Ion Water Rocker Wireless Waterproof Audio System Review

When I think of pool, I think of pool party. But to help bring the party and pool together, music is a necessity. And whether it's a pool party or just an individual lounging at the pool alone, music makes it more enjoyable. However, water and electronic devices tend not to mix well. Thanks to Ion Water Rocker, you can safely add music to your pool, or other recreational activities that include water, such as the beach or lake.

The Ion Water Rocker is a unique little MP3 player device. It consists of two pieces, the transmitter and the receiver. The transmitter is a small device that your MP3 player, cell phone, or other portable music device plugs into. You can keep this device in a safer location such as on the patio and plug it into the wall. It's not waterproof, but it does have a clear plastic cover that goes over it to protect it from splashes.

The next part of the device is the receiver. This is a round ballish looking device that receives the signal wirelessly form the receiver. It has two stereo speakers built-in to play your music. Being waterproof, it can simply just float in the pool and play your music while you're lounging or playing in the pool. And if you want to simply listen to the radio, the receiver has a built in FM tuner.

It's features and specks include:

Stereo, wireless speaker and transmitter with 100-foot range

Perfect for pools, hot tubs, lakes or bringing to the beach

Fully waterproof and submersible (level IPX7)

Add up to 10 speakers from a single transmitter

Transmitter with 1/8-inch jack for connecting iPod, iPhone or other audio devices

Built-In FM radio

The Ion Water Rocker came well protected in a nice looking color printed box that includes pictures of the transmitter and receiver along with some of it's features. Opening up the box showed that both pieces were well protected and sectioned out with cardboard deviders. The transmitter looked to be made of fairly cheap plastic, but appeared put together sufficiently well. There is a 3.5 mm cord that plugs into your MP3 player/iPod/cell phone. The receiver was more impressive. It is a round looking ball of a device, again with plastic construction. But needing to be waterproof, the build quality, and fit and finish, seemed to be better and more tight. I also liked the rubber controls on the top of the device for controlling power, volume, radio controls, ect.

Testing the Ion Water Rocker, it performed as expected. The transmitter successfully sent the signal to the floating receiver. The receiver floated effortlessly in the pool. Spashes had no negative effect on it. Even "accidently" falling onto it and submerging it temporarily seemed to have no negative effect. It's tuner did a good job of receiving local stations.  The speakers also performed well enough. Volume was able to get decently loud. While not considered an audiophile piece of gear, and bass output was limited, I would not expect those features at this price point and in this type of device. It did play sufficiently loud, highs and mids were sufficently clean and detailed.  And as the name implies, it rocked the pool.

The Ion Water Rocker definitely added a fun factor to the pool. And it can add that same factor to any outdoor water area, such as beach, lake, ect. The Ion Water Rocker performed as expected. It's design features, quality and performance did come out in a synergy that was fun to listen to. At an MSRP of $99.99, it would make a great addition to any pool side location. Based on its design, features, quality and performance, the Ion Water Rocker has earned our Recommended Award. Congratulations on a well thought out product that is destined to fill a niche. For more info and complete specks, check out their website at www.
www.ionaudio.com.

Coleman Big Basin Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag Review

Coleman has been a provider of quality products for over 100 years. I'm glad to see that things haven't changed. If you are looking for a quality product at a good price, it's easy to look to Coleman. Up for review today is one of their mummy style sleeping bags, the Big Basin Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag.

Features and specs:

For temperatures 0⁰ F to 20⁰ F (-17.78⁰ C to -6.67⁰ C)

Big and tall design for heights up to 6 ft. 6 in. (1.98 m)

Diamond ripstop polyester cover and polyester liner

Wide bottom for room to move your legs

Semi-sculpted hood helps lock in heat

Quilting construction eliminates potential cold spots

Thermolock™ full-length draft tube prevents heat loss through the zipper

Two-way no-snag patented zipper plows fabric away from the zipper

Unzip the bottom for extra ventilation on warmer nights

Stuff sack for quick and easy storage

Two way zipper for maximum ventilation

Stuff sack included

Dimensions: 39 in. x 92 in. (99.1 cm x 233.7 cm)

Five year limited warranty

The Coleman Big Basin Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag came in a nice looking color printed box with images of the product as well as it's features and specs. Opening the box revealed a sleeping bag, stuffed in it's stuff sack. Pulling out the sleeping bag revealed a large sized, mummy style sleeping bag. The Coleman Big Basin is designed for the big and tall person. At it's 39" wide and 92" long it will fit a larger or taller person. However, it can be used by anyone. While I am neither big or tall, I like room to move and the Coleman Big Basin provided that perfectly. I did not feel as confined as in a traditional mummy, yet at the same time I had some nicer features that are typically found in the mummy bags like the drawstring hood to keep the cold air out. Zippers were of good quality and sewn in well. The nylon construction appears highly durable and the fill showed no signs of clumping. The draw string worked well. Overall the fit and finish as well as the quality of construction and materials used were quite good. At this point I was anxious to see just how well it would perform.

Taking the Coleman Big Basin on an overnight campout, I was cozy warm. The Big Basin is rated at 0-20 degrees. 0 degrees being on the low side of the comfort range and 20 degrees being on the high side. It's easy for manufactures to sometimes fudge on these numbers, but the Coleman rating seemed fairly acurrate to me. While the temperature didn't get down to 0 degrees, it did get down to around 25-30 degrees. And I slept very warm and comfortable without being too hot or too cold. The stuff sack is also the right size. Whether being rolled up and put in the bag or just stuffed in, the included stuff sack worked well with both. I also really liked the built in baffle to keep out cold air along the zipper. The built in pocket also proved handy for small items such as wallet, keys or glasses.

The Coleman Big Basin Extreme Weather Sleeping Bag proved to be a high quality product that was very comfortable to sleep in with an accurate tempurature rating. The quality of materials and construction were also very high. I would have no problem recommending this product to anyone that does both a lot of camping and are hard on their gear, such as Boy Scouts. As a assistant scoutmaster, not only would it do well for a scout, it will do well for anyone. It is a bit on the bulky side as well as a bit on the heavy side, so it is not recommended for a backpacking bag. Based on it's design, features, qualtiy and performance, it has earned our Recomended Award. We will continue to update this review as to it's performance in colder weather as winter approaches. For more informantion and complete specs check out their website at
www.coleman.com.

Magellan eXplorist 110 GPS Review

We live in a digital age. Our digital devices make life more convenient for us. Computers help us at home, GPS receivers help us get to where we need to go. But GPS receivers can do more than just tell us how to get around town. Up for review today is the Magellan eXplorist 110.

The Magellan eXplorist 110 is a portable handheld GPS. The eXplorist 110 won’t give you step-by-step directions for getting around town, or tell you where the closest fast food restaurant is. It will however help keep you from getting lost outdoors. It is designed for camping, hunting, or other outdoor activities. The eXplorist 110, even though a more basic model, will still do a lot more than keep you from getting lost.  

Features and specs:

• Easy to Navigate Menus and Rich Graphics A simple main menu, intuitive contextual menus, and vibrant graphics make this device easy to use
• Brilliant, sunlight readable color screen A vibrant 2.2" color transflective screen provides the best readability in direct sunlight
• Rugged and waterproof to IPX-7 standards Focus on the adventure not protecting the device
• High-sensitivity SiRFstarIII GPS with 3-5 meter accuracy 3-5 meter GPS accuracy provides a superior navigation experience
• Pre-loaded World Edition Map Referencing a complete road network in North America and Western Europe and major roads throughout the rest of the populated world to help in orientation. See parks, rivers, lakes, major city points, and other types of land use areas.
• 18 Hours of battery life using 2 AA batteries Go strong for an entire day (or more). No stopping to replace the batteries.
• Suspend Mode The goal is to conserve battery life by putting the device into an advanced power saving mode. Suspend mode will turn off everything expect for GPS tracking. Wake up the device with a single click.
• Paperless Geocaching Download and view more than 20 unique characteristics of each cache and view, search, filter on the device. Details include name, location, description, hider, size, difficulty, terrain, hint, spoilers, and last 20 user logs among a number of other details.
• 500 megabytes of user memory available Loads of space for waypoints, Geocaches and tracks.
• Record Tracks and See "Breadcrumbs" on the Map Screen Keep a log of all the steps you took throughout the day. Reference your track to find your way back or to keep a digital journal of all your outdoor adventures
• Track Summary Start your journey with one-click and keep tabs on useful statistics such as distance travelled, average speed, elevation gain and descent, and average time to find
• NMEA Message Output (USB Only) For hardcore outdoor GPS enthusiasts who want to connect their device to laptop running VantagePoint software and see your position on computer screen.
• Multiple Coordinates and Map Datum's Navigate around the world and do it accurately. See your geographic location in UTM coordinates or reference the OS Grid for use in Great Britain

The quality is what I have come to expect from Magellan. It is excellent. The Magellan eXplorist 110 came shipped in a attractive green printed box, with pictures of the device and some specs and features. Opening the box revealed the GPS receiver wrapped in a plastic bag, held in a cardboard cutout. Lifting out the cardboard cutout was where the Quick Start Guide was, which was the only included accessory. The eXplorist 110 is a fairly simple device and accessories are not needed. Pulling out the device revealed a solid device with a soft rubber casing. While I would not want to drop the device, I was glad to see that it could take a drop and still survive. It is also waterproof, to handle the outdoor elements. The eXplorist 110 was put together using high quality materials, with a high quality fit and finish. The roundish design felt good, and was sufficiently bright, to be able to read outdoors. The rubber buttons were also very responsive and worked well.

As mentioned previously, the eXplorist is a more basic model in the eXplorist series line-up. With that being said, it does have the features that most will need. If you are a more avid outdoorsman and are looking for more features, there is no need to fret, Magellan has more models for your consideration, such as the eXplorist 310, 510, 610 and 710. But the eXplorist 110 reviewed today will let you see your current location, add way points, plot out routes, and see your tracks. It will even do geocaching.

Everything came together really well with the eXplorist 110. Adding way points, and using these waypoints to make your routes was fairly simple. I really liked the ability to see where you have been. Geocaching is also a good way to get some familiarity of the device. My wife’s grandfather, a hiker, took three of his grandsons on a hike several years ago. They got lost, and thanks to a search and rescue effort, they were found a couple of days later and were ok. The next Father’s Day, her grandfather had a new handheld GPS. The eXplorist is an excellent device that does a lot. While it is a more basic model in the Magellan lineup, it still has a lot of features, and reading the owner’s manual will greatly help in getting the most out of it.

I was very pleased with the performance of the Magellan eXplorist 110. It is rugged, will built, and should give years of service. The display was easy to see and read. The interface and controls were simple to navigate. At an MSRP of only $129.95, the Magellan eXplorist 110 is a bargain! Based on it’s design, features, quality, and performance, the Magellan eXplorist 110 has earned our Value Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.magellangps.com.

Audiofly AF78 Premium IEM Review

I love my music, as many of us do. And with smart phones, it is so easy to take it with us everywhere. Often times the included earbuds just don’t cut it. After all, if you like music, why not have it sound good. Up for review today is a premium IEM from Audiofly, their AF78.
 

I was excited to review the Audiofly AF78 due to their design. When it comes to IEM’s, their are two different types of driver: dynamic and balanced armature. To make a long discussion short, most cheap earbuds and many nicer IEM’s use a dynamic driver. The single dynamic driver produces excellent low end extension, with good mids and highs. The balanced armature typically does not have the low bass output and extension found in the dynamic drivers. They do however provide a better mids and high frequency performance. The Audiofly AF78 is the only model that comes to mind that uses dual drivers, with both a dynamic and balanced armature drivers.

Features and specs:

Driver Type9mm Dyn/Balanced Armature: Custom articulated dual drivers with crossover for incredible separation and beautiful detail in the high end with lush well-defined response in the lower and mid frequencies.

Magnet Type Neodymium: Audiofly headphones use a neodymium magnet for longevity; the alloy has a unique crystalline structure that has a greater resistance to being demagnetized.

Frequency Range: 18-22KHz: The AF78 has an extended frequency response across the entire spectrum with a range of 18Hz - 22Khz for a massive soundstage with impressive detail and separation.

Cable Length1.2m: Our high spec AudioflexTM flat braided cable not only has kevlar reinforced conductors, but a CorduraTM brand Nylon outer sheath for superior strength and amazing durability.

Plug Type 3.5mm gold plated: We use gold plated plugs not because they look good, but because gold is the best conductor with the greatest resistance to corrosion giving you better sound transmission that is durable.

Impedance 16 Ohms: The AF78's dual drivers have a low impedance of 16 Ohms. This is ideal for low powered devices like iPods® and iPhones® giving enough headroom so they have no trouble producing plenty of volume.

Sensitivity 108dB at 1kHz

The Audio Fly AF78 came in an attractive box with color photos of the product and its specs and features. Opening the box revealed a product in premium packaging that was well packaged. It was quickly obvious to me that this is Audio Fly’s flagship product, the materials used, as well as build quality and fit and finish was very good. I like the cloth Kevlar cable, and the quality connections. I also like all the accessories. About the only thing I would change is the round storage tin. But that is personal preference as while it isn’t fancy, it does work.  The next question is how does this all come together in it's sound?

Star Wars - Throne Room and Finale: the soundstage was pleasantly big with good imaging.  The trumpets had great resolution and were not too brassy sounding.  The trombones had excellent timbre.  The full orchestra had a lot of instruments, and you could really hear them.

Junior Wells - Why Are People Like That:  the vocals were really life-like with excellent timbre.  The piano also sounded natural.  I especially liked the harmonica solo that showed off some great dynamics.  And the bass had some great low end extension.

 

No Doubt - Hella Good: impact and low end extension in the kick drum at the beginning of the song was very good.  The percussion was also crisp and very dynamic.  Vocals had excellent timbre and natural sounding.  Overall the resolution of all the instraments was very good.

Justin Timberlake - Sexyback: had nice low end extension and output.  The snaps were dynamic and the vocals were smooth and natural sounding.  It also provided a big soundstage with great imaging.

 

Techmaster P.E.B.- Activate, and Time To Jam:  the sound of the dual drivers were impressive, and to truly test the bass output of the dynamic bass driver, I turned to Techmaster.  I was not dissapointed.  Bass output and extension was superb.  I tend to like a lot of bass, and its output was just the way I like it.....LOUD, yet also very clean.

 

Since the Audiofly AF78 has the built-in call handling feature, I thought I would test it out.  So I turned to my HTC EVO 3D cell phone.  My cell recognized it once they were plugged in.  I received a call, and with a simple press of a button, the call was answer.  To the person on the other end of the call, I was easy to hear, not too tinny sounding, and didn't sound 1,000 miles away. 

The Audio Fly AF78 has proven that Audio Fly is a true contender in the premium IEM market. And with it’s superior design, other manufacturers should be taking notice. For those in the market for some premium IEM’s you would be disappointed not to give them a listen. Based on their design, features, quality and performance, the Audio Fly AF78 has earned our Highly Recommended award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.audiofly.com.

Sigma Karma Evo Pro High Power LED Bike Light Review

If you like to bike at night, you will need a bike light. But not all lights are created equal. Up for review is the Sigma Karma Evo Pro K-Set high power LED light. If you have seen the cheap lights found at your neighborhood Wal-Mart, then the difference in quality and performance will jump out at you!
 

Whether you are riding on or off road, you will want a light if you are riding at night. And if you are riding off road, a light is a necessity. Since you won’t be riding on smooth pavement, you will want a bright light to see potential obstacles up ahead. The Sigma Karma Evo Pro K set will definitely fit the bill for that.

Features and specs:

-State-of-the-art single chip LED technology

-Enormous light output up to 320 lumens
-Extra long burn time with constant brightness (4 h/8 h power-, 6 h/12 h standard-, 12      h/24 h energy- saving mode with IION/IION XL)
-4 modes: energy saving, standard, power, and flashing mode
-Multi-stage battery capacity indicator
-Extremely durable aluminum housing
-Watertight
-Tool-free click-mounting (uni-fit 22-32 mm)
-Horizontally adjustable
-Switch on protection (double click for ON)
-IION, IION XL compatible
-Low weight: 70 g
-Helmet bracket included

The Sigma Karma Evo Pro is a very high quality light. It came in a nice looking printed box with color photos of the product, as well as product specs. Opening the box revealed cut outs to hold the components in place. The charger, battery, cables, and the light itself all were high quality. The materials used were very good, as well as their fit and finish. The cables felt very solid, with good connections.  The design of the connections was also very well thought out, for a weatherproof connection.  I was also impressed with how small the light was, yet how solid it felt, with a tank-like build quality.  I also like the included helmet bracket, so you can mount the light on your helmet instead of your handlebar.

I was expecting good performance from Sigma, but not this good.  This little light is a canon!  Even on its low power setting it is very bright and usable for off road riding at night.  Which means it is a great fit for even long mountain biking treks.  But turn it on to high power mode, and ….WOW!  To quote Darth Vader…”Impressive…most impressive.”  You can really see a ways ahead of you.  Yet at the same time, it also did a great job of illuminating right in front of you as well.   Having a range of 80 meters is not an overstatement as some manufacturers can tend to do.  The power button worked well, and I really liked how you have to press it twice to turn it on, so there are no accidentally turning it on.

Having used Sigma products before, I have come to expect good products from them. Yet the Sigma Karma Evo Pro K-Set high power LED light still managed to impress me. It is that good! If you have a mountain bike and like to hit the trails, the Sigma Karma Evo Pro is a must see. Having used it, I can honestly say I would not hit the trails at night without it. With an MSRP of $149.99, it is worth the money.  Based on it's design, features, quality, and specs, it has earned our Editor's Choice Award.  Kudos to Sigma!  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.sigmasport.com.

2012 Holiday Gadget Gift Guide

Fall season is here, so the holiday shopping season is upon us. So it is time for our annual Holiday Gadget Gift Guide. We have a good variety of products this year, including some products for you outdoorsman. We hope this will give you some good gift ideas for your friends and loved ones. Below are the products included, and their review schedules.

Ion Water Rocker- It is a two piece wireless audio system. Simply plug in the receiver and your iPod or other music device to your patio outlet. The 2nd piece houses the speakers and is waterproof. Just throw the round speaker unit in the pool and enjoy the tunes. Scheduled for review around the 3rd week in November.

Audio Fly AF78-these are some IEM’s. They have an in-line mic, and feature a unique dual driver design that incorporates both a dynamic driver and balanced armature driver. Scheduled for review around the 1st week in November.

Magellan eXplorist 110-This is a nice handheld gps receiver. It has a rugged waterproof housing with a color display. There is a pre-loaded world edition map, and does geocaching. It works great for camping, hiking and more. Scheduled for review around the 2nd week in November.

Sigma Karma EVO Pro K-Set high power LED bike light- This Sigma light is not your typical bike light. It comes with an external battery pack to light up your path for 80 meters with its 320 lumens! Now you can hit the trails at night. Scheduled for review around the 1st week in November.

Coby SNAPP Cam5005- This is a portable 720p camcorder with touchscreen menus. The included software makes it easy to upload your movies to YouTube. Scheduled for review around the 4th week in November.

SanDisk Ultra 32 GB memory card- This microSD HC memory card also comes with an SD card adapter. This high speed card is perfect for most portable devices. Scheduled for review around the 2nd week in December.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0- This 7 inch tablet comes with 8Gb of internal storage. It is a Wi-fi model with memory card slot for additional storage. And the dual-core processor makes it great for multi-media. Scheduled around the 1st week in December.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1- This is a larger 10 inch tablet. It is also a Wi-fi model and comes with 16Gb of internal storage, as well as a memory card slot for unlimited storage expansion. The Note software is amazing, and with a quad-core processor it can handle anything you throw at it. Scheduled for review around the 1st week in December.

Ion Room Rocker- This is an iPod dock with a built in subwoofer. This device will let you rock out in any room that is missing a stereo system. It also doubles as a charger. Scheduled for review around the 3rd week in November.

Coby CSMP95 Soundbar- built in TV speakers don’t always cut it. Not only will the Coby soundbar provide better sound, it also has a wireless subwoofer. So you will not only have sound you can hear, but also sound you can feel! It also doubles as a music system, allowing you to play your portable mp3 music player through it. Scheduled around the 2nd week in December.

As you can see, we have a good variety of products this year. We appreciate your visits, and hope you get some good gift ideas for your family and friends. We at Stereowiseplus.com also want to wish you and your family a Happy Holiday season.

Coby CSMP135 Portable Bluetooth Stereo Speaker Review

Most of us enjoy our music. Products like the Coby CSMP135 let us enjoy it in multiply ways. The Coby CSMP135 is a small wireless speaker system with bluetooth connectivity. What this means is that you can enjoy your music wired or wirelessly from different devices. It is also quite small, meaning it is easily portable.



It's features and specs included:

 

Easy Bluetooth pairing

Built in rechargeable battery

3.5mm stereo line-in jack

Sleek modern design

Great for office or home

Portable and compact for travel

Audio Input:    3.5mm

USB Port:        USB 2.0 Hi-Speed

Certifications:  FCC, USB

Battery:            Rechargeable Lithium Ion

Battery Life:    Approximately 5 hours with a full charge (based on continuous play time)

Shipping Info:.Unit Dimension (WHD) 1.9.25" x 1.74" x 2.32"

The Coby CSMP135 came in an attractive looking box with Styrofoam ends to hold it in place. It appeared sufficiently protected. It is a round tubular shaped device with a removable stand. The Coby CSMP135 appeared put together well, with a sufficient quality fit and finish. The silver plastic was of good quality. While being light, the construction did not appear flimsy. The included travel pouch also helps to protect it while on the go. The speakers on each end were well attached.

 
The Coby CSMP135 helps give you music on the go. Simply plug it into a powered USB connection to charge the device. There are connections on the back for the mini USB for charging, and 35mm for corded connection to a device, such as cell phones or mp3 players. Ont he top is a built in holder for your tablet or other portable device. I could also see the Coby CSMP135 being used with your laptop to provide better sound.

I thought the Coby CSMP135 performed well. With electronics, you usually get what you pay for. At a MSRP of $50, it is a bargain for bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth performance however was spotty, not always connecting with my device. I was pleased however with the overall sound output from this small device. With the small stereo speakers, I was not expecting a full sound. Sound performance was as good as I was expecting.

Michael Jackson: Don't stop till you get enough, provided natural sounding vocals. Percussion was crisp and a tad bright, with sufficient details in the instruments. Next up was Steve Miller Bad and Swingtown. Percussion's again were crisp and provided good details. Guitar resolution was also good and sounded as natural as the vocals. The drums has sufficient dynamics with no low end extension. Last up was Journey: Don't stop Believing. The keyboards sounded natural with ok resolution. Vocals were clear sounding with good timbre.

The Coby CSMP135 is a good choice for someone wanting good sound in a small package, at a cheap price. While bass output was the expense from the small speakers used, it did have good output. and the overall sound was good. I can see them being used either with a laptop or as a bedroom system. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at: www.cobyusa.com.

Kingston 64GB DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 Review by Kirk Spencer

 
Today we're reviewing another USB 3.0 drive, but this isn't just any USB 3.0 drive. What we have here is the Kingston HyperX USB 3.0 64 GB drive. Not all USB drives are created equal and what's on the inside actually matters (imagine that). We all know that the HyperX line from Kingston means business and their HyperX USB drives are no exception. How fast is this drive? We’ll lay it out on the table with the specs right from Kingston's web site. I have to admit the first time I saw those specifications I thought there was a typo. Read on to see if the drive can actually stack up to these claims.



Specifications
Capacities1: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
Dimensions: 2.952" x 0.916" x 0.626" (74.99mm x 23.29mm x 15.9mm)
Operating Temperature: 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C)
Storage Temperature: -4°F to 185°F (-20°C to 85°C)
Practical: durable casing with a solid lanyard loop
Speed:
•USB 3.0: 225MB/s read and 135MB/s write
•USB 2.0: 30 MB/s read and 30MB/s write
8-Channel Architecture
Backwards Compatible - with USB 2.0
ReadyBoost™ Support
Guaranteed: five-year warranty, free technical support

Packaging
Normally the HyperX line comes with pretty fancy packaging above and beyond what the packaging would be for average devices. A perfect example of this is the HyperX SSD drive we reviewed recently. We were slightly surprised to see the HyperX USB drive in a plastic package with nothing more than the drive, standard instructions and a basic keychain adapter. Of course packaging is not what most of you are here to read about and it certainly is not an indicator of what to expect from the performance of this drive.

Build Quality
The HyperX drive is a little larger than some of the other USB drives we’ve reviewed but we suspect that is partially due to the 64 GB storage. The blue which you see in the picture above is a slick plastic while the black forms a nice x of the HyperX line and has a slight rubber feel to it. The cap attaches only one way to the tip and it’s a snug fit. The cap can also be attached to the back of the drive. However, the tip comes off the back end easily and we could see it getting knocked off and lost this way. The key chain lanyard that comes with the drive is a simple one and nothing to get excited about. The back of the drive has a nice rugged loop hole which you can attach a lanyard to. The drive feels nice in the hand and it has a solid shell which we feel will last as long as you have it.

Speed
We used a couple of the same tools we use to test SSD’s as we think they do a good job demonstrating just how fast this drive actually is.

ATTO - Kingston HyperX 64GB USB 3.0 Drive



















A picture is worth a thousand words and we think this picture speaks volumes. Our ATTO results were only slightly slower than what Kingston was advertising for this drive. We originally thought these numbers were a typo but it’s hard to dispute results.

CrystalDiskMark - Kingston HyperX 64GB USB 3.0 Drive


















If that doesn’t make your jaw hit the floor then I don’t know what will. These results from a USB drive are absolutely staggering. CrystalDiskMark results have this drive coming in slightly faster than what is written on the packaging for the drive’s specifications.

I had to do a few other tests just because I couldn’t believe my eyes. I took a large 14.7 GB file and set it to copy to a slower USB 2.0 drive. The file took almost 10 minutes to copy. Kingston’s HyperX 64GB USB 3.0 drive took just over a minute to copy. I had similar results when copying a folder with several small files. From the benchmark results above you can see that the drive does not do as well with small files but our folder with several files still copied much faster than the USB 2.0 drive.

Conclusion
If you are looking for the fastest USB drive possible then we can only recommend one drive: The HyperX USB 3.0 drive by Kingston in any of the capacities offered. If you are in the market for a high capacity USB 3.0 drive Kingston offers their HyperX line starting at 64GB and going up to 256GB. If you’re still not impressed then we’ll leave you with this last thought: the 64GB version can be picked up for a mere $103 over at Best Buy. Based on it's design, quality, and performance, the Kingston HyperX 64GB USB Drive has earned our Editor's Choice Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.kingston.com.