The ToughDrive is built to be handled roughly – a fine quality for something that can end up being thrown around in the bottom of a schoolbag or dropped off a desk. The casing is made of hardened plastic, the outside of which is covered in silicon and the drive inside is mounted on silicon as well, so there is a reasonable amount of support for the drive in the event of a collision.

The integrated USB cable (also silicon) folds inside the unit for storage, covering the DC jack and generally sealing off most avenues for dust and moisture to enter the device. There is a good chance it is partially weatherproof too, although it isn’t marketed as such and we weren’t able to test this theory.

All of the extra protection has a trade-off. and the drive certainly feels ‘big-boned’; at 201g and measuring 80x140x19mm it’s not going to fit into a pocket easily. With the extra protection it would be quite happy living in a bag instead, so it’s not a showstopper.

Overall the ToughDrive performed quite well, edging out in front of a lot of other drives in the roundup, but it was slightly behind the StoreJet, the other armoured drive we looked at. It was the most expensive drive we saw at 78c/GB, although the unit we saw was the smallest on offer. The higher capacity models significantly improve in value – the 320GB and 500GB versions hover around 62-64c/GB and are perhaps a better investment.

For a student or someone constantly on the move it’s a solid contender. But if you’re more of a desktop warrior than a road warrior, you’re better off looking elsewhere.