How about a review of multi card readers?

[Belmont]

I recently bought and returned a multi card reader because it couldn't handle my new 512 mg SD card. Any suggestions for a good reader? 8O

[Darius Wey]

I recently bought and returned a multi card reader because it couldn't handle my new 512 mg SD card. Any suggestions for a good reader? 8O

Hmm...brand name shouldn't really matter. I have an "el-cheapo" card reader and it works fine. I've even compared it to top name brands like Belkin, and performance-wise, they are very similar. Of course, ensure that it's USB 2.0 compatible.

What was the reason behind your old card reader not working with your SD card?

[Kati Compton]

I just saw recently that they make combo floppy/card readers. I might pick one of those up for an SFF machine I plan to build. It'll help during the "oh no I need a floppy drive in order to install an OS on a SATA drive..." phase.

[Belmont]

The reader I bought would not read or write anything larger than a 256mg card. That information was not on the outside packaging, but written in the little manual that came with the reader.

[Darius Wey]

The reader I bought would not read or write anything larger than a 256mg card. That information was not on the outside packaging, but written in the little manual that came with the reader.

That is a bit of an odd one. Is it an old reader? :?

Anyway, as I said, you don't have to hunt for the best multi-card reader out there. Just ensure that it supports USB 2.0, and that it can read any file size. But having said that, multi-card readers are very cheap now and I believe you can even pick up a Belkin 15-in-1 for around US$30. So they're not very pricey at all, even the big name brands. ;)

[gibson042]

The SanDisk ImageMate USB 2.0 8-in-1 (CF I/II, MS/MS-PRO, SM, xD-Picture, SD, MMC) is an excellent reader, and can be had at Circuit City for $10 (in-store only) until tomorrow. They'll even special order it for you at that price if they're out of stock.

[Belmont]

Thanks! I'll go by Circuit City on the way home and check it out.

[galt]

Wow, thanks for the tip! This is a great deal, I had been looking for one of these for a while and will be picking up a couple tonight (one for a friend).

Here's the link to the SanDisk product page, the CC page, and the brief specs:

SanDisk: http://www.sandisk.com/retail/im-8in1.asp

CC Link: http://tinyurl.com/5ol6z

Specs:
The ImageMate 8 in 1 Reader/Writer (model# SDDR-88) accepts the following memory types:

1. CompactFlash Type I
2. CompactFlash Type II
3. Memory Stick
4. Memory Stick PRO
5. SmartMedia
6. xD-Picture Card
7. MultiMediaCard
8. SD Card

[dhpss]

I did not have good luck with all my "multi-card" readers, including the one that fits in to my floppy slot on my PC.

They don't work most of the time. The reader comes with the software that supposedly shows an icon per card, it works for a couple of days after that..Sporatic problem starts happening..Windows explorer sometime recognizes, sometime not, etc...

So now I am using 1 single card reader (1 USB2 for my SD, 1 PCMCIA for my CF) . They seems to work consistently.