Be careful buying micro SD memory cards

[LittleLebowski]

Like an idiot, I bought this 1TB micro sd card (https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Adapter-Speed-Class-Memory/dp/B08G8JQQ4M/) on a whim. Transferred some stuff over to it to free up space on my hard drive, now I can't copy it back and can't read/play/access it.

Then I wised up and bought this 256GB SanDisk (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FCR3316/). NO problems whatsoever. Buy name brand, folks.

[SecondsCount]

Good thread. The biggest issue I have seen with the generic cards is speed/compatibility and temperature issues. You may try plugging it into another device to see if it will read the card.

SanDisk has always performed well for me.

It's pretty amazing that you can now fit 1TB on something the size of your fingernail :cool:

[HeavyDuty]

One issue is counterfeit cards, especially Sandisk. I’m very careful where I buy my memory.

[Dog Guy]

One issue is counterfeit cards, especially Sandisk. I’m very careful where I buy my memory.

Any suggestions on where to buy? Online vs brick and mortar? I try to buy brand name but I don't know how to recognize counterfeit ahead of purchase.

[scw2]

One issue is counterfeit cards, especially Sandisk. I’m very careful where I buy my memory.

I recently bought 4 SD cards due to the dashcam I got as a result of the thread here at PF. I made it a point to avoid buying off Amazon due to the potential for counterfeits in their co-mingled inventory. Amazon might refund your purchase price, but that's small apples compared to losing data due to a failed card.

I bought from Best Buy during Prime Day and prices were comparable to Amazon, and am guessing Black Friday will have some decent prices there as well as other electronic retailers.

[scw2]

Any suggestions on where to buy? Online vs brick and mortar? I try to buy brand name but I don't know how to recognize counterfeit ahead of purchase.

I responded to HeavyDuty, but I'd say go with either a brick and mortar store, or online if they're shipping directly. For example, Walmart's website includes 3rd party sellers, so you'd want to be careful who you're buying from there.

In terms of recognizing counterfeits ahead of purchase, I don't think there is much you can do outside of pricing or reviews of the seller that looks fishy. Once you receive the item you might be able to compare against images of known good items, but that's a hit-and-miss proposition.

ETA - I believe Mystery was the one that recommended anyone buying dashcams to avoid SanDisk due to history of failures from that brand. I googled and saw other similar recommendations so I went with another major brand.

[LittleLebowski]

I will say that you will immediately know if you have a POS card once you try to use it.

[HeavyDuty]

I personally try to buy SD and Micro SD memory from places like Micro Center, Best Buy or even Walmart - but only in store. I used to trust B&H but they got scammed a few months ago with counterfeit Nikon DSLR batteries, so I’m not sure if I trust their supply chain anymore.

[0ddl0t]

I foolishly put a cheap micro SD card in my dash cam and a few months later had my first accident in 20 years. The other driver suddenly drifted into my lane, but the SD card was corrupted and no footage was retrievable. Despite the fact the impact was on my driver's fender and her passenger rear door (my sight line vs her blindspot) and that the road was curving left at the time of the accident (e.g. she had a reason to drift into my lane), the insurance companies are treating it as he said/she said so I'm out a $500 deductible. Worse than that, I no longer have a spotless insurance claim history and may not be entitled to the same rates going forward (I have millions in various policies so a zero-claim history has real value).

Long story short, a cheap microsd card cost me a heck of a lot more than it saved.


PS: For a microSD that will be used in a dash cam pay a bit extra for a higher speed class.

[Default.mp3]

It's pretty amazing that you can now fit 1TB on something the size of your fingernail :cool:https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/microsd.png
Source: https://xkcd.com/691/

[rob_s]

Timely.

My new 360 camera and the file sizes it produces have me looking for the most storage I can get on one card and/or an external solid-state HD that has a built-in card reader that I can also access with my iPad via a network so I can verify files are saved...

My thought is that I don't really want to make the camera another $150 more expensive if I lose it, nor do I want to rely on all my files being on it when it goes missing either. Seems like the better spend might be the lower cost/volume card(s) and the HD that I can keep better control of.

[HeavyDuty]

Remember to always format memory cards on your PC before use, preferably a deep format. And then again in the device if it supports formatting.