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Eight months after we reviewed the Tuff 2TB, the most rugged
of all portables is now also the fastest. Just like its sibling, the new
Tuff 1TB SSD complies with military standard MIL-STD-810G and
has full IP57 certification.
The new Tuff is shipped with the familiar USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-
C port that’s also compatible with Thunderbolt 3. Robustness
matters less with SSDs, but they’re still somewhat vulnerable,
so it’s kind of reassuring that the SSD version doesn’t skimp in
this area.
Since our review of the Tuff 2TB, CalDigit has launched its
own cable range, and the Tuff 1TB SSD comes with one. The
included CalDigit USB-C cable has a coaxial design for durabil-
ity, is capable of charging devices at 12V/3A, and has built-in
E-Marker technology. (E-Marker is used to communicate power
going from device to device and helps prevent overpowering.)
The USB-A adapter cable is non-branded, but it too is now a
50-cm cable.
The Tuff’s throughput only reaches its maximum when you
connect it to a USB 3.1 Gen 2 or a Thunderbolt port. For example,
I ran a Blackmagic Design Disk Speed Test with the commonly
found USB 3.1 Gen 1 connection and it resulted in a decent, but
not spectacular, write speed of 244 MB/sec and read speed of
331 MB/sec; however, when I connected the Tuff to a Thunder-
bolt (Gen 1) port via an adapter, performance went through the
roof: 474.5 MB/sec write speed and 495 MB/sec read speed. The-
oretically, the Tuff is capable of a maximum throughput of 540
MB/sec; but in the real world the Tuff 1TB SSD still proved to be
faster than the bare SanDisk SSD I use as a system disk.
The Tuff 1TB SSD is only available with a poison-green
silicon jacket, but different colored jackets are available for $14.95
per jacket. n
Company: CalDigit, Inc.
Price: $499.99
Rating: 5
Hot: Speed and ruggedness; capability to
edit 4K video directly off the drive
Not:
CalDigit Tuff
1TB SSD
Fast, Rugged Mobile Drive
Review by Erik Vlietinck
