The Popular Costco USB Drive You Should Avoid (And Alternatives You Can Try)

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Costco can be a great place to buy electronics thanks to the membership warehouse club's frequent deals and generous return policy. The company also seems to have a knack for picking great products to stock, leading to a high degree of consumer confidence. But if you're looking to grab some USB drives, there's one product consistently carried by Costco that should inspire caution, as it could cause catastrophic data loss, costing you more than you bargained for.

The USB drive in question is the SanDisk Extreme Go Portable SSD. At just $130 for the 2-terabyte model, it seems like a fantastic bargain. SanDisk is a well-known brand for flash storage, and you'll commonly find drives of this storage size that cost significantly more money. Moreover, the Extreme Go brands itself as a ruggedized fortress for your data, with 3-meter drop protection and IP65 water and dust resistance. The carabiner loop incorporated into its shell emphasizes that this solid-state drive is built to last. However, buyers should be aware that SanDisk Extreme products have proven to be extremely unreliable, with a high rate of failure that has led to several lawsuits. Although this seems like a great deal in-store, you'll wish you'd bought nearly anything else if it ends up failing and taking your precious files along with it.

So, let's break down exactly which issues have cropped up with the SanDisk Extreme line of SSDs, including the back-and-forth drama that has unfolded from multiple class action lawsuits, and why these SSDs are still impossible to recommend. We'll also cover some much more reliable alternatives. Here's what you need to know.

In August of 2023, three lawsuits were filed against Western Digital, SanDisk's parent company, over just two days. Each complaint alleged variations of the same claim: that SanDisk Extreme branded SSDs were experiencing an unacceptably high rate of failure and other critical issues resulting in customer data loss. In addition to the lawsuits, reports poured in from all corners of the tech press. In May 2023, two 2 TB SanDisk Extreme drives went down for Ars Technica's Lee Hutchinson. Around the same time, The Verge's Vjeran Pavic lost 4TB of data. SanDisk told both publications that a firmware update was coming, and even sent Pavic a replacement unit with the update applied. But the replacement drive failed, too, and Pavic lost another 3 TB of data. Numerous reports from consumers also poured into reporters' inboxes and proliferated across online forums. Anecdotally, the writer of this article also lost nearly 500 GB of data when his SanDisk Extreme SSD failed.

According to the director of a data recovery company, a firmware update wouldn't have done the trick, anyway, as he found the cause of the failures to be weak connections on the circuit board, along with cheap soldering material. Despite statements from Western Digital and SanDisk acknowledging the issue, there seems to be no resolution nearly two years later. Reviews on Costco's product listing for the SanDisk Extreme Go SSD continue to complain of drive failures and other bizarre issues, with one review from just three days ago, as of this writing, alleging that all three Extreme Go drives he purchased failed. It's safe to say that, at least until Western Digital makes some massive changes, it's best to avoid these SSDs.

Unfortunately, Costco does not carry a comparable alternative to the SanDisk Extreme Go Portable SSD at the time of this writing. Costco inventory changes frequently, so you should keep your eyes peeled, but you may need to buy your SSD from a different retailer. With that in mind, here are some of the best options.

The easiest portable SSD to recommend is the Samsung T9 Portable SSD. Samsung is a trusted brand in the flash storage space, and the T9 is one of the fastest SSDs, with read/write speeds up to 2,000 MB/s and a high degree of drive reliability. In tests from AnandTech, it proved to be a reliable workhorse drive, though sometimes not as fast as the SanDisk Extreme. However, its ruggedized outer shell is much more robust than the hollow-feeling shell of the SanDisk Extreme, making it a much safer choice if you want something that you can throw in one of the best tech backpacks. The one drawback to the T9 is its high price. You get what you pay for, but it's worth keeping an eye out for sales if you're not in a rush to buy. Those on a budget should also consider the slightly older Samsung T7 or T7 Shield.

Another solid option is the Kingston XS2000 Portable SSD. With a more attractive price structure compared to Samsung's offerings and read/write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s, it's a competitive SSD that most people should find satisfactory for their needs. Unlike the Samsung T9, T7 Shield, or SanDisk Extreme series, the Kingston XS2000 does not advertise itself as a rugged drive. However, it does come with a silicone protective shell, and you can purchase a hard case separately.