Kingston (FCR-HS215/1) Card Reader
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Similar in Memory Adapters
- Flash Form Factor: CompactFlash Memory Stick MMC Secure Digital (SD) SmartMedia (SMC) Microdrive Memory Stick Pro Memory Stick Duo Pro Mini SD RS-MMC
- Host Interface: USB 2.0
- Type: External Card Reader
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Fast Card Reader but defective out of the box.
Pros
USB powered, fast transfer speed.
Cons
Defective unit needed new cable.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Good flash card reader provided is not defective.
I got the Kingston FCR-HS215/1 card reader as part of a large purchase at B&H in New York, so is coming from a reputable seller and you would imagine all should work smoothly... Well is not B&H fault that the unit I received came with a defective USB 2.0 cable. After 10 minutes of frustrating tries the reader would not load any cards, tried an SD and a CF with no luck. I connected a "tested good" USB 2.0 cable to the unit "et voila" all worked as it should... I transferred 650 MB of data from the card to my computer in less than a minute from a 4GB SD card.
Since there is no way for replacing just that faulty cable and is not worth it to RMA a unit that cost less than $20.00, I do feel a bit ripped-off. It's really not for the money but more for trusting that Kingston is a serious company applying Quality Control on its products, but I guess that in order to cut production costs Kingston would rather take the chance to sell a percentage of defective units, rather than spending extra money on QC process.
So in conclusion that's a pretty good reader provided you have more luck than I did and the cable your unit comes with, is not defective (just keep in mind that there is that possibility so keep an extra cable handy ;))
PROS:
USB powered, fast transfer speeds, it loaded an SD memory of 4GB, small and compact, fairly nice looking, although I would have paid a few extra bucks if it came in aluminum to go with my mac pro ;).
CONS:
As mentioned in the review the USB 2.0 CABLE that came with the unit WAS DEFECTIVE, which makes one think Kingston is not conducting proper Quality Control on this line of products. CONSTRUCTION FEELS extremely CHEAP, blue LED is ALWAYS-ON even when no cards are connected. That's unnecessary, unless you don't mind the fact that all your peripherals make your desk look like a Christmas tree.
Since there is no way for replacing just that faulty cable and is not worth it to RMA a unit that cost less than $20.00, I do feel a bit ripped-off. It's really not for the money but more for trusting that Kingston is a serious company applying Quality Control on its products, but I guess that in order to cut production costs Kingston would rather take the chance to sell a percentage of defective units, rather than spending extra money on QC process.
So in conclusion that's a pretty good reader provided you have more luck than I did and the cable your unit comes with, is not defective (just keep in mind that there is that possibility so keep an extra cable handy ;))
PROS:
USB powered, fast transfer speeds, it loaded an SD memory of 4GB, small and compact, fairly nice looking, although I would have paid a few extra bucks if it came in aluminum to go with my mac pro ;).
CONS:
As mentioned in the review the USB 2.0 CABLE that came with the unit WAS DEFECTIVE, which makes one think Kingston is not conducting proper Quality Control on this line of products. CONSTRUCTION FEELS extremely CHEAP, blue LED is ALWAYS-ON even when no cards are connected. That's unnecessary, unless you don't mind the fact that all your peripherals make your desk look like a Christmas tree.
