Features:

  • Travel with massive capacity of up to 4TB in an ultra-compact portable external hard drive—LaCie Rugged Mini
  • For those who have a need for speed, seamlessly connect to USB 3.0 computers and transfer content fast with speeds of up to 130MB/s
  • Trek confidently with an external hard drive that offers all-terrain durability of drop, crush, and water resistance
  • Take advantage of a complimentary one-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan for access to awesome photo and video editing apps
  • Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included two-year limited warranty
Satisfied Customer Here

I had a problem with USB version 3.0 cables falling out of the receptacle on the drive side and finally got tired of it. I got this drive with a Thunderbolt connector and not a single problem since. I like the fact that the other side of the short Thunderbolt cable is attached somewhere under the bumper case for all practical purposes permanently and the cable folds neatly into the groove around the side of the case. The connector fits well into the compartment in the bumper case and the cover goes over it. It's all soft rubber but all works well. The cover not too flimsy to be irritating while placing it over the connector compartment and stays in place. You get a spare cover as well in case you lose it because I don't see how you could wear it out. I didn't conduct and speed tests but I didn't notice much difference for what I'm using it for between internal drive and this drive. 2-3x the price of a USB 3.0 but for me eliminating the frustration and wasted time fiddling with velcro tapes to make the USB 3.0 connector connect it was worth it.

and I couldn't be happier. It runs very smoothly

I originally bought the LaCie hard drive because my MacBook was running out of storage. I rely heavily on my computer for online school as well as photography/filmmaking. Importing footage used to be a nightmare, and I was constantly deleting apps for space. My biggest worry was losing all of my essays, photographs, and short films, so I purchased the 1TB LaCie Rugged Mini. I've been using it for about 4 months now with absolutely no problems. Other than SD cards and limited space USB drives, this is my first real external storage device, and I couldn't be happier. It runs very smoothly, backs up my computer quickly, and has the space for all of my school work, imported footage, edited footage, and final projects. I've read reviews saying back ups were lost, but I have had no issues with crashing or loss of data. One of the main reasons I got the rugged mini was because I am a college student and I knew I would be carrying this around often. The size is no bigger than my iPhone, and I've noticed no damage from the few drops it has endured since purchase (about 5, 3 foot drops over the past 4 months). Another pro about this external hard drive is that it is compatible with MacOS (a feature I noticed other products didn't tend to have for some reason-mine is currently running on 10.12 Sierra). If I run out of storage again, this will be my go-to. Highly recommend. I'll post any updates if I encounter any problems down the line.

Built tougher than Ford!

I'm not sure I can say enough good things about this drive. I purchased this particular drive 2 years ago, as I needed additional space. I had previously bought the 1T and 2T drives, all with good experiences. I have since dropped this drive numerous times, and have managed to accidentally drown my drive in very hot water for over a minute, and the DRIVE STILL WORKED! Like I said, cannot say enough good things. As a graphic designer and digiscrapper, I'm entrusting my life on this drive and it has been worth its weight in gold.

Plugged in. Worked.

My laptop has only 512 G of memory (solid state all the way) and my business mail and documents is pushing that limit. This drive with the USB-C connector is fast enough to treat as just part of the laptop and sturdy enough not to worry about throwing into my carryon. Booted it up the first time, set up the entire thing as an encrypted disk, did a full backup and set for daily backup in the wee hours. It does what its supposed to, without fuss, without problems. Who could ask more of it?

Best drive for Filmmarker, Speed + Space at good price

Very good disk, rought and fast. Raid 0 system is not for Backup, always than i use the disk i backup my data in another LaCie (5tb) and then upload all RAW to my Dropbox Business account. Drive only failed 1 time (Becouse more than 7 times my drive was connected and my friend disconnected it forcing drive cancel everything and get data corruption) backup all my files format and is like a charm nowdays

Solid Drive, Great Speeds

I bought this drive because I was looking for something to replace my dated 2TB USB 3 external drive. I needed portable durability with large storage space and great speeds... This external drive give me exactly that! The first thing that I will point out is the durability. This drive comes with a large bumper that goes around the device that helps to protect it from drops and bumps. I love the fact that it has a replaceable cable which is good incase the original cable starts to wear out. It also comes with a USB C to USB A which is good when I need to work on computers that don't have USB C. The main device itself is made completely of metal which gives this drive a nice feel and weight. I actually have this drive partitioned into three parts and use it a back-up drive, a cross platform drive for windows and Mac, and to put my working files for my various video and photo projects. I can say that I will be stressing this drive out and will be sure to come back and update this review. In terms of speed, this drive does hold up to its proclaimed speeds of 130MB/s. (check images) If you are looking for a portable drive that is durable and has large storage space this is the drive for you!

Awesome!

Awesome! It was plug and go -- the Firewire makes it fast. Looks, feels and functions solid. I like the energy saving mode where it slows the fan(?) when the drive is on idle for awhile and it doesnʻt get hot. Unlike some others where the device starts to get really hot even with the fan on when connected for a long period. Worth its cost. One point, though, be sure to write down the serial number thatʻs on the box... before throwing it away. You will not find it on the device when you register it, unless you open the casing, which would break your manufacturerʻs warranty.

Great value and very fast, especially using TB3

Very fast, portable, convenient. My only niggle is that there are two modes of connection: Thunderbolt 1+2 and Thunderbolt 3 [USB-C] but the TB1+2 cable is hard connected and the TB3 isn't... it's not a huge deal but it does mean that if you want or need TB3 speed, you have to carry the TB3 cable separately. Aside from that, it mounts fast and from my experience works perfectly. I cannot comment on "rugged", as I don't think any drive should be mishandled and I'm certainly not going to do a life test. Do note that this is a platter drive, so no matter what "rugged" might indicate to you, if this is dropped when spooled, your data is gone forever as the platter or heads or both will be damaged. if you need truly rugged, you need a true SSD, not this. For me, I need to transfer loads of video from GoPro, Drone, and Stills Rig when traveling and this thing is blazing fast with a small footprint.

Update!! Mac users read this.

If you have the latest Mac operating system, go to the LaCie website and download the latest software and/or firmware. Unmount and remount, disk format (do this before using it because you erase everything) with the Mac Journaled / GUID type. Fixed it no problem! Old review because of my software- {It mounted at 424 mb's of space available. What? However, I own 3 others that are absolute hero's in my office!}

EASY to open >>> Pricey but effective THUNDERBOLT ENCLOSURE.

If you're still using a Mac with Thunderbolt 2 connections and are stuck using all kinds of workarounds to get decent transfer speeds from external storage then here's, well, another workaround! The cool thing about this drive is that it can be quickly & easily opened up rendering it a Thunderbolt drive enclosure. True, it's a pricey enclosure but good luck finding ANY Thunderbolt 2 enclosure otherwise. The Seagate HDD inside can be used for whatever (get an $8 USB 3 enclosure and give it to a friend or connect it to wi-fi and make it external storage for your phone!) and a sexy new SSD can be inserted in its place. The whole swap involves 6 screws and a little tape (AND the torching of the LaCie warranty, mind you...). There're YouTube tutorials to walk one through the 5-minute process. You'll ultimately be limited by the SATA connection (to around 6 Gb/s I think), but that's nothing to sneeze at, especially if you've been stuck using those lousy USB 2.0 ports. Thank goodness for USB-C - now if we can just get Apple to let go of crappy Lightning tech - egads. Anyhow, give your Mac the gift of long life with an easy peasy speed enhancement and postpone all that traitorous talk of impending retirement for the beloved beast.

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