I got my first USB Type-C device late last year. Since then, I’ve been on the look out for various USB Type-C gear to use with it. I already have cables, but I don’t have something to copy from SD cards or microSD cards into my phone. That’s when I spotted Meenova’s Kickstarter campaign for Type-C stuffs.
I got two items from the Kickstarter campaign. One is the Dash FS, and the other the Dash Micro (with Type-C connector). They are both pictured above.
Meenova had other deliverables from their Kickstarter campaign that included card readers with reversible Micro-USB connectors. Of course, I’m mainly interested only in the Type-C gear.
The Dash Micro is simple and straight-forward. It’s a microSD card reader that plugs directly into a USB Type-C port.
The build of the Dash Micro is excellent. The casing is made of aluminium with an anodised finish, and its design is beautiful. It’s also really compact.
Although I got this microSD card reader, my bigger need is for full-sized SD card readers. You see, I use SD cards in my camera. What I like to do on my travels is to be able to backup my SD card onto another device, like my phone, for example.
That’s the reason I got the Dash FS. It’s a full-sized SD card reader.
The Dash FS has the same design and build quality as the Dash Micro. It’s bigger, of course. Unfortunately, the Dash FS doesn’t have a Type-C connector built directly into it. Instead, it sports a female MicroUSB 3.0 port. Meenova then supplies a MicroUSB 3.0 to USB Type-C cable.
I would have much preferred a USB Type-C connector directly on this reader, so that then I wouldn’t have to bring a cable along to use with it. Considering that Meenova makes multiple versions of the Dash Micro, I’m puzzled why they chose to go the route of a generic port on the Dash FS that needs to be paired with different cables for various connection choices.
Although the Dash FS sports a USB 3.0 interface, the same SD card on the Dash FS performs slower than when it is connected directly on my Retina MacBook Pro’s SD slot.
Overall, both card readers, the Dash FS and Dash Micro are perfectly functional, and I expect to enjoy using them to help backup my SD cards.