FAQ's

General

Q: What is a USB Flash Drive? 

A: A USB Flash Drive is a compact USB drive powered by flash memory that acts like a portable hard drive. Flash drives allow you to conveniently store your computer data within a portable sized container. USB drives can hold large amounts of information (currently up to 256 GB). They can be small enough (as small as a key, pack of gum, or thick credit card) to easily slip into a wallet, on your key chain, as a bracelet around your wrist, or around your neck with a lanyard. The difference between the typical computer hard drive and a USB flash drive stick is that there are no moving parts inside the USB drive. Flash drives use what is called "flash memory" to write and read digital content. Because of this, they have earned the name "flash drives"; they are also frequently called "USB flash drives" or even just "USB drives" due to their handy USB interface. In the example of the ol’ floppy storage, the difference is that with a flash drive, you can save, delete, store, transfer files as you please, as much as ya want (the average lifespan of a flash drive is about 10 years… so as much as you want within an average of 10 years!). A floppy or even a Compact Disc (CD) doesn’t enable the “recycling” of digital storage to the degree a flash drive does. Plus the old floppy and/or Compact Discs just don’t look quite as good hanging off your key chain. So in review, a flash drive is used to mobilize digital content… to allow you to save files and easily take them with you.

Q: How do flash drives work?

A: Just plug your USB Flash Drive into the USB port of your computer or other USB-equipped device. If the flash drive has a light (LED), it will flash to indicate that it is operational. Your computer may recognize a new flash drive has been detected, and then prompt you to open the drive (or run files already on the drive). Choose the option to 'open' or 'explore' the new USB drive. If you are running Microsoft Windows as an operating system, you can also see the new drive by clicking 'My Computer' on the 'Start' menu which lists all of your computer's drives, including the flash drive. Double click the flash drive to open it. Drag the files you want to copy to the flash drive into the folder that appears on your screen. Your files are now transferred to your USB Flash Drive (this takes place normally instantly but can take a little longer if you are moving large files). You can unplug your flash drive at any time, as long as files are not being read from or written to the flash drive. Ensure the LED is not flashing if your device has one. To transfer the items on your USB Flash Drive to another computer, explore the files on the flash drive as mentioned above, and then drag them to a location on the new computer.

Q: How much information can I store on a USB flash drive?

A: The answer is directly related to what type of data you plan to store on your flash drive as well as how large the drive is. For our fictitious "flash drive stuffing scenario," we'll estimate a typical Word document at 53 KB, a photograph at 1.6 MB and an MP3 audio file with 16 MB of melodies. Based on this information, here's a listing of how much each flash drive size could theoretically hold: 1. A 32 GB drive can store 640,000 doc pages; 19,200 pictures; or 2,048 MP3 files. 2. A 16 GB drive can store 320,000 doc pages; 9,600 pictures; or 1,024 MP3 files. 3. An 8 GB drive can 160,000 doc pages; 4,800 pictures; or 512 MP3 files. 4. A 4 GB drive can store 80,000 doc pages; 2,400 pictures; or 256 MP3 files. 5. A 2 GB drive can store 40,000 doc pages; 1,200 pictures; or 128 MP3 files. 6. A 1 GB drive can store 20,000 doc pages; 640 pictures; or 64 MP3 files. 7. A 512 MB drive can store 9,600 doc pages; 320 pictures; or 32 MP3 files. 8. A 256 MB drive can store 4,800 doc pages; 160 pictures; or 16 MP3 files. 9. A 128 MB drive can store 2,400 doc pages; 80 pictures; or 8 MP3 files. 10. A 64 MB drive can store 1,200 doc pages; 40 pictures; or 4 MP3 files. In actual use, storage limits will vary from person to person. For example, if you’re a professional photographer and work primarily with pictures that are 3 or 5 MB each, your USB flash drive will reach capacity much faster than if your pictures averaged 1.5 MB each.

Sales

Q: Why CFgear?

A: This is likely the most frequently asked question we get at the South Dakota headquarters of CFgear. As you may or may not know, NOT all flash drives are the same. Some have recycled NAND Flash memory chips inside them, and, while that can equate to a very low price, it can also equate to high failure rates with an abbreviated lifespan of drive cycles. Our 64MB drives are always made with NEW premium NAND flash memory chips and controllers manufactured by companies such as Samsung, Micron and/or Hynix using the same stringent manufacturing processes we utilize for our 64GB flash drives. At CFgear we’ve built a reputation on quality and simply won’t risk our reputation on substandard materials or workmanship. As a matter of fact, we’ve lost track of how many times companies have contacted us asking for urgent shipments of flash drives to replace those they purchased elsewhere which had extremely high failure rates. As we always say, when someone who also sells pens and shirts is focused on simply taking the next promotional item order, your project and your company brand are at risk. We focus ONLY on technology, and our executive team has more than 50 years of technology experience. Because of this, you can count on CFgear to take out all the guesswork and ensure your project is completed as expected. We know your brand is too critical to risk to just anyone, and we take this responsibility seriously out here in the winding prairies of South Dakota!

Q: What differentiates quality flash drives from others?

A: As we’ve mentioned previously, ensure your NAND flash memory chips and controllers are from Grade A or Tier One manufacturers. These are names you will recognize! Secondly, the quality of the housing on a drive is critical and can teach you a great deal about what is sealed on the inside of your flash drive. Metal housing should be heavy, such as high-grade anodized aluminum, and not feel like metallic plastic. Metals should be hardened and anti-scratch. We are always reviewing the drives available in the promotional items marketplace as well as those offered by mass market retailers, and the differences in person are striking. At CFgear, we’ve taken the time to purchase flash drives offered by other companies to help take the guesswork out of your project for you. A few other items that are signs you may want to talk to CFgear before completing your next project: Limited color options. By limited color options, we mean literally thousands of colors. Less than this, and you are likely buying stock drives, which typically utilize older NAND technology and were, quite possibly, made long ago. At CFgear, every order is a fresh custom factory order with new NAND flash memory and controllers. Plastic key ring and key chain connections. Plastic connectors, especially on metal drives, are definitely a sign of a cheaper drive. These connectors are usually found on “metal” drives that are actually just made from hardened plastic. Ask specifically for photos or proofs of your drives to be certain. At CFgear, we offer proofs for every flash drive project we do and obtain your final approval on every project. Certified RoHS Compliance. Non-RoHS components are cheaper than compliant ones, thus their persistence in the marketplace. Ensure the partner you trust your brand to adheres to these strict quality compliance measures on every project. Read/Write Speed. Ensure your drives are high quality on the inside and not just a pretty logo on the outside! For 1GB drives with Samsung or Micron NAND memory, you should easily be able to achieve random read speeds of between 14 and 23 MB/s and random write speeds of between 2 and 7MB/s. You don’t have to sacrifice quality for a great price. As we mentioned before, we scour the internet, major retailers and the like to research and even purchase flash drives to test while ensuring our prices are competitive and of only the highest quality in the industry!

Q: Can you match a competitors pricing?

A: At CFgear we take pride in our factory direct pricing to you. If you happen to get a quote with a price lower than ours, we will gladly review the quote and do our very best to beat it! Simply fax or e-mail us the quote, and we will do the rest. Our fax number is 888.259.6889. You can also contact us by email.

Q: Are you really located in South Dakota?

A: The second most frequent question we get! We aren’t sure why, maybe other organizations out there don’t want to let you know where they are located. At CFgear, we are proud of our Midwestern heritage and strive to deliver those qualities to you on every project we discuss. Still not enough proof, just ask us to send you a picture of us shoveling snow the next time it is 30 degrees below zero (before windchill) outside our office! We enjoy ourselves, and we hope our efforts to meet and exceed your needs is proof!

Warranty, Quality Control RoHS

Q: What is your warranty or exchange policy?

A: We offer a limited 1-year warranty for any new flash drives from CFgear. In the event that one of your CFgear flash drive products malfunctions within the first year, we will replace it with a similar style and capacity product.

Q: How do your quality control procedures work?

A: We have the industry’s only Triple-Distilled™ approach to ensure Quality Control. It starts in the engineering/design stage of your custom flash drive project. After confirmation/approval, the project moves to the production floor and is once again Quality Controlled per your project specs and CFgear benchmarks (logo coloration/size, preload functionality, packaging, overall functionality and performance of flash drive). Then the product moves to CFgear headquarters for a final inspection. In the event we identify product at any of the stages that does not meet our Quality Control guidelines, the product is either replaced or repaired to be fully compliant.

Q: Is CFgear RoHS Compliant?

A: Yes! For all those outside the European marketplace, RoHS stands for The Restriction of the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and is a directive which came into effect on July 1, 2006. The RoHS Regulations implement the provisions of the European Parliament & Council directive on the Restrictions of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (2002/95/EC). This primary objective of RoHS is to protect human health and the environment. We do all we can to protect mother earth in South Dakota and throughout the world! You may even notice we package your custom flash drive solutions with recycled newspapers and/or plastic. Just another way we work hard to keep mother earth as green as possible!

Disclaimers

Q: Trademarks & Promotion

A: Multiply LLC assumes no responsibility for determining who holds title to any trademark or copyright. All liabilities of this nature rest with the customer. The artwork,design, and other trademarks on products in our catalog, website, or other media are reproduced for display proposes only, and do not imply/suggest endorsement by the trademark owner, or that the item was originally produced for the trademark owner. The customer agrees to hold Multiply LLC harmless for any claims of damages, costs or expenses resulting from using any unauthorized logos or trademarks. We do reserve the right to use all products produced by our company in our advertising and displays unless specified in writing to the contrary at time of receiving the customer’s order.

Q: Custom Product Design

A: Whereas Multiply LLC can assist a customer in developing a new product design, the customer takes full responsibility for any patent infringement that results from Multiply LLC copying an existing product design supplied by the customer. The customer agrees to hold Multiply LLC harmless for any claims of damage, costs or expenses resulting from any patent or copyright infringement claim.

Terms

Q: CFgear Payment Terms policy

A: CFgear offers a net-30 payment policy to qualified accounts, and on orders with a minimum total of $1000.00 or more. For the convenience of our customers, we also accept major credit cards and bank or cashier's checks. CFgear reserves the right to do periodic credit reviews for customers with late payment histories to continue their NET 30 terms. Our Net 30 terms policy requires that payment is PROCESSED AND APPROVED within 30 calendar days of receiving order and check RECEIVED by CFgear within 35 days. Orders not paid within this 30 day window may be subject to a 3% monthly service charge on total order value.

If you would like to be considered for payment terms, please speak to your account representative prior to placing the order. Any orders placed without prior consent to terms will be considered due on receipt of invoice. No drives, accessories, or product will be shipped out until payment has been made, or payment terms have been agreed to. In addition, orders above certain dollar amounts may also be subject to a 50% down payment at time of order.