USB sticks - do you need a famous name?

[rjbull]

When you buy a USB stick / key / thumb drive, do you need a famous name, or are cheap generic no-name clones perfectly adequate?

I bent my Buffalo one - it still works, but I'm worried that one day the connectors might fail to connect.  Someone at work has a no-name he says works fine, even though it's been through the washing machine twice   

Thanks...

[Eóin]

You can't rely on either types exclusivly, always have backups of any data you have on. I've heard stories of them failing suddenly with no warning. Plus you could lose it .

[Perry Mowbray]

When I had my computer on the floor at work I realised halfway to the bathroom that my computer was following me, dragged along by the USB stick strap around my ankle.

It's a bit bent, but still works [a middle of the range type brand]. When I took some photos to get printed the lass behind the counter viewed it suspiciously...

Good advice about backing up etc. I should have it synchronised.

Perry

[rjbull]

You can't rely on either types exclusivly, always have backups of any data you have on. I've heard stories of them failing suddenly with no warning. Plus you could lose it .

-Eóin (August 18, 2006, 09:48 AM)

That seems to mean buying several cheap ones, so you can afford to lose the physical entity if not the data, and to keep several copies of the data.  I wish I knew if there were quality differences, though.

[f0dder]

Sync USB stick with workstation, have a backup plan for the workstation.

[mouser]

i wouldn't worry about brand name or quality - i've not yet heard any stories of them breaking.