Sandisk Extreme Ducati Edition (4GB)

Designed to look like a motorcycle, SanDisk's latest attempt to spice up the normally dull product line of USB flash drives is certainly a head turner. Finished in gloss red, silver and black metal, and even featuring a taillight that glows when the drive is in use, the Extreme Ducati Edition is definitely one of the most visually appealing USB flash drives on the market.

Looks aren't everything though, and SanDisk claims the 4GB Extreme has a 20MBps read and write speed. To assess this, we dragged and dropped a folder containing 397MB of JPEG files from our PC onto the drive, and vice versa. It took 1min 04sec to transfer the files from our PC onto the unit, which works out at approximately 6.2MBps. Read speeds took just 35sec, equating to a notable 11.3MBps. Although these speeds aren't up to SanDisk's proclaimed 20MBps, they should still satisfy even the most demanding of tech geeks. The Extreme is definitely one of the fastest USB flash drives currently available on the market.

Although some may regard the design as little more than a gimmick, the red metal finish does echo a sense of sturdiness, and build quality feels excellent. The USB port is concealed within the device, and slides open via a small button at the bottom of the unit, negating the need for easily losable caps. The metal finish does weigh down the Extreme though, so wearing it around your neck with the included lanyard is best avoided.

The sleek, curved casing really does look like a Ducati motorcycle and a nice finishing touch is the Ducati badge on top of the drive. You obviously pay for the Ducati licence, but there is no doubt that motorcycle fans will find this device extremely appealing.

SanDisk includes their RescuePRO Deluxe software in the sales package - data recovery software for any memory card format. Considering the asking price though, we were a little disappointed to learn that the Extreme Ducati Edition doesn't come with any other pre-installed software or applications. On the upside, SanDisk offers a lifetime limited warranty.

All up, while the Ducati licensing may be a gimmick to some, the Extreme combines excellent build quality, good speeds and an attractive design to create an appealing USB flash drive. For its asking price, it's a little heavy, and there is no pre-installed software or applications, but overall, the Extreme Ducati Edition is a welcome entry into the market and breathes some life into the normally boring category of USB flash drives.