Recommended SD cards

[Bugatti]

Hi

As we know, Tascam publishes a list of recommended SD cards for the DP24SD and other models.

In recent times, I’ve twice bought cards (online) which were advertised as being the exact ones I wanted, only to receive ones with different part numbers, which I’ve had to return.

Can anyone suggest any reputable UK based retailers (online or otherwise) who are likely to stock SD cards on Tascam’s recommended list?

 

[Logrinn]

I would recommend not buying memory cards online. Instead go to a camera store or a reputable computer store (not your local corner store that sell knick-knacks along with the odd computer paraphernalia).

 

[Bugatti]

Thanks Logrinn

That’s very wise advice. Camera stores are pretty thin on the ground around these parts nowadays, but I don’t mind a little trip in the circumstances!

 

[shredd]

I would recommend not buying memory cards online. Instead go to a camera store or a reputable computer store (not your local corner store that sell knick-knacks along with the odd computer paraphernalia)

That's good advice.

That said: I live about 7 miles west of The Middle Of Nowhere - so a real computer store/camera store is about as accessible as finding a Walmart in the Arctic.
SO: I've bought ALL my DP's SD cards online...what I DID do was contact every seller I purchased from before purchase to have them confirm - in writing - that the cards I was purchasing were new, sealed in factory packaging, and confirmed genuine/not counterfeit.
Haven't gotten one bad one yet. Knock on wood.

 

[Bugatti]

Hi Shredd

I always appreciate it when people like yourself take the trouble to reply to my posts!

My nearest camera shop is about 1% of the size of the average Walmart and is run by an elderly enthusiast who only opens his shop for a handful of hours each week! There’s no guarantee he’ll have the cards I want but it’s worth a shot.

Having had experience of certain online stores trying to palm off ‘reconditioned’ SD cards as the Tascam recommended ones I’d asked for, I’m keen to make certain to get the right ones in future.

Best wishes !

 

[shredd]

Hi @Bugatti - happy to chat. As mentioned, I live in a place with all the metropolitan bustle of the far side of Mars...so I'm happy to have some interaction!!!

Sounds like the feller that runs your little local camera shop is at least trustworthy...meaning if he can GET you the cards you want, they'll probably be good ones (especially if you point out your concerns, and the DP's need for solid-quality cards).

You're right - buying the cards online is a MAJOR dice-throw/crappshoot.
I've been very fortunate to never have gotten a "lemon" - perhaps due to the diligence I put into it. I've blown off maaaaany a sale because I didn't get my ?'s answered, or didn't like/trust the answers I got.

I don't care how good a deal a card is - if you can't be assured of its' quality, it's no bargain.
As Brad Pitt says (in one of my favorite movies ever)….

If your local guy can't help you out, and you aren't finding watcha want online: I've got a batch of SanDisk ExtremePro 32GB's in the SDHC, UHS-I, S3/V30 category, 100MB/sec rating. I scored a bunch brand-new in the package from a legit/trustworthy retailer.
If you're hard-up for card/s, lemme know & maybe we can work something out...like if you can get me that invite to Katy Perry's house for nachos & hot-tubbing?!?

 

[-mjk-]

Hi Shredd

My nearest camera shop is about 1% of the size of the average Walmart and is run by an elderly enthusiast who only opens his shop for a handful of hours each week! There’s no guarantee he’ll have the cards I want but it’s worth a shot.

That guy could be your best advocate yet. I would engage him in a discussion about fake SD cards. I'm sure he could go on and on about them - and then you can tell him your need for a genuine card for your application. Set that guy loose and I'm sure he will come through for you.

 

[Bugatti]

Thanks for all your replies!

Don’t you think it’s sad that we have to assume all online sellers are crooks until they can prove otherwise?

Until they do, I’ll keep on avoiding online SD card sellers and will be checking out that guy in the little camera shop. If he doesn’t stock the particular ones I want, I’m sure he can get them from his trusted suppliers.

Sorry shredd - thanks for your kind offer, but if I were able to get Katy Perry to share her hot tub with anyone, it would be with me!

 

[shredd]

Don’t you think it’s sad that we have to assume all online sellers are crooks until they can prove otherwise?
Until they do, I’ll keep on avoiding online SD card sellers and will be checking out that guy in the little camera shop. If he doesn’t stock the particular ones I want, I’m sure he can get them from his trusted suppliers.

Yes. It’s incredibly sad.
I’ve been active on ebay for almost 30 years; and others too (Reverb, etc). For a loooong time, I took the good will of sellers for granted…until it became apparent that a contingent of lowlife cretins started using the platforms as a vehicle to cheat others to enrich themselves.
Now…I take NO such assumptions for granted, & am very selective about assuming a seller is legit.
That said: if I were me & I needed 100% assurance of a legit/genuine card, I’d pay the full price & get it from yr local guy - with full understanding that a genuine card is a dealbreaker.

Sorry shredd - thanks for your kind offer, but if I were able to get Katy Perry to share her hot tub with anyone, it would be with me!

Thanx for nuthin’! Just for that, you’re not only not getting any of my cards…but you’re not invited to my “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Invitational Massage Marathon Party”!!!

 

[Max Relic]

@Bugatti,
for my photo cameras, GoPro and now for the Tascam Model 12 I usually buy SanDisk cards from Amazon. Before placing an order I check for the right part number, then look for the most negative comments if any and if I'm not convinced it's good for me I skip to another article, even if it's a bargain. In the last 11 years I had not a single bad card, in any case a DOA card can be easily returned to Amazon at no cost (if sold and delivered by them). Furthermore SanDisk offers 3-5 years warranty on defective products and the returning procedure is easy, so I feel safe enough for my modest needs. But if you can buy a genuine product from a honest local dealer then go for it, you will do two good things at once.

 

[Bugatti]

@Max Relic
Thanks for your post.
Ideally, it would be a lot easier to buy SD cards from Amazon than ‘physically’ shopping for them.However, I’d only once seen the exact cards I needed being advertised - and as it turned out, the sellers didn’t have any after all. Things may well be different on Amazon USA though as they have a much bigger market than we do.

@shredd

It’s a real drag to hear you’ve withdrawn my invite to the ‘Dallas Cowboys’ Cheerleaders Massage Marathon Party’, but on the other hand you’ve saved me the cost of return flights from the UK, taxi fares and hotel bills - so thanks!

 

[shredd]

Things may well be different on Amazon USA though as they have a much bigger market than we do.

I'd bet a bag of pucks you're right: the massive commercial market in the US does offer countless sources....BUT, of course, also reveals the countless mouthbreather scumbaggs previously mentioned, especially in ebay-world et al...
When I looked up "sandisk extreme pro sd 32gb" on amazon here, I got 208 results.
So there's gotta be a couple/few good ones in there. I've even had success buying them on ebay, by carefully culling the dirtbags out. You just gotta be careful, choosy, and patient~

It’s a real drag to hear you’ve withdrawn my invite to the ‘Dallas Cowboys’ Cheerleaders Massage Marathon Party’, but on the other hand you’ve saved me the cost of return flights from the UK, taxi fares and hotel bills - so thanks!

You're welcome, @Bugatti ...I'll be thinking about you when I'm in the hot tub having the gurlz rub blueberry-flavored hot-lube into my tired ol' shoulders...
But I understand. I have an old friend (an American) who's lived in Oxford most of their adult life. Visited in '17, bumped over to the continent for a couple weeks (Bavaria & Austria), had a great ol' time. Would LOVE to go again...if for no other reason, to drop in on @Phil Tipping and buy him a pint and do a mind-meld on him so I can use my DP effectively...but am struggling with having to sell a kidney to pay for the airfare!
So...you're on your own. But you probably have a better chance of running into Adele in Starbucks than I do!!!

 

[Bugatti]

I’m not sure how it is in the US, but a certain percentage of the items sold online by Amazon UK and others are being sent from China - gullible buyers please apply!

Just like you, I’m also indebted to Phil Tipping and his manual. Without Phil’s help, my DP24SD might have gone through the window some time ago as my method of recording isn’t exactly textbook.

I’ve been over to the States a couple of times, though I didn’t get the further south than Memphis. My former (English) drummer lives in Michigan, so I might be heading over again before too long. (If you visit Europe again, Berlin’s well worth seeing - though maybe it’s not worth having a kidney hacked out for!)

Adele lives in L.A. these days …..

 

[-mjk-]

There is another issue too: The manufacturers update the cards and change the part numbers. Those part numbers are different so they look wrong but are actually an upgraded version of what is on the list. Tascam has said (mentioned elsewhere on this forum) that upgraded cards (where specifically stated by the manufacturer) are good to use.

One can always contact the manufacturer directly and get the information on upgrades from them. If you give them the approved card they can give you the upgraded numbers. They might even suggest reputable suppliers.

 

[shredd]

update the cards and change the part numbers

I’d confirm that…probably…I have several SanDisk ExtrPro cards that have part #’s that are a few letters off…but they work flawlessly…

 

[Mark Richards]

Equipment Related Tips sticky thread

How To Read A Sandisk Product Number​

 

[Bugatti]

You’ve all given me some very good advice - many thanks to everyone who’s posted!

 

[Max Relic]

There is another issue too: The manufacturers update the cards and change the part numbers. Those part numbers are different so they look wrong but are actually an upgraded version of what is on the list.

@-mjk- Thanks for the hint, I recently had a hard time finding a Tascam approved SD card for DR-60DMkII, even on SanDisk homesite there was no exact part correspondence. I tried my luck and ordered the most similar named part, we'll see if it works.

 

[Arjan P]

Ehm, stating the obvious maybe, but why not buy directly from SanDisk online (Western Digital actually). I wouldn't know if they still supply the - possibly older - partnumbers, but you can be sure it's not counterfeit.. https://www.westerndigital.com/products/memory-cards

 

[shredd]

buy directly from SanDisk online (Western Digital actually)

This should have been so obvious that even I could've thought it up.
If it had teeth, it woulda bit me in the flanks...