IoSafe Solo 1 TB Fireproof and Waterproof External Hard Drive + 1 Year Data Recovery Service SL1000GBUSB20 (Silver)

I bought the 1 TB IoSafe because I wanted a good detachable hard drive that would last. I think it is worth the cost for what you get. The fact that they advertise it to be able to withstand fires, floods and theft seemed like a bit much to me at first, but now it feels more like my personal safe rather than just another computer component: I have downloaded and scanned all of my music and photos; albums, cassettes & CD's along with my important legal documents, tax statements, bank records etc. I placed these items into various partitions that I created. I like it so much I am thinking about purchasing another IoSafe for my DVD collection! My only real complaint would be that it is kind of noisy when it is working. Also, the blue lights in front are pleasing but, the on/off switch is in the back and would be a pain in the neck to turn off and on if you placed it on the floor; which is exactly where something this heavy normally usually goes: However, I placed mine on a glass shelf that's a part of my computer table. I then put a small carpet/rug remnant underneath so it doesn't scratch the glass and it also helps with the noise. The only compromise I am making is that I cannot bolt the safe to the floor. There is a nice hole in the rear frame to insert a bolt through if you want to do this but then you have to think about reaching down and turning it off and on all the time. Leaving it on all the time doesn't seem to great of an idea as the blue lights are bright and when it is saving things it does make some noise. In any case I didn't need to bolt it down so my solution works really great for me. The IoSafe makes you feel really secure. I am sure there are ways to add additional passwords/encryption codes etc. to further secure your data and valuables within the safe, but nothing I have is really all that valuable to anyone else but me, the peace of mine I get and the obvious thought that was put into this build makes this product quality in my book. It truly is My Digital Safe.I thought it would be helpful to add that I never ended up getting a second IoSafe. I'm still really happy with my IoSafe but I found 1 TB to be inadequate to hold all my DVD's: I have too many of them. I'm going with a 4 TB NAS with a RAID option. The IoSafe comes in a 2 TB model, but I need even more space. I read online recently that many people who have not yet purchased an external hard drive have cited the deciding factor as their lack of speed and that in the past, many externals have been, clunky, expensive, loud and slow: The Iosafe revels in all of these qualities; it's heavy, clunky, a real pain to carry around which is why even if you don't bolt it down it's really unlikely to ever get stolen. It's been slow for me when I transfer massive amounts of video, but no slower than would be expected from USB; eSATA would have been a better option. I find it a little noisy but not unreasonable: I positioned it convenient enough to turn off & on, but not near earshot. All things said, as I look back now, I stand by my start rating. I really like this clunky, sort of loud, kinda expensive and a little slow, bombproof 1 TB external solution to backing up your computer to place that is probably safer than anyone really needs!

Fire AND water proof hard drive...AWESOME! And a data recovery service, if needed, to boot...double-AWESOME! All at a fairly resonable price. A few key points that influenced my decision to purchase this include: A) Subtracting the cost of the hard drive, the price for the ioSafe enclosure was not too exorbitant once I found the product discounted from the "MSRP" via Amazon.com - I must say this product was at the upper limit of what I was willing to spend for a backup solution B) The affordable Data Recovery Service (DRS) option, which I upgraded to 3 years at time of registration, was extremely appealing C) An informative website and what appeared to be a company that not only has different product offerings, but also has a progression from older designs all made me trust investing in the ioSafe company itselfAs far as reviews on the ioSafe, I did read a couple 3rd party reviews, but, what really made me believe the product worked as advertised was watching other people on YouTube put the ioSafe through a real-world torture tests. Setting the device on a raging fire for a number of minutes until smoke was pouring from the enclosure. Then drenching it with large amounts of water as expected from a fire department. Followed by opening the enclosure and successfully accessing the hard drive from within.I am fairly impressed with the ioSafe. Granted, I've only had it for a couple days, but the registration and DRS upgrade was easy and quick, the device connected and mounted as expected, and I've started copying my most important information to it without any issues. I truly wish to never come across any worst case expectations, however, now seeing the solid construction first-hand I feel safe (pun intended) knowing my information will survive most tragedies that I am likely to encounter.About the ONLY downside to this product I can think of is the somewhat large size of the enclosure. I don't really mind the weight, and considering what this thing is desinged for, I'm starting to accept the extra large size of the case without any major problems.Regarding new and/or existing features, I would like to see a little more secure (perhaps just different) method of protecting the ioSafe against theft. Specifically, some sort of plate that can be anchored to a solid surface to which the ioSafe gets attached and locked thus covering up the mounting plate. I do own a few Kensington cable locks, but actually think the standard floor mount on my ioSafe is more secure to begin with and I therefore wasn't sold on that feature being available only on the more expensive models. I am planning on purchasing a much thicker steel cable and padlock system than what the Kensington solution can offer and think something more integrated, as mentioned, would be very nice.I would like to say this is literally a "bullet-proof" backup system, but I'm not in the mood to test this and risk trashing something I just paid a couple hundred bucks for...just yet! Sufice it to say that I highly recommend this product to anyone concerned with an almost 100 percent guaranteed preservation of irreplaceable files in about the easiest method I've seen.

I purchased the product for storage of family photos. The product gives me peace of mind that even in a disaster, I'll be able to recover irreplaceable memories. Hopefully, I never have the opportunity to report back on the product's fireproof and waterproof claims. As for set-up, it is as easy as any USB product. Plug it in and you're ready to go. I should mention that I am using this on an older Compaq computer running Windows XP.I have experienced two issues. First, I have received 3 "blue screens of death" when attempting to power down the drive. I only use it for picture back-up, so I keep it powered off when not actively backing up files. Even when following proper technique, the computer has crashed 3 times out of 5 uses. Also, at no time has Windows accurately identified the drive when I plug it in. I suspect both of these issues are with Windows, but it is quite annoying. Second, I have not been able to find a way to make the drive discoverable on my wireless network. I do not have advanced computer skills, so this may be unrelated to the product. Regardless, this makes it a 3 step process to transfer files, which takes quite a bit more time. Luckily, I only have to transfer files once every few weeks.That being said, there is no real way to evaluate this product unless a disaster occurs. This drive is intended for that specific use and I trust my data will be safe if one does occur. If you don't need the security or peace of mind this product offers, then there are many better options for you. I want peace of mind and this product has provided it.

This is a great peace of mind if you are concerned about losing your pictures and other important documents. I have it for almost 3 years and it's been working fine and never gave me a problem