Expert Rating

91

With both security and a good design, the Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 allows you to seamlessly transfer files across your devices without worry. The files being protected by the Sandisk Secure Access software means that you can now leave your Sandisk out in the open without worrying about someone getting access. You can now also choose from a variety of storage sizes and also connect across a wide range of devices thanks to the flash drives wide system compatibility. And thus, coming at a very affordable price, the Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 is probably the best USB flash drive you can get for the money. If you want a different flashdrive that you can take on the go, take a look at our secret USB flashdrive watch.

Why We Like It – Sandisk Cruzer CZ36

With a retractable design, an LED status light and USB 2.0, the Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 allows you to easily transfer your files from one place to another, that too extremely securely. With the Sandisk Secure access software you can now password protect your files. No longer will you have to worry about someone accessing files on your flash drive when you’re not there. And so, with a sleek design, sufficient amount of speed and security, the Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 is one of the best USB flash drives available right now.

Pros
  • Wide system compatibility
  • Features password protection
  • Retractable design
Cons
  • Doesn’t support USB 3.0

Performance

Although the device doesn’t support the high read write speeds you can get from USB 3.0, the Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 astounds you with a higher transfer rate than most other USB 2.0 flash drives. Paired with the 128 bit AES password protection enabled thanks to the Sandisk SecureAccess software, you no longer have to worry about the security of your files unlike in devices like the Kingston Digital DataTraveler SE9. Moreover, with its wide system compatibility you can now transfer your files between a wide range of devices starting from Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Mac OS X v10.6 and above and even linux devices. Finally, with its wide range of storage options you can choose from a 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and even a 256 GB drive option.

However, do keep in mind that according to some customer reviews, some of the 64GB flash drives go into write protect mode at times, so if you do get the 64GB version please try and check to see if that’s the case as soon as you receive it and contact customer support or just exchange it to get a working model for a verified purchase.

Design

The Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 has a pretty slim design measuring 2.31 x 0.8 x 0.4 inches and comes with a retractable feature. This protects the device from any form of external damages, while a red status light indicates whether it is plugged in. Thus, allowing you to easily know if the device gets disconnected or there’s a problem in the port. Overall, the design is compact and simple, yet providing you with everything you can ask for in a USB storage device. If you only want to get a drive that employs superspeed 3.1 with capacities of up to 64GB, click the Silicon power jewel j80 32gb dual review.

Value

With Sandisk ultra secure file storage and a pretty high write and read speed for a USB 2.0 device the Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 offers you all that you need. You get to choose from a wide range of storage options and also a wide system compatibility, all at a pretty low price giving the Cruzer CZ36 an excellent value. Plus, for that price and to also get the Sandisk SecureAccess is a great deal so that you get security on your data and peace of mind, making the Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 one of the best USB flash drives on the market today. Please try also reading online customer reviews following verified purchases of this drive to see how they comment on this drive is easy to use. Though if you’re looking for something with more impressive read write speeds, the line of Sandisk Ultra USB GB drives performs much faster. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more affordable option with almost all of these features, the Sandisk Cruzer Glide CZ60 is a great option. Overall, the CZ36’s write and read speeds could be better, but they balance out with the impressive transfer rate, security features, and various storage sizes to still make the CZ36 a great flash drive worth considering.

Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 Wrap Up

The Sandisk Cruzer CZ36 may not support USB 3.0, nor does it have as high read write speeds as the PNY Turbo Flash drive. It is also a tad bit more expensive than the Sandisk Cruzer Glide CZ60. But overall, with a balance between transfer rate, and price, a secure storage option and a wide system compatibility, the Sandisk Cruzer CZ60 is indeed one of the best USB flash drives you can get.