Kingston Workflow Station Review

Card readers are an essential part of the photo and video workflow, and while you can download directly from your camera, a card reader makes sense.

The Kingston Workflow Station features a modular design and follows the same design principles as the excellent Lexar CR1.

There are three modules available with the USB hub that feature USB Type-A and USB Type-C and are included with the box’s workflow station.

In addition, there are the SD and MicroSD modules; these both feature two slots for compatible cards.

At present, these are your only options, but due to the modular design, there’s plenty of scope for expansion for CFExpress and CFast, along with any other new format that comes along.

Each of these modules slots into the Workflow Station and is instantly recognised as any other card reader.

The Workflow station offers four slots that can take the different modules, or you could opt to fill all slots with the SD modules, giving you the option to download 8 SD cards in one go.

As well as being able to slot the memory card readers into the Workflow Station, you can also use them on their own as standard card readers. On the back of each is a USB Type-C connection, and a cable is provided with each of the optional modules.

I started using the Kingston workflow Station as a simple multiformat card reader and was impressed with the speed. Downloading footage from two SD and two MicroSD card and the speeds were good although slightly slower than when downloading a single card.

19GB of data takes 80 seconds to download with two cards and X from one card

But with the fast USB Type-C connection, the speed was still impressive as files downloaded from the different memory cards to my mass storage device.

Although each card’s actual download speed is reduced, the fact that multiple cards are downloading in one go does mean that it takes far less time to download all that data.

Not only did it take less time to download the data from the cards, but it was also far more convenient. At present, I mainly use SD cards, so I would be tempted to buy an addition SD card module to cover my usual downloads.

I can also plug in my ATOMOS Mini SSD reader into the USB Type-C connector, which will further boost the speed and convenience.

When drawing a direct comparison on a single card’s download speed using the Workflow Station or directly plugging the card reader into the machine, there is no difference.

Checking the Canvas React 128GB UHS-II card out in the Kingston Workflow Station and then repeating the test with one of the modules gained the same result.

For many years I used the CR1 tower as it is a quick and convenient way to download multiple card’s data in one go.

While I liked the design of the CR1, it wasn’t 100% practical; the vertical stature while space-saving isn’t too stable when you were in a rush.

The top-loading style of the Kingston Workflow station feels far better suited to my workflow, and the slight sloping design is a nice feature that helps aid with access.

In use, there’s no doubt that the Workflow Station saves time, and I like it. The modular design enables you to take a card reader with you if needed. Although these days a GNARBOX II is a much better idea.

Ultimately the Kingston Workflow Station is an amazing idea. Whether you’re in the studio or out in the field and need a way to transfer your images to the computer, the modular design in both situations is ideal.