.18MB/s sequential read speeds and 85.82MB/s sequential writes.

Verdict

It might not be for everyone, but if you want a solid USB flash drive to keep your files safe when you're in extreme - or at least mildly perilous - situations, then the LaCie XtremKey is a robust and well-designed bit of kit.