RCA Pearl and the Sansa Express

[TechOutsider]

Hi, I am considering two MP3 players, the RCA Pearl and the Sansa Express. Both have a SD-card slot, so that's a plus.

I'm mostly concerned about the reliability of both; I haven't own too many RCA products, expect for a VCR player ... or was that a JVC? Sansa, on the other hand, I have read numerous reports of hardware failures, firmware failures, etc. etc.

Alternatively, I could wait a while until my tortured iPod nano 2g 2gb dies, by then maybe the Fuze will be within my reach. I've dropped it numerous times, even into the washer, yet it still works fine. Long-term reliability is a must.

Of course I could venture further into the world of flash drives/MP3 players. Any reports of reliability?

[CrowdAds]

[dgb52]

I think the Sansa clip is very reliable, i never have had a problem with the 2 that i have

I not sure but i don't think the Sansa express is made anymore

[damojo]

It can be had from tigerdirect but refurbished though. Or eBay

[TechOutsider]

Refurbs? I've heard even more complaints about them. I'm frankly scared by SanDisk now, however their prices are impressive. I just want something that works for cheap. With an SD-card slot.

The iPod is the first electronic product I have owned that I never had to make a support call about it. I've never called Apple yet.

[FreeZ5]

TechOutsider:

I do not understand your attitude. You are SCARED of Sandisk because somebody mentioned a refurbished player. If you are scared of refurbs, then ignore them, and buy new.

However, there will be very few NEW Sansa Expresses because they have been discontinued for some time. Two years, maybe?

You sound like an apple ipod fan. Maybe I'm a Sansa fan. I own three Sansas (2 Clips, one Fuze) the oldest is almost 2 years old. I have never had reason to think about calling Sansa. My hard drive iPod had a failing hard drive and a weak battery within two years. Fortunately about then I won a Samsung YP-Z5, and have never cared about iPods since.

BTW, both the Pearl and Express take a micro SD card not a full size SD card. The brief review of the Pearl that I read compared it to the Express, so it appears that you are looking at two fairly old players (as far as mp3 players go).

Take a look at abi's forums for the Sansa Clip and Sansa Fuze. You'll see lots of positives about these two players.

Steve