Buffalo MiniStation Stealth

Buffalo MiniStation Stealth USB 3.0 1TB Review

The Buffalo MiniStation Stealth USB 3.0 drive gives you a lot for $125. It comes with numerous apps, including 128-bit software encryption, a good backup app, and extra utilities for boosting transfer speed. Add all of this up and you've got an excellent portable USB 3.0 drive.The Buffalo MiniStation Stealth is about the same size as the Western Digital My Passport Essential and the LaCie Rikki, but it's about a half ounce heavier, at 7.8 ounces. Still, the MiniStation Stealth is much lighter than the 9.9-ounce Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex and the 14.4-ounce Iomega eGo. The no-frills Buffalo drive comes in all black, and the plastic enclosure feels slightly cheap, especially compared to the aluminum LaCie Rikiki drive.Setting up the MiniStation's software was fast and easy. The Buffalo Backup Utility uses a tree structure that makes it easy to choose files for backups. However, the design of the app looks dated, like a vintage Windows program. You can create scheduled backups, though, and it also shows a helpful thumbnail of your desktop at the time of the backup. You can't select specific folders to back up on your laptop, but you can exclude the ones you don't want.Each of the Buffalo utilities--Backup, Secure Lock Mobile, and TurboPC--is a separate program, so installing them takes extra time.