Portable hard disk drives have reached half a terabyte these days and this Freecom ToughDrive 500GB isn’t only big in capacity, it’s also tough and ruggedized.
This 2.5″ mobile hard drive is encased in tough plastic mold and rubber (silicone) so it’s pretty well protected from bumps and even long drops (I think the plastic end might suffer from cracks if that ever happens). Freecom claims it can withstand drops of up to 2 meters.
The attached USB 2.0 cord is also covered in soft rubber and can be tucked/concealed into the drive’s side. The hard disk drive itself is manufactured by Samsung (total capacity is 499+GB so computation is on base 10 instead of the previous base 2). Also comes with a USB cable extender.
An NTI Shadow backup software is included and there’s built-in password protection too. This one retails for about Php5,530 in stores for the 500GB model.
dropped the drive for three times (1 intentional, 2 accidental) at waist height (3 feet?)
still working since 2010.
no bad sectors, etc.
clearly I’m confident I’m not the only person to think this way.
Where can we buy this? I think its a good investment. Appreciate if someone will tell me coz i wanna buy this stuff.
I’m choosing between this and the transcend Storejet 25M. Both are offering shockproof protection. Both are winners of the Red Dot design award (Freecom 2007, Storejet 2009) and have rugged designs with Freecom designed to withstand 2M drops while Storejet designed to handle 4ft drops, 26 times. I’ve seen videos of both being run over by cars and survived.
Can you reconfirm if Freecom ToughDrive is indeed using Samsung HDDs? I have the impression that they were using Hitachi’s TravelStar disks. (
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R35138FBCIVLW/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm)
Why I’m asking is that the freecom datasheets have the Toughdrive’s Shock Resistance @ 300G operating and 1000G non-operating. Hitachi’s HDD are rated at 400G/1000G while Samsung’s Spinpoint M6 has a rating of 325G/900G and the M7 is at 400G/900G. So I couldn’t find a match.
So much for 500 GB, how about a 1 TB external? How much would this cost and where is it available.
This is just what I need. I’ll add this soon on my list.
i’ll past! coz cant use it in my ps3…
Third pic kinda looks like a PDA. LOL
Looks nice and the cord management is pretty cool to. Definitely will consider this if ever I’ll need an external drive.
Not bad for that price given it’s been built to last.
Though this is the first time I’ve heard of the brand Freecom, what’s the score on its reliability?
guys if need ruggedized, better wait till early next year.. since ssd usb prices are going down and the capacity is going up. i believe no rubber casing can really protect moving/spinning parts imho (so don’t even try dropping it!).
SOLID STATE DISK 64GB With High Speed SATA 3.0GB & USB 2.0 Interface Price: Php 5800.00 — Cd-r King
Nice one…
I would go by a.cantos. Yes, Sir Abe. How about raffling some items here for Christmas? It’s the “ber” months already. Maybe you could set the criteria. If it calls for the cattiest remarks, I would readily sharpen my claws and bare my fangs for it. hehehe!
Seriously, that would be a nice way of sharing the spirit (from your end).
another wish on my list for christmas.
are you raffling one here? for the sake of christmas, please… :D
Are Freecom drives reliable? Why should I choose this over a Western Digital Passport which has the same price but only has 320GB capacity?
I’ve only bought WD and Seagate drives so far because I don’t want to risk my data.
we have the 320gb toughdrive and it looks exactly the same. we accidentally dropped it twice and it’s still working. no, we weren’t influenced to do that by their ad hehehe.
anyway, at first, i didn’t like the rubber usb cord attached to it ‘coz i thought it’s gonna break or something but it looks very durable. we’ve had it for months na.
This is something to save for!!!! Sure is hot!!!!
Whoa! I thought the 320GB (previously reviewed here) was Freecom’s last word in external drives. From the previous one, the obvious choice here would be the price. But with that capacity, I would certainly choose this one. I wouldn’t be the one to validate that 2m drop, though. Is it available in stores now?