Aleratec Duplicator Copies 16 Drives at USB 3.0 Speed On the Go
March 2014 Anthony Garland
For the average consumer, manually copying files to a flash drive is more than good enough. Even in those rare instances of having to make multiple copies using Richcopy or similar copying programs will also suffice. However, neither is good enough if you need to make a dozen or more clones and do so on a regular basis. This is why no business professional would be caught dead without access to a flash drive duplicator. Unfortunately, most multi-drive duplicators are heavy, bulky affairs that don’t transport easily.
Aleratec obviously saw this not as a problem but as a potential market. The end result is their all new Cruiser Mini Duplicator which is not much bigger – albeit thicker – than a professional-grade surge protector. Like any modern duplicator, the Cruiser Mini Portable has been outfitted with USB 3.0. This means it can theoretically copy files to 16 drives concurrently at a max (total) speed of 5GB/s.
And as a complete duplication solution, its built in software can verify, format, create and copy images to those drives from a single source. The included software eliminates guesswork by showing the status of each copy and number of copies completed. Add in support for Blu-ray/DVD/CD discs and this portable powerhouse looks very tempting.
Going along with all these impressive features are three possible issues. The first is the software is Windows only compatible, next external hard drives are not (officially) supported at this time, and lastly with an MSRP of $500 this is not a device just any road-warrior will be packing in their ‘go bag’.
Update: It would seem Aleratec has been out of business since early February of 2022. Anyone interested in USB duplication may want to consider Nexcopy USB duplication solutions.
Nexcopy manufactures a variety of PC-based and standalone USB duplicator solutions.
PC based systems support advanced USB functions such as write protection, CD-ROM partition and multi-partition creation, while standalone systems are ultra-fast, high speed USB copiers duplicating gigabytes of data quickly and accurately.