CE-marked USB sticks fail in magazine test

Tests conducted by the professional computer journal PC-Welt have revealed big differences in quality of USB sticks, with 14 of the 21 storage devices tested found to be defective.

USB sticks are gaining popularity as portable data storage devices that are easy to handle.

However, not all the products available on the market meet the necessary standards of quality and reliability, as an extensive test conducted by the professional computer journal PC-Welt revealed.

The experts investigated whether and how susceptible the USB sticks are to everyday electrostatic charge.

The result: 14 of 21 devices reflected weak spots, four even failed totally - and that, despite the fact that all carried the CE symbol for certified insensitivity to appropriate parasitic coupling.

In compliance with the CE Regulations of the European Union, products carrying the quality symbol must not exceed certain specified maximum limits for electromagnetic radiation, and they must themselves be immune to daily parasitic coupling.

As far as USB sticks are concerned, that comprises electrostatic charge which can arise by friction of clothing on the skin or if a person carrying a portable memory walks over carpeting.

If a manufacturer marks a product with the CE symbol, while failing to comply with the regulations, EU legislation allows for financial penalties up to Eur 500,000, and can force the manufacturer to rectify the defects and recall the affected products from the market.

The situation is further complicated by reviews of USB sticks in professional journals and consumer magazines, which generally cover aspects such as the storage capacity and data transfer rates as well as the quality of the product and its handling properties.

CE conformity is, however, unfortunately ignored in the majority of cases.

A stick may thus be assessed as a good-quality product, despite the fact that it fails to function in the case of minimum electrostatic charge.

At the accredited test laboratory of Fujitsu-Siemens in Augsburg, PC-Welt tested a total of 21 CE marked sticks for susceptibility to failure.

In the test run three models revealed defects after minimum electrostatic charge.

One model even caused a PC to crash.

Ten other products revealed weaknesses and had to be disconnected and reinserted again.

Only seven USB sticks passed, including the two Swissbit memories examined in the test.

The magazine had this to say about the Swissbit TwistPro 2Gbyte: "Even the maximum voltage had no influence on the USB stick ­ it functioned extremely reliably?.

And the Swissmemory USB Victorinox, the unique liaison between the original Swiss pocket knife and the Swissbit USB stick, was also rated extremely positively: "The memory reliably screens off any electrostatic charge?.

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