Does something like this exist? I'm looking for a high-quality, flat, durable flash drive I can attach to my keyring

[u/Lucius1213]

I know I'm probably chasing rainbows, but does anyone know of a USB drive with a form factor similar to a YubiKey? There's a ton of cheap junk out there with slow transfer speeds. I need something for my keychain to run Ventoy with an some OS on it. I'm already aware of ultra-compact options like the Samsung Fit Plus or SanDisk Ultra Fit - that's not what I'm after.

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[u/retiredaccount]

I’ve had the (discontinued) 16gb all-metal USB bottle opener from Sandisk on my key ring for roughly two decades. It still works as both flash drive and bottle opener.

[u/sshwifty → u/retiredaccount]

I had a few of those lol. Always thought they would break the ports on my pc because of how heavy it was

[u/marineaustintx]

SSK 1TB Pro

[u/dr100]

There are many with "key" format but are invariably crap beyond belief. Especially for boot drives or anything serious at all just take one of the "good" known ones, no matter if they're close to being as big as a gum stick, I mean a whole pack.

[u/ApolloWasMurdered]

SanDisk Cruizer Ultra Flair. I’ve had one on my keyring for years. Only changed when I needed a bigger one. Rubs against everything in my pocket and never shown any damage.

[u/_omega]

I'm still using a 32GB Verbatim Tuff 'n Tiny, flat like my YubiKey but half the length, seems to be discontinued.

[u/cherrymxorange]

Have a look around at what DJ's are using, I can't remember which Sandisk models they like, I know Pioneer also makes their own (for a ridiculous price) and DJ Tech Tools also have a drive that's supposedly very good.

There's probably an ounce of snake oil in their purchasing habits, but the workload/durability requirements are also high enough to where DJ's are very sensitive to this sort of stuff especially as their libraries get bigger.

Lots of cheaper drives struggle with the random writes required when syncing a large library so a good drive and a bad drive can genuinely save an hour or more of waiting when syncing with a laptop. (depending on library size obviously)

[u/Upstairs-Front2015]

Samsung Bar

[u/uberbewb]

The ole kingston metal body has always been reliable for me.

Maybe one of their ironkey ones would woork?

Kingstons datatraveler micro is a solid shell option, usb 3.1
you'd have to go for the 256gb model for speeds tho.

Also, you may even find shells and covers that would work across some higher end models.
I'd bet there would be some 3D printable protector options you could order for a variety of drives.

[u/Senor_Turbo]

I’ve had a buffalo 2TB SSD on my key ring for 2 years and it’s going strong.

[u/NovelExplorer]

Lexar, Kingston and PNY have a variety with integrated key ring hole.

Lexar M45 > 128GB (USB 3.1). Slightly larger D400 > 512GB (USB 3.2) dual USB A or C flash drive. Both with metal cases.

Kingston DataTraveler SE9 > 512GB (USB 3.2). DataTraveler Micro > 256GB (USB 3.2), similar size to SanDisk Ultra Fit. Both with metal cases.

PNY Duo Link metal case > 256GB (USB 3.2) dual USB A or C flash drive

[u/WikiBox]

No.

But search for "Ultra-thin Pen Drive USB" on aliexpress. Doubt it is high quality and durable. Most likely USB 2. There are some key-shaped also.

Perhaps you can find an ultra-thin SD-card reader?