Best DJ gear: Six of the best USB sticks for DJs in 2023
Dish out your dubplates stress-free with these reliable USB sticks
For many DJs, the days of lugging your records to the club are long gone. No more rummaging through records, leaving sleeves all over the floor. No more taking up space in the house with your wax. Even CDs can be a burden. By simply being able to put all of your music onto a USB stick, you can save tanks of time and effort preparing for a set. Plus, analysing your MP3, WAV or AIFF files through Rekordbox gives you access to information like tempo and key. Tools like folders and sort options make for a stress-free organised set, too.
For digital DJs, a USB stick is a no-brainer. But what constitutes a good one? Write and read speeds are important, and could be the difference between waiting an hour to export your tunes or just ten. If you’ve got loads of music, storage is key, too – it’s often worth paying that bit extra for more and having your whole collection in one place. Lastly, a sturdy design prevents bent or snapped USB sticks once the drinks tab is in full flow.
We’ve listed some of the most reliable USB sticks on the market right now. Have a gander below.
Our picks for 6 of the best USB sticks for DJs:
- Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth
- SanDisk Extreme Pro
- SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Portable Flash Drive
- Integral Turbo USB 3.0
- Transcend JetFlash 920
- SanDisk Ultra Luxe
Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth
- Storage options: 32GB – 1TB
- Weight: 37g
- Price: $19.99 – $179.99
Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth might look like a military-grade rocket launcher. It is, however, just an extremely durable USB 3.0 memory stick made to last in demanding environments. It’s housed in waterproof anodized aircraft-grade aluminum, which makes it a solid choice for the globally-touring DJ. Think Solomun in a swamp. Tiesto in the Amazon rainforest. Nina Kraviz playing techno inside the Large Hadron Collider. You get the idea – it’s durable.
Asides from allowing you to take your DJ set absolutely anywhere, the Flash Survivor Stealth also offers up to 1TB storage. It can aso take 40G of SSD shock, meaning its more heat-resistant and quieter than other USB sticks.
Find out more at corsair.com.
Sandisk Extreme Pro
- USB type: 3.1
- Storage options: 64GB – 1TB
- Speeds: 420 MB/s read, 380 MB/s write
- Weight: 17g
- Price: $28 – $173
The Sandisk Extreme Pro is a high-performance USB stick designed for a fast-paced DJ lifestyle thanks to its cheetah-like read and write speeds, made possible by USB 3.1 Gen 1 capability. While it may not have military-grade encasing, its robust aluminum build enhances durability, while the retractable connector design safeguards it when not in use.
Find out more at Amazon.
SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Portable Flash Drive
- USB type: 3.1
- Storage options: 16GB – 512GB
- Speeds: 130MB/s read, TKTK write
- Weight: 4g
- Price: $8 – $43
Sometimes its not all about size. Sandisk’s Ultra Fit, with a height of just five millimeteres, packs up to 512GB into one tiny little unit. Who would have thought you could take your whole DJ set around on a device no bigger than your thumbnail? The Ultra Fit makes this possible. Its tiny size means there’s no chance of a drunk reveller – or DJ – mistakenly bumping into it and snapping or bending your USB while its in the CDJ.
Find out more at Amazon.
Integral Turbo USB 3.0
- USB type: 3.0
- Storage options: 64GB – 1TB
- Speeds: 420 MB/s read, 380 MB/s write
- Weight: 17g
- Price: $28 – $173
The Integral Turbo USB 3.0 provides high-speed data transfer through its USB 3.0 interface, making it suitable for swiftly moving large files. Its small form factor and durable construction ensure resilience during regular usage. It comes in various storage capacities to meet different storage needs.
Find out more at integralmemory.com.
Transcend JetFlash 920
- USB type: 3.2
- Storage options: 128GB – 256GB
- Speeds: 400MB/s read
- Weight: 10g
- Price: $38/$57
The Transcend JetFlash 920 features a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface for rapid music transfers. Its compact design, with a durable metallic and aluminum casing, and retractable connector enhance portability and prevent damage. With two storage capacities available, it caters to DJs seeking fast and dependable on-the-go storage while darting from gig to gig.
Find out more at transcend-info.com.
SanDisk Ultra Luxe
- USB type: 3.1
- Storage options: 16GB – 512GB
- Speeds: 150MB/s write, up to 150MB/s read
- Weight: 7.5g
- Price: $11 – $52
SanDisk really is the big dog in the USB stick game, in storage terms aswell as design. The SanDisk Ultra Luxe blends style and functionality with its sleek metal design and substantial storage capacity. The Ultra Luxe offers high-speed USB 3.1 performance, making for swift music transfers on Rekordbox. Its compact size and premium finish make it an elegant option for those valuing both performance and aesthetics in the booth.
Find out more at Amazon.
