I started using this as part of my workflow after upgrading my iMac to the 2020 i9. Initially I was using USB-3 external drives to import my photos onto to edit but found that the maximum speeds I was getting whilst editing were slightly limited. meaning it took a little longer to generate the previews on larger images and video in Lightroom. I also make a point of keeping images OFF my internal drives and on external hard drives and NAS Storage (longer term)
This new small, rugged matt-black unit doesn't look like much in size but boy does it deliver.
It's USB-C only though and not backwards compatible meaning that you can't use a USB-C to USB-3 cable and expect it to work. The incredible speed at which this reads and writes is only because of the controller utilising the max speeds available with the latest thunderbolt ports and speeds of up to 40GB/s. We'll test actual speeds in a bit compared with our internal blade drives in the MacBook Pro.
The fact that this is so light and rugged and powers itself from the USB-C Bus means there's no large cables or power leads and I love it. It claims on the website to have a 3 metre drop and two tonne car crush resistance and whilst I've not yet tried that. I did drop it from waist height and it all seems to be working as perfectly as the day I had it. It's also IP67 rated and that means the unit can be dropped into a body of water up to a meter deep for half an hour and still survive. Again - not tried this yet as I doubt I'll be taking it out for a weekend adventure away anywhere but it's good to know.
Okay so real world tests. I'm using the Black magic Disk Speed test program available here
It's free and consistently provides me with great results and also available on the App Store.
I'm using my Mac (spec's provided below) to test this device.
Ran the test and first time got the below results writing a 5GB file size to the drive. Now for those of you not familiar with all these numbers. This is BLAZINGLY fast. Read speed is always going to be faster than write speed and with a theoretical maximum speed of "up to" 2800MBPS transfer this is incredibly quick. Larger file transfers are going to be faster than smaller file transfers generally as the drive gets up to speed and the software tests the limits of what the drive is capable of. 10 bit would be considered broadcast quality footage so anything higher is generally not used for anyone other than professionals who are creating the next Pixar masterpiece!!
Really pleased with this drive and although the price point is a little high for most amateurs and professionals just starting out in the business £369 for the 1TB and 639 for the 2TB. You're buying a piece of pro kit that should last many years to come and future proofing yourself against slowdown in the future. Just remember to make sure that your computer has the right usb-C ports available to utilise the device's high end controller interface.
The link to purchase one of these is here
Thanks for reading this. Let me know if you decide to buy one and any feedback on this device I'll pass on to Lacie.