Build Quality

When someone advertises a USB stick as "Rugged and Waterproof" it starts itching in my fingers to find out where the limitations of the product are. I put a few files on the stick and started a few experiments. Please don't try this at home. We are what you call experts with years of experience to keep us safe. I always wanted to say that.


First the stick was put into the freezer in a glass of water. Unfortunately the ice wasn't as clear as I hoped so I had to break the ice off to give you a better view of the USB stick. Actually the wet ice block slipped out of my hands when I thought "How do I make the USB stick inside the ice visible?". After melting off some more ice to reveal the connector I attached it to the PC and verified data integrity. Check, all files are ok.


In the meantime I had setup some boiling water and dropped the still partially iced USB stick into it. The ice melted in no time and the water started boiling. I let the USB stick sit there for a few minutes to ensure that it is well heated on the inside too. After carefully removing it, the files on it were tested again - still everything was fine.


As third test I put the stick into a small oven in which I crisp up my bread. First I was afraid that the plastic may melt, but it didn't, even after several minutes in the heat. After removing the USB stick I measured its temperature using an infrared thermometer - 150°C. Inside it was probably even hotter since I took it out where it could cool a bit. However, the data was still valid on the stick.


Last but not least, meet: the Executioner. This nice 1.5kg hammer was left to me by my grandpa. As you can see it has been well used over the years. Let's see how the ATP Tough Drive can handle that.


Click play to start the video


The only visible damage is that the connector metal is bent in a bit, but this can be easily fixed with a flat tip screwdriver.


Unfortunately the drive data was corrupted when I tried reading from it. Reformatting did not work either. I did test the drive after the first series of hammer smashes and then it still worked. After seeing the video Dan the Banjoman (one of our moderators) wasn't happy with the carnage and requested that I go full out. So it is safe to say that the drive will be able to absorb some damage, but at some point it will break.

What I will not try is putting it into a microwave which will definitely destroy it. Also cutting the rubber with a knife will damage it too.