Vention SD card reader

Summary:

1. Material

2. Connectors

3. Card slots

4. Chipsets and speeds

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As my workflow matures, I knew I need to buy new equipment at some point to keep everything seamless and convenient. One of which is a Vention SD card reader. To put this into context, I’ll explain what my workflow used to be like without this tiny device:

After taking pictures with my DSLR camera, instead of ejecting the SD card and slotting it into my laptop, I used the proprietary cable that came with the DSLR and linked it to my laptop where I used the Canon EOS Utility 2 software to control and access the files.

I am aware of how odd it was and how dangerous because I’ve heard the ports of a DSLR camera are one of the first few components to malfunction from wearing out in time.

I used to have a USB hub with a built-in SD card reader years ago, but I lost it, and it was years before I discovered my passion for creative writing.

So when I was searching for an SD card reader, I decided to buy the USB 3.0 version of the Vention SD card reader (you can buy the USB 2.0 version with a cheaper price tag). The reviews are positive and the price isn’t dirt-cheap, nor eye-watering.

It’s the perfect device for enthusiasts and beginners in photography and casual usage because of its simplicity and build quality.

Material

The main body is made out of aluminum, making it light yet robust and crucial for dissipating heat. I transferred a whopping 30 gigabytes for a few minutes and it didn’t even feel too hot for me when I touched it.

Connectors

However, unlike the main body, the two caps on either side feel like they are made out of plastic. These caps protect three male connectors: USB C and USB A, which can adapt into Micro USB by lifting the top portion of the connector. According to their labs, they claimed that these connectors successfully passed their 3,000 plug test.

Card slots

On one side there are two slots, one for standard SD cards and one for Micro SD cards (also called TF cards). The SD card slot supports: RSMMC, SD, SDHC, and SDXC (up to 256GB and UHS-I), on the other hand, the TF card slot supports: Micro SD, Micro SDHC, and Micro SDXC (up to 256GB)

Chipsets and speeds

Since there are two versions of the Vention SD card reader and in order to maintain their fast and stable transfer speed, the USB 3.0 version (speeds up to 5gbps) uses the GL2334 chip together with the EJ179S chip; on the other hand, the USB 2.0 version (speeds up to 480mbps) uses the GL823K chip.

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I’ve been using the Vention SD card reader for weeks and so far I haven’t experienced any data corruption during massive file transfers. I will update this blog should I ever experience any circumstances.