Flashstick USB Drive Eco Product Review

You may have noticed the adverts for www.flashsticks.co.uk along the top of Life Goggles and since we’re advertising them I thought we’d best check one out.

The name ‘flashstick’ is simple and apt. A flashstick is a flash drive that’s also a stick. Literally. This usb drive is encased in a piece of hard wood, meaning the packaging is very environmentally friendly. That’s also because the wood is basically a twig from a branch that’s fallen off a tree in the woods in Berkshire, England. There’s no cutting down of trees here.

The wood is left to dry out for a few months and then carefully hollowed out to add the flash drive, then smoothed off and beeswax is used to give a nice finish. And that’s basically it. It looks real because it is real and will even get woodworm if you keep it in the wrong place.

There is a little plastic cover that goes over the top (you can see it in the video below), which is unavoidable really as the stick stands up nicely and it would get dirty and knocked. It’s is a minimal piece but maybe in the future that could be made out of wood?

As well as it’s looks and manufacturing process, it also has to perform as a usb drive. While the trend it is get bigger and bigger usb drives I’ve never seen the need to carry more than one or two gigabytes around with me, the rest is just empty space otherwise. The flashsticks are all two gig and work beautifully. I plugged it in, my PC took about 10 seconds to download a driver and it worked away. As it’s usb 2.0 it transfers files fast and easily, I haven’t had a problem with it at all and use it regularly.

Available from www.flashsticks.co.uk for £15, this is an unusual usb drive which has good eco-credentials.

Oscar USB Hub Eco Product Review

The United Pepper Oscar USB Hub is another device that attempts to take an eco-friendly approach to electronics in addition to their Lili webcam we’ve previously reviewed.

Designed in Belgium, and made in Vietnam the Oscar USB hub is made from 70% Fair Trade components. Removing as much of the plastic as possible, the usb hub is made from paperboard, cotton and kapok, and comes in red, blue or green (we got a green one of course!).

There’s not much to say about it, it looks cute, came in 100% PET recycled packaging, is only just over 6cm (about 2.5″), and has four USB sockets. It connects to your computer via a USB lead that connects to the hub via a mini-USB socket, so if you need a longer lead they’re easy to find.

Available for $30 or €25 from United Pepper it’s a nice sustainable approach to electronics.