GUIDE TO CARD READERS

Delkin Devices DDREADER-38 18-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader

Manufacturer : Delkin
In Stock : 8

List Price:	$33.99
Price:	$10.19
You Save:	$23.80 (70%)

Features

Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Accepts 18 different memory card formats in five slots
Dynamic hot-swappable card slots
Drag and drop files from card to computer or card to card
Microsoft Windows 98 / 98SE / ME / 2000 / XP compatible

Product Description

Delkin manufactures and sells high performance products and accessories. Delkin is dedicated to producing quality products at an affordable price and never losing sight of its customers needs.PRODUCT FEATURES:Hi-Speed USB 2.0;Accepts 17 different memory card formats;Hot-swappable card slots;Drag and drop files from card to computer or card-to-card;Plug & Play.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 4.50 out of 14 reviews

Rating :
Inexpensive problem solver - OldeTyme Rocker, Oct 27, 2009

I recently purchased a new all-in-one printer. It has the memory card slots like most do, but....when I inserted the card from my camera and tried to download to my computer - it didn't work like my old printer did. The new one uses the card slots internally and will not pass the info to my computer.
The Delkin reader solved that problem easily and inexpensively. I simply plugged it into a USB port, the computer identified it, and the data went to my photo software. It could not be easier.

Rating :
Delkin DREADER-38 - Handyman, Oct 19, 2009

I purchased this item new for about half of what Amazon is selling it for. I thought I was getting a great deal. I found that inserting and removing my brand new SDHC card was very difficult. I checked the contacts of my card and found deep scratches. My conclusion is that the pins are either too stiff or too long. I have no idea why no other reviewer encountered this problem. I did not try any other memory cards with this reader so I can't comment on how it would work with other cards. I was however very disappointed and returned the product for a refund.

Rating :
The best reader ever - Brian Gouge, Oct 19, 2009

I don't know if this is the fastest reader, but it is the best and it certainly is NOT slow. Some cards are slower than others and I think this reader keeps up at least the limit of USB 2.0 speeds. No drivers needed for XP or higher OS. The right-side fits a micro-SD without needing any adapters. It works with all sizes of SDHC I've tried. We've had to toss most of our older card readers because they wouldn't read SDHC, but these Delkin / eFilm ones have always and still do read every card I can throw at it.

I don't blame this reader but one brand of SD card I had did eventually crack, split, and fall apart after going back and forth from reader to camera a lot. Use care to get the SD card oriented correctly (not upside-down) and insert it slowly and carefully and you will not experience issues.

I always insert the card into the reader, then plug in the USB cord. When finished, use the Safely Remove device tool to "eject" the card, then unplug the whole reader. This way, you won't corrupt the flash card, and you will never have an issue when switching cards and not finding the new card.

I've ordered at least 8 or 10 of these for myself and my work, and they all work perfectly.

Rating :
I am happy with this reader - T. Chan, Sep 25, 2009

I am not familiar with this brand or maker. I bought it based on the positive reviews here. I complete agree: it is a very good product.

I have two PCs: One uses Window XP with USB 2; and the other uses Window 2000 with USB 1. This reader works flawlessly on both PCs. Of course, I get lightning speed on the PC with USB 2 connection. I have tested with compact flash and SD cards, no problem at all.

I have used four different readers before. All of them required to close folder opened by reader before ejecting device from PC. Otherwise, window would display "device is busy" message, and could not eject readers. No problem for this one. I can eject it without close folder opened by it, very convenience to use.

One bonus for me is its packaging wrapper. This small, well looked and reusable packaging wrapper can be used as a storage case for this device and its USB cable.

Only one small issue. I did not see LED light while transferring data. Then, I found that I could see LED light from top down, not from the side. It will be nice to make LED closer to the top surface, so users could see LED light from the side. I don't think I would reduce rating on this small issue.

Rating :
Worth the price - Mr Lapin, Aug 05, 2009

With usb memory card readers going for about a quarter of the DDReader-38's price -- or even less -- why would anybody want to spend something close to a double sawbuck for this one?

First, it's blindingly fast when plugged into a good usb 2.0 connection. 'Nuff said.

Second, it's solidly built and, for a change, NOT in China (mine came from Taiwan). I get the sense that this reader will still be working in 10 years. I doubt that many of the $3-6 cheapies will hang around that long.

Third, it seems to treat the memory cards gently. I have a cheap A-Data branded reader which came bundled with a package of SD-HC cards. It's as fast as this one, but every time I use it, I worry that it's going to damage the card. The card is hard to guide into the A-Data's slot, and it feels like it's grinding the gold contacts on the card when I do finally find the right angle. The Delkin is easier to use and seems much smoother.

Finally, the DDReader-38 takes a usb cable, rather than plugging right into the computer. That makes it much easier to connect when the computer is under the desk. Changing memory cards is a good bit easier too. As a bonus, the Delkin uses the same type of usb cable as my camera and mp3 player, so I can just leave that cable permanently plugged in.

The Delkin does have a couple of negatives.

First, you might need drivers.

Or not. It works fine with the built-in generic storage class driver in Windows XP. To my surprise, it also works beautifully (and fast!) with Maximum Decim's unofficial NUSB storage class driver for Windows 98SE. I haven't yet tried it with Linux, but most recent Linux variants do a decent job of emulating a generic storage class driver, so I don't foresee any problems.

However, for Windows 2000 you have to download a driver from Delkin's website. I discovered this, to my chagrin, when I was out in the field and couldn't copy pics onto my older laptop. (Gotta read these product descriptions more closely in the future.)

The good news here is that for those who prefer to avoid NUSB and similar unofficial drivers, Delkin *does* supply an official driver for Win 98SE on their website. My hat's off to them for that. Fewer and fewer accessory manufacturers these days recognize that some us are still using old computers and old operating systems by choice. (I'm not going to spend a couple hundred bucks to hobble my poor old 500mHz K6-2 computer with Windows XP.)

The other is that the driver creates no fewer than FOUR virtual disk drives on your computer when the reader is connected. Which one has the active memory card in it? I can't see any way to tell, other than to open each one in turn and see which one DOESN'T say "insert a disc." Also, with the NUSB Win98 driver, you have to unmount all four devices separately when you're done -- something of an annoyance. (It's a 2-click operation in Win XP and Windows 2000.)

But these are minor points. This is an outstanding piece of gear. Recommended.

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