Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ G3 32GB Encrypted Flash Drive Review

Introduction

Encryption is becoming a bigger factor for more and more people these days, even more so with each hacking scandal and spying activity that makes the news. With that in mind, it is a pleasure to take a closer look at the Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ G3 with hardware encryption.

The normal sized flash drive doesn’t just come with hardware encryption by user-defined password, it also locks the drive down and reformats it after 10 failed login attempts. It is interchangeable between Windows and Mac OS, which is another great thing to see and something that isn’t always a reality on encrypted drives.

The DataTraveler Locker+ G3 also comes with the free USBtoCloud by ClevX, a backup solution that automatically backups your data on the thumbs drive to the cloud storage of your choice. At the time of writing, it works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon S3, Dropbox, and Box; so you’ll still have a secure backup at all times, even in the event of a lost or stolen drive.

Of course, we don’t just want to secure our files, we also want speedy transfers. The DataTraveler Locker+ G3 will naturally be slower than an ordinary drive in this category simply due to the encryption. It still promises great USB 3.0 speeds up to 135MB/s reading and 40M/s writing; not bad for a 32GB drive, especially not for an encrypted drive.

The drive is as easy to set up and use as a normal flash drive. Upon first insertion you’ll run the application stored on the flash drive to configure it and afterwards it’s like using a normal drive – with the exception that you’ll need to enter your password before you can use it.

The durable metal casing with key loop further keeps your data safe from physical damage. It is robust, light and good looking at the same time. Companies can also get the drive Customised with logo and/or digital files preloaded.

Due to the way the drive works, with a read-only partition for the security software, the drive requires two available drive letters on your system. Not something that should be an issue for most, but still a thing to consider.

Kingston backs the DataTraveler Locker+ G3 with a five-year warranty and free technical support.