ioSafe Solo Fireproof/Waterproof external drive put to the test!
July 1, 2009 by DaveM
Filed under Home Server Storage, Media Smart Server, Windows Home Server
In this video podcast I take a look at the ioSafe Solo External Drive. I’ve seen several reviews of this drive so I wanted to do something different. It’s fireproof so I am going to burn it!
The rugged desktop ioSafe Solo external hard drive brings disaster protection to a price range that everyone can afford. With capacities from 500GB to 1.5TB, the ioSafe Solo can safely protect precious family photo albums, music libraries and days of video memories. For business, the ioSafe Solo is a great way to protect customer databases or to secure regulated information including patient records (HIPAA, Sox, etc) or credit card information. Businesses use the Solo hard drive as a backup and storage device, no longer worrying about data loss from moving computer tapes and files offsite. Like other ioSafe products, the ioSafe Solo uses ioSafe patented technology including FloSafe air flow cooling, HydroSafe waterproof barriers and the DataCast fireproof insulation.
This video is also available on YouTube in HD.
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Nice video Dave! I only wish is was me burning that drive. I would have stacked a little more wood on the fire! I bet I could get it to fail!
Seriously, nice work!
Dave…..
Listened to the show this morning and immediately went to watch the video. Cool!
This is exactly the kind of review that more people should do. Anyone can sit in an office and write about a product sitting on their desk. To actually test a company claim and prove it in such a dramatic way, now this should sell drives!
Here’s hoping that iosafe isn’t to upset with the loss of the case which should easily be offset by the sales your video should generate.
Stuck a quick writeup referencing your review on my webpage http://tojofi.blogspot.com/2009/07/looking-for-fire-safe-data-backup.html
Keep up the great work & all the best.
Tony
Great Video! Loved your real world test! I was a bit surprised that the drive was too hot to touch after you took it out of the enclosure. I wonder how hot can a drive get before data disintegration can occur? Thx and keep up your good work!
Oh, BTW, you might consider posting a link to the iosafe website page… I want to check it out after your video.
Pulled this off amazon.com:
Product Features
Fireproof up to 1550°F for 1/2 hour per ASTM E119
Waterproof up to 10′ depth, 72 hours
Protect your photos, video, music and business data
$1000 Disaster Recovery Service Included for 1 year (upgrade to 3 or 5 during product registration)
Simple USB 2.0 Interface. PCs or Macs
Technical Details
Brand Name: IOSAFE
Model: SL1500GBUSB20
Hard Disk Size: 1.5 TB
Warranty: 3 years warranty
Hardware Platform: PC, Mac
Hard Disk Description: External hard drive
Hard Disk Interface: USB 2.0
Hard Disk Rotational Speed: 7200
Width: 5 inches
Depth: 11 inches
Height: 7.1 inches
Weight: 15 pounds
Yeah, that is all fine and good, but I have read stories about people losing all their data because the single hard drive in the system failed. Here’s the latest one I have read about: http://weddie.blogspot.com/2009/06/western-digital-drives-suck-for-us.html
These io drives also have a single hard drive if I am reading the specifications correctly, so I am unconvinced about getting one of these. They’ll survive fire and flood, but not necessarily a head crash.
Hi Connie,
You have a valid concern. All hard drives can fail without warning at any time. ioSafe guarantees their drives with their Data Recovery Service. Read more here: https://iosafe.com/disaster-recovery-service
If you read that page carefully they cover disk failures with no questions asked. I don’t know of any other external drive manufacturer that is doing that.
Lastly, I’m still a proponent of online file services. I still use KeepVault but I can’t see myself transferring terabytes of data online. That’s where my ioSafe comes in to play. I figure by using both I am completely covered.
Thanks for your comments.
Dave