Other than blazing fast speeds and a large storage capacity, what’s the one thing that you want any really great external hard drive to be capable of? That’s right, indestructability. Should any element come in contact with your drive, you want that drive to store all of your files safely. Most drives fall short of this expectation, try as they might, but there is one new drive on the market that I think you’ll find really quite impressive.

The all-new IoSafe Solo G3 is really – and I mean this with all sincerity – the toughest external hard drive on the market. Weighing in at 15 pounds, this is no wimpy drive. In addition to girth and weight, this drive is really built like a fortress (keep this in mind when thinking about lifting or moving around the G3!). In addition to its tough exterior and impressive weight, the G3 also comes with some very nice features and other bits that you’ll want to know about.

G3 Features

One of the most impressive features of the G3 is the DataCast Technology that ioSafe has included inside of this bad boy. DataCast is, essentially, a design and system that prevents the drive from becoming too hot – all without any kind of industrial fan. That’s right, the G3 doesn’t have a fan sticking out of the bottom of anywhere else. Instead, DataCast Technology prevents this drive from heating up. According to drive literature, the G3 can withstand up to 155 degree Fahrenheit for thirty continuous minutes without bothering the drive one tiny bit. Of course, most offices don’t reach that core-melting temperature, so the drive can effectively work for hours on end without any kind of problem. How can this be so? Basically, the drive is encased in some serious metal that prevents heat from bothering it. You’ll also be happy to know that water won’t damage your drive either. Really, this drive is indestructible.

Not sure if that fifteen pound indestructible drive is safe from harm? Even though the G3 is billed as a desktop drive, it is actually possible to bolt this drive to the floor (bolt plate included), just in case you really don’t want it to go anywhere. Another feature that you’ll really want to know about is ioSafe’s Data Recovery Service. If you somehow manage to destroy your drive, you can send the drive to ioSafe and they will extract your data, place it on a new drive, and send that drive back to you. How’s that for customer service?

Speed and Performance

So, now that you know the G3 is virtually indestructible, I bet you’re wondering how well this drive performs. Well, you’ll be happy to know that the G3 compares very well to competing drives in the performance category. With USB 3.0 capabilities, this drive is very fast. When tested by the kind folks over at PC Mag, the G3 was able to a 1.2 GB test folder in under 15 seconds (14.74 seconds, to be exact). The G3 performs well, it is impossible to ruin, and it is one of the toughest drives on the market. What about price? You might expect a monster of a drive like this one to be far out of reach price-wise, but the G3 actually comes in at $299 – slightly higher than other drives in its class, but a price well paid for a drive that’s really tough to beat.