Labs

Although Freecom's ToughDrive has a rubber-coated case to protect it from knocks, its chassis doesn't feel as sturdy as the Iomega eGo's metallic case. A short USB cable is built into the case, and a longer extension cable is also included.

The drive comes with NTI's Shadow backup software. This can back up your files according to a schedule or continuously in the background while you work. It can even keep older versions of your files in case you delete or change something you later wish you hadn't.

The ToughDrive was one of the fastest portable disks in the group for copying small files. Unfortunately, it was the second-slowest portable disk in our large-files tests, beating only LaCie's 4,200rpm Little Disk.

This sluggishness might be forgiven if the ToughDrive were cheaper, but it costs 47p per gigabyte and has the highest price of all the portable disks in the group. Buffalo's MiniStation is better value.