SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade Transport Review

The SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade Transport is an enclosure or housing unit for a SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade SSD Mag.  It is available for purchase individually or bundled with a Mag of 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB capacity. With a Pro-Blade SSD Mag inserted, the SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade Transport effectively becomes a portable SSD.

The Transport allows easy swapping of Mags, potentially reducing the need for multiple Transports.

By itself, the Transport is useless, its only function is to house a SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade SSD Mag to enable it to be connected to a computer.

Equipped with a USB-C port, the Pro-Blade Transport uses the NVMe technology within a SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade SSD Mag to achieve data transfer speeds up to 2000MB/s. SanDisk includes both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables, ensuring compatibility with a range of modern and older computing devices.

The SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade SSD Mags are also compatible with the SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade Station, which is a larger enclosure capable of holding up to four Mags at a time.

At first glance, the Pro-Blade Transport resembles a standard SSD, but a closer look reveals its unique design, accommodating a Pro-Blade SSD Mag. The Mag is easily inserted and removedwith a smooth and secure operation.

Unfortunately, the modular nature of the Transport and the lack of sealing means that the system isn’t weatherproof. That said, the Mag is designed to withstand a 3m drop and boasts 4,000 lbs of crush resistance, which should mean it can survive life at the bottom of a camera bag.

With dimensions of 130.4 x 71.5 x 16mm, the Pro-Blade Transport is larger than alternatives like the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2 and Samsung T9. However, the Mags themselves are compact (129 x 103.6 x 14.4mm) and multiple units can be used interchangeably with a single Transport.

The Transport features an aluminium heat sink to maintain the Mag’s temperature and therefore continued operation. Consequently, the Mag only gets mildly warm during use.

SanDisk’s inclusion of lengthy (44cm) USB-C cables with the Transport is a thoughtful touch. It makes it easier to connect the drive to devices without the risk of accidental disconnection. Short cables drive me nuts.

Testing the Pro-Blade Transport and a 2TB Pro-Blade Mag with a 2019 iMac and a 2022 MacBook Air using their Thunderbolt 3 ports revealed impressive data transfer speeds. Moving a 9.74GB folder of 200 images (100 raw and 100 Jpeg) from a Nikon Z7 II took under 19 seconds on the iMac and less than 11 seconds on the MacBook Air. I recorded the same times whether I was moving the files to or from the Mag.

Blackmagic Disk Speed test results underlined the device’s performance. The iMac showed write/read speeds around 948MB/s, while the MacBook Air, which has the M2 chip, reached nearly 3000MB/s for writing and over 3260MB/s for reading, surpassing SanDisk’s advertised speeds.

The Pro-Blade Transport is also adept at handling 4K video storage and editing tasks. Thanks to its fast data transfer rates you get a smooth editing experience.

The SanDisk Pro-Blade Transport is a top-notch, high-speed storage solution, perfect for professionals and enthusiasts alike who need reliable storage for their images and videos while on the move. Its standout features are its modularity and impressive data transfer speed. These aspects, while adding to its appeal, also elevate the price point compared to standard SSDs with fixed storage.

The true potential of the SanDisk Pro-Blade Transport and Pro-Blade SSD Mag combo is unlocked when they are used in conjunction with the SanDisk Pro-Blade Station. This pairing offers a level of flexibility and efficiency not normally seen in portable storage solutions. The ability to connect up to four interchangeable SanDisk Pro-Blade SSD Mags to a computer through a single USB-C cable not only simplifies the workflow, but also enhances the overall user experience. This innovative approach positions the Pro-Blade Transport as a forward-thinking storage solution, catering to the evolving needs of today’s digital creatives.