SanDisk FTW IMVHO YMMV RTFM ISKWYDLS
I've been buying and using SanDisk USB sticks for years and I've only had one fail(†). But like any storage, if they contain anything that holds value, it exists in several other places too.
I wasn't unaware of the multi-level cell design until reading this, so I have questions:
* If I only use 20% of the capacity of a multi-level stick, will it just write to 1 bit/level of the cell, thus avoiding the slow downs and lifetime issues mentioned above?
* Is there a way to tell if they are multi-level when buying them?
† = it went read-only, so I haven't lost the data