Kingston IronKey Locker+ 50 G2 USB Flash Drive (32GB) – Hardware Review
While we regularly feature data storage devices, ranging from external hard drives and USB sticks to M.2 drives, we don’t often review encrypted USB drives. Our last review actually dates back to 2016, when we took a closer look at Kingston’s DataTraveler 2000, which proved to be a great, secure storage solution. We loved the physical keypad to unlock the device, as well as the overall sturdy finish. Now, nearly a decade later, we are giving you our opinion of another secure Kingston drive, namely the IronKey Locker+ 50 G2 USB Flash Drive (32GB). As always, we’ll keep things simple while we delve into the specifics of this nifty little USB Flash Drive.
Design
Kingston’s IronKey Locker+ 50 G2 has an extremely classy design. While the device may look a bit simplistic at first glance, the metallic finish of the drive itself, the embossed Kingston logo, the clean IronKey name print, and the slightly transparent cap make for a very good-looking whole. Of course, we understand that this is just a USB drive, but it does look like a premium-quality device.
Comfort
The IronKey Locker+ 50 G2 does not have any noticeable comfort features, safe for its small size, the removable cap, and the option to attach a cord to it. While this might already be one of the main features of the drive, we do have to mention that the setup process was also really easy, even for less tech-savvy users. You can set up an admin password as well as a user password, and after this initial setup, you’re pretty much good to go.
Specs
- XTS-AES 256-bit hardware-encryption
- FIPS 197 certified
- Multi-Password (Admin and User) option with complex/passphrase modes
- Up to 145MB/s Read, 115MB/s Write
Overview
Truth be told, there truly isn’t that much more that you have to know when picking this one up. As described above, you’ll have to set up a password when initially connecting the device via its preinstalled software. You can then opt to add a user password as well. When a user gets his password wrong ten times, he will be denied access from that point onwards. If the admin does this ten times in a row, all data will be deleted. If you insert your USB drive into a device, you’ll have to fill in your password before getting access. It’s really as simple as that.
With FIPS 197 certification and XTS-AES 256-bit hardware-encryption, you’ll get a very secure device, which will not easily be compromised. The performance is also as it is advertised on the tin, with read speeds up to 145MB/s and write speeds up to 115MB/s. With CrystalDiskMark, we did get varying results, but all of these were situated around the advertised speeds (and some even slightly higher). All in all, you’ll have a drive with decent performance, albeit a bit slower than other USB devices of the same generation due to its preinstalled security software.
Conclusion
Kingston’s IronKey Locker+ 50 G2 USB Flash Drive (32GB) is a great, secure storage solution for those wanting to store work documents or project files they might not want to share with everyone just yet. With the fairly easy setup process, you can allow an additional user to access different files, making it easy to allow others to work on different projects or share files that are still reasonably private. We loved the overall experience and didn’t encounter any issues during our testing period. For those interested in an encrypted drive, this one is worth checking out, and luckily, there are also different storage capacities available for the IronKey Locker+ 50 G2 USB Flash Drive. For the full list of specs, we suggest going to the official product page by clicking here.
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