Buttons require a firm press, but nothing that should concern any but the most fragile users. The 3z’s keypad is tiny, but quite usable. Note that if you use only Windows PCs, formatting in NTFS, which is what we tested with, will give you better small-file write performance.

Computer, smartphone, Blu-ray player, industrial controller, car stereo, you name it it should be able to read the unlocked 3z. The 3z is FIPS-140 Level 3 certified for security, is pending IPS57 certification (Q2 2017) for dust and water resistance, and is kind of fun to use.įormatted in FAT32 or exFAT, with the keypad obviating the need for lock/unlock software on the host device, you can use the Aegis Secure Key 3z on anything that recognizes USB mass storage. On the other hand, if you’re really trying to fly under the radar, just keep it in your pocket. Lacking the 3.0’s keypad cover, the 3z looks like a 1/8-scale garage-door opener when you pull it out of your pocket, but so what? Exposing the keypad lets everyone know they’re not going to get the data off your drive, so don’t bother. Now there’s the Aegis Secure Key 3z, which is the size of a standard thumbdrive-approximately 3.2 inches long, 0.75 inches wide, and 0.37 inches thick. We were already fans of Apricorn’s keypad-sporting secure drives, especially the smallĪegis Secure Key 3.0, which is only a little larger than your garden-variety USB thumbdrive.

Like the Aegis Secure Key 3.0, but better.

Apricorn thumb drive