Picture of the Sandisk® Cruzer Glide™ USB thumb drive, 32 GB, original package front view, shown sideways.

SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB Flash Drive Review

Purchased this SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB flash drive for storing eBooks.  Indeed, we found that the Cruzer Glide™ flash drive installed without incident.
It received copied text as quickly as other USB 2.0 flash drives we tested.  Further, it’s  easy to locate, buy, plug in, and use.  This SanDisk USB flash drive accepted several gigabytes of data without producing a single error.

Picture of the Cruzer Glide™ 32 GB Sandisk USB flash drive, original package, front view.
Sandisk USB flash drive, Cruzer Glide 32GB, original package, front view.

The SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB flash drive brings back the “sneaker net”. The sneaker net was the main means of sharing data amongst friends back in the ’80s.  Indeed, this small and light flash drive costs almost as little as yesterday’s floppy disks. USB drives like the Sandisk® Cruzer Glide 32GB reviewed here are an obvious sneaker net solution.





They quickly load with confidential data.  Then to, they’re lightweight and small. This SanDisk USB flash drive is simple and cheap. You can carry this flash drive around,  as we did the floppy disks of the 1980s.  Plus, you can carry your data around, securely.  This drive comes with 128-bit AES encryption programs.  These allow password protecting files stored on this flash drive.  You could not easily do that with floppies.

Picture of the Sandisk® Cruzer Glide™ USB thumb drive 32GB original package, back view.
Sandisk® Cruzer Glide™ USB thumb drive 32GB original package, back view.

Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features of the SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB flash drive

USB 2.0 speeds

Supports USB 2.0, for high speed data transfers to and from.  It does not run at USB 3.0 speeds however.

USB 3.0 Compatible

While this flash drive will work when plugged into a USB 3.0 port.

This SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB Flash Drive is Compatible with Popular Computer Brands

Works with both Windows and Apple Mac based computers.

FAT 32 File System Preinstalled

In addition, this SanDisk drive comes pre-formatted with the FAT32 file system.  This guarantees wide-spread compatibility across computers running most any operating system.

32 Gigabytes of Fast Storage Space

Whole series’ of old time radio shows fit on one of these.

Windows can Natively Format this SanDisk USB flash Drive

The capacity of this flash drive does not exceed the 32GB limit that Microsoft imposes on FAT32 file system formatting.  So, you can get access to the entire storage space inside this flash drive.





Retractable USB Connector

The attached cover protects the USB connector when not in use. Further, since this protector is part of the case, you won’t lose the cover.

Lots of Sizes Available

Available capacities are 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256 GB currently.

Illuminated

Has a built-in flashing orange light, which glows with power applied.  That light blinks during data transfers as well.

Cool Operation

Produces very little heat; so that means very little wasted power.  Use this thumb drive in your battery-powered laptop or notebook computers, without fear of it draining your batteries much faster.  Current draw is nearly non existent.

No Additional Software Needed to Use this SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB Flash Drive

Requires no additional or special drivers or software for most computers.  Quickly installs on a Windows based computer.

Sandisk® SecureAccess™ Software Provided

Furthermore, this SanDisk USB flash drive comes with file encryption software. These programs allow you to protect files and folders stored on this drive, with a password.  128-bit AES encryption supported.

Less Volatile than Magnetic Disk Storage

Magnetic fields cannot easily destroy data on this flash drive; unlike floppies  from the sneaker net days.

Plenty Fast for Archival Storage

Data transfer speeds are more limited with this USB flash drive as compared with class 10 and higher SD cards.  Nonetheless, these Sandisk® flash drives efficiently store archival data.  They are plenty fast for streaming audio and most video content.  While they may be a bit slower, they’re currently significantly cheaper than SDHC and compact flash cards per gigabyte.





Upgrade with Ease

Easily replaced with a bigger USB drive when you need additional storage.  The USB standard itself makes this possible.  For this reason et al, USB flash drives have become nearly ubiquitous these days.

The SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB Flash Drive is Small, Yet Big Enough to Work With

SanDisk USB flash drives are rather small in size. So, losing them happens often.  However, this Sandisk® storage device is over an inch long. It features a hole for a necklace or keychain, which helps prevent loss.  Plus, this flash drive is bigger than SDHC memory cards, and way larger than MicroSD memory cards.  Therefore, losing it is far less likely.

Two Year Limited Warranty

Picture of the Cruzer Glide™ 32GB Sandisk USB flash drive, original package, held in hand.
Cruzer Glide 32GB Sandisk USB flash drive, original package, held in hand.

Problems, Cons, Limitations, and Disadvantages of the SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB Flash Drive

Body Too Long in Some Situations

The body of this flash drive spans more than an inch.  So when plugged in, it protrudes from the USB port almost two inches.  Be careful therefore. Don’t move the computer, camera, or media player with this USB drive plugged in.  Why?  Because you might snap off or crack this drive.

No USB 3.0 Speeds

This particular model does not support USB 3.0 transfer speeds, although Sandisk® does offer flash drives that do.

Not labeled as RoHS Compliant

Hard to Retract the USB Plug

So, be sure to truly press the red retract-release button when moving the

The SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB Flash Drive is Not Waterproof

Finally, nothing covers the USB port terminals, even when retracted.  So, weather and rough handling can easily damage them.





Our Rating

With USB 2.0 speeds, higher storage capacity is so useful. Why would you not replace your older disc storage mediums with these flash drives?  Given all the advantages, we rate this SanDisk USB flash drive at 95 out of 100.

Where to Buy the SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB Flash Drive

This line of high SanDisk USB flash drives costs on the cheap side. In fact, we paid $10 for this 32 GB one; a decent price.  Find this SanDisk USB flash drive at Walmart, Target, and other brick and online retail outlets.  Be sure to shop around to get the best deals.

Related Posts to the SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB Flash Drive

  1. SanDisk® Cruzer Glide™ 16 GB USB 2.0 3.0 Flash Drive Review
  2. PNY Metal Attache 64 GB iGo USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review
  3. Monster Coppa Digital USB Drive 16GB. Flash Drive Review
  4. Staples® USB 2.0 Stick Drive 64GB Review
  5. PNY Attache 16 GB USB 2.0 Pen Drive Review

References for this SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB Flash Drive Review

  1. SanDisk® Cruzer Glide™ USB 2.0 3.0 Flash Drive   Official Product Page
  2. What is a USB Flash Drive?   on Wikipedia
  3. Where to buy the    SanDisk® Cruzer Glide™ 32 GB USB Drive

Revision History

  • 2020-04-15: Added more tags.
  • 2019-05-27: Tweaked the key phrase targeting for ‘SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB’, removed ad code scripts, and added more links and tags.
  • 2018-03-05: Revised the title, tags, and content.
  • 2017-02-25: Originally published.