During CES, ioSafe launched a new line of portable drives that CEO Robb Moore told Ars are "the most rugged in the world." For its new Rugged Portable line, ioSafe offers both spinning platters and solid state drives in your choice of "Full Metal Jacket" casing carved from a solid billet of aluminum or titanium. The drives are crush-proof, shock-proof, water- and chemical-proof, and designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions.

ioSafe is so confident that it has designed the most rugged portable drive enclosure that it offers customers a warranty that includes replacement for any reason—even if a customer damages a drive on purpose—as well as free data recovery service. In fact, the company even let members of the press shoot up its drives with guns to prove that they are as rugged as it says they are.

ioSafe is already known for its line of desktop and server drives that are both waterproof and fireproof (we currently have one of the company's SoloPRO drives in the Orbiting HQ undergoing testing). When your data needs to be "disaster proof," ioSafe is the company to turn to for options, including both external hard disk and solid state-based drives as well as 3.5" internal drive modules for a number of applications.

The new Rugged Portable line is designed to provide the most protection available in a portable drive option. 2.5" hard disk drives come with an aluminum enclosure with your choice of 250GB 5400RPM, 500GB 5400RPM, 750GB 7200RPM, and 1TB 5400RPM mechanisms. I don't believe the company specifies which manufacturer it sources drives from, but the sample I saw had a Seagate drive inside. You can also choose between USB 3.0 or FireWire 800 interfaces. Prices range from $149 for 250GB to $399 for 1TB.

"They aren't the cheapest 'ruggedized' portable drives," Moore said, "but we think it offers the best value on the market."

If you opt for a solid-state drive, it comes with either a 256GB or 512GB Intel SSD inside. These tug much harder on the purse strings—you'll pay $1299 for 256GB drive or $2799 for 512GB drive. If military-spec protection is what you need, you can also opt for a titanium enclosure for an extra $700.

All drives include a one-year warranty, but that can be extended to three years for $50 or five years for $100.

All told, if you want ioSafe's fastest and most rugged portable drive, with five years of "no questions asked" replacement and data recovery service, you'll pay $3600. Having seen the invoice for recovery of an important video project at a company I worked for, I can assure you that for mission critical data it can be worth the investment.

For your money, you'll get a portable drive that is crush-resistant to 2500 lbs of force; shock-resistant up to a 10 foot drop; waterproof up to 10 feet for three days—even while plugged in; can withstand being dunked in diesel, oils, hydraulic fluids, and aircraft fuel; can withstand rain, dust storms, salt fog, and ice for 24 hours; and can operate at an altitude of 15,000 feet. The titanium enclosure can take 5,000 lbs of force, take a drop from 30 feet, be submerged under 30 feet of water, and operate up to 30,000 feet. ioSafe even added a Kensington lock slot to prevent theft.

Unlike its desktop drives, however, the Rugged Portable is not fireproof. "If it were," company representative John Klemme told Ars, "it wouldn't be portable."

If for any reason the drive becomes damaged—"even if a customer takes a sledgehammer to it," according to Moore—ioSafe will replace the drive for free under the warranty period. The company will also attempt to recover any data still left on the drive, including paying out up to $2500 for HDDs or $5000 for SSDs to have third-party forensic data recovery done.

During CES, the company offered members of the press a special "demo-lition," to demonstrate just how tough its Rugged Portables are. We were driven out to a Las Vegas shooting range where we were told we would be given a chance to "really test its durability." And while Moore told Ars emphatically that the company does not promise that the drives are actually bullet proof, ioSafe let me shoot at one of its drives with a 12-gauge shotgun and an M-16 rifle.

To start off the demonstration, Moore downloaded pictures from a digital camera and copied them to a Rugged Portable SSD drive with an aluminum enclosure. He then dunked the drive in an aquarium for several minutes. To prevent electrical damage from water getting inside the USB 3.0 port, he doused it with isopropyl alcohol and then dried it with canned air. Moore said that the drive enclosures are waterproofed behind the port, and the procedure with the alcohol and canned air is recommended to keep the port from fouling up after being submerged. Even if the port is damaged, however, the drive mechanism is still safe inside the enclosure, and can be sent to ioSafe for recovery.

After plugging the drive back in, Moore confirmed that the images were still on the drive.

Then Moore put the drive in a vise. While it is doubtful that he could have applied 2500 lbs of force without extra mechanical assistance, the vice was tightened enough to leave some teeth marks on the casing. He also held the drive over his head and dropped the drive on the concrete floor.

Again, the drive was plugged back in to confirm that the data was still there.

Then Moore said, "let's have a little fun." An instructor from the shooting range—on hand to supervise the entire operation and ensure safety—brought out a 12 gauge shotgun. Everyone was handed earmuffs and protective eyewear.

Moore attached the drive to a target rack and sent it down the range. He then loaded a shell into the shotgun and fired at the drive. After bringing the drive back—now covered in pits from steel pellets—Moore plugged in the drive and confirmed the data was still accessible.

Since there's nothing more convincing than trying something for yourself, Moore then offered everyone a shot at the drive. He hung the drive back on the target rack and sent it back down the range. I admit to being a complete novice when it comes to shooting firearms of any kind, but I managed to hit the target straight on. Four other journalists all took a shot and hit the drive as well.

Moore brought the drive back, now battered with pits from six shot gun blasts. He plugged the drive in to verify the data was safe, but the drive wouldn't mount.

"No problem—you'll now get a demonstration of our data recovery service," Moore joked. He disassembled the drive enclosure, removed the drive electronics and shock protection, and plugged the drive into a small SATA-to-USB adapter often used for forensic drive examinations. As promised, the data was still intact.

"Now let's see if we can really break the drive," Moore said. He reassembled the drive, sent it back down the range, and offered us the opportunity to shoot at it with a fully automatic M-16 machine gun. How could I resist?

I was offered the first shot. I should take a moment to mention that for someone who is completely inexperienced with firearms, there is nothing more intimidating than holding a fully loaded M-16 while a group of 10 people—including journalists, ioSafe representatives, and shooting range personnel—are watching and waiting for you to hit a small hard drive hanging from a wire about 30' away.

Despite my apprehension, I squeezed off about four rounds and nailed the Rugged Portable. The drive fell to pieces all over the shooting range floor, while the top part of the casing hung from the target rack by its Kensington lock. A bullet had hit the edge of the drive, going clean through the billet aluminum and blowing the 1/8" thick bottom cover right off.

Naturally, there were high fives all around.

But Moore didn't give up. He went down the range and found the SSD lying on the floor. He brought it back to his workstation, removed the remnants of the shock protection, and plugged the drive in to his forensic port adapter. The data was still on the drive and readable.

"I just want to be absolutely clear—we're not saying that our drives are bullet proof," Moore said. "But as you can see, they are the most rugged portable hard drives in the world."

Having shot one myself with an M-16, I'm inclined to believe him.