Hard drives have become digital vaults in our lives. We save precious photos, memorable videos and important documents from our past and for our future.
So when catastrophe strikes, you want to ensure your information is protected. That's where external hard drive manufacturer ioSafe says they excel.
The California-based company makes a line of nearly indestructible drives that they say can survive flame, chemicals, shocks and drops. Hearing this, we just had to put two models to the test.
First up we took a flame to the Solo Pro. The hulk of a drive is built to withstand intense heat up to 1,550 degrees for a half hour. Much of the single terabyte drive's heft comes from the fireproof shielding inside.
Enlisting the help of the Montgomery County Fire Training Academy, the trainees included the Solo Pro in a live fire exercise. To test its endurance, the firefighters placed the drive on a windowsill of the brick and steel burn building.
Temperatures near the fire reached around 550 degrees according to readings from our laser thermometer. Not satisfied, we decided to take the test to the next level.
This time we place the Solo Pro directly into the fire of burning wood and hay – simulating the real conditions of a house fire. The drive spent several minutes inside the fire subjected to temps over 1,000 degrees.
Tech
Once out of the fire, we found that the outer casing was in tact, but the USB and power ports as well as the cooling fan had effectively been destroyed. Still, the casing remained in tact.
Since the ports were gone, the only way to the drive was by going inside. We unscrewed the case and took the drive inside from a waterproof pouch with not a scratch on it – though there was a slight stench of burnt electronics.
After placing the drive into an open desktop computer, it spun up without issue. The data – a video file placed onto the disc before the test – played just fine.
Second up was ioSafe's Rugged Portable external drive. This time we decided to pit the silicon against every electronics' worst nightmare: water.
The specs say the Rugged Portable can last for up to three days in 10 feet of water without the data being compromised. We decided to give it two days in a tub of aqua.
Still dripping wet, we plugged the drive into a computer. Again, it loaded up without a problem – playing the video file we transferred over before the test.
For added fun, we also tossed the drive, still connected to the computer back into the water. It still worked.
ioSafe also offers a data recovery service with the drives, so that you don't need to crack it open after a disaster.
The Rugged Portable external drive starts at $149 for a 250 GB model and the Solo Pro at $249.
Obviously every situation's different and everything has limits, but if you're looking for a little extra protection for your data, these drives live up to the claims.
