SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip vs Fuze

[TheAlmightyGuru]

My Clip Zip battery is nearing the end of its life, and I'm looking to replace it. Since I've had such good luck with SanDisk in the past, and since I appreciate their more open ethics (standard USB cable, Vorbis support, SDMicro, etc.), I'm sticking with the brand. I'm probably going to buy another Clip Zip since I've been so happy with it, but I'm curious if I'm missing out on something better with the Fuze or Fuze+.

Has anyone here had long-term experience with both the Clip Zip and either of the Fuzes? I would appreciate your opinion.

In particular, I notice that the Fuzes have longer battery life, and a bigger screens, which would be nice, but can I expect anything beyond that?

Also, I've dropped my Clip Zip hard several times, and because it's so light, I've never had a break. The Fuzes are a bit heavier (especially the Fuze+), so can anyone speak to their structure?

Finally, since Rockbox is a must, can anyone speak of the stability of the platform? I know my Clip Zip almost never crashes, but it fails to identify via USB fairly regularly forcing me to reconnect a couple times until it works, but that's a minor issue I can live around. I've read that the Fuze is pretty solid, but the Fuze+ crashes. Can anyone give an idea of how often?

Thanks in advance!

[saratoga]

Fuze regular is the same device as the zip with a bigger battery, a better screen and a scroll wheel. In exchange its larger and has no clip .

The fuze plus is a very different device with an in progress rock box port.

[TheAlmightyGuru]

Thanks Saratoga, that sums up the capabilities of the device quite well. Can anyone comment on the physical structure? Anyone break there's in a drop?

[saratoga]

All of these devices are so light its relatively hard to break them by dropping them I think.

[njweb]

I bought the Clip Zip since reviews for the Fuze + were not too good, including primarily complaints about difficult / unintuitive navigation.

After receiving the Clip Zip very recently (did not realize it was so tiny) and seeing this post, I have been wondering about the larger screen on the Fuze Plus, especially since Rockbox plays games which would be more fun on the Fuze Plus.

That being said, I do like the ultra small size of the Clip Zip.
I hope the two Rockbox themes designed for easy readability will help.
If not I, *might* have to consider the Fuze + since my vision is not what it used to be.
I say might because I do like the tiny size of the Clip Zip for portability...


Decisions, decisions.

[Serenity]

I own both the Clip Zip and the Fuze (a v1 and v2).  First: avoid the Fuze + at all costs.

Second, I love both players, but usually default the the Fuze v2.  It is peppy, sounds awesome and, with the properly formatted 64GB micro SDXC, it's my ideal player.  The scroll wheel is much quicker and easier than the Zip's buttons, and is easier for me than the standard iPod scroll wheel.  The rubberised metal back of the Fuze helps keep it in your hand as you navigate.  The screen is bright & clear.  I have dropped it a couple times with no problems, and my v1 even went through the wash (and 2 dry cycles)--after spending 3 days in a just-in-case bowl of rice, it's happily playing in the corner with no ill effects.

For size, the Zip is tiny, but thicker.  The Fuze is very thin--I call it my graham cracker.  It may not be as thin as a cracker, but it's close.  I actually keep it in a tiny zippered case that came with a set of Philips ear buds--with plenty of room for the ear buds as well.

The single drawback to the Fuze is its unreliable USB performance in Rockbox.  Since they tweaked how USB works, my v2 is incompatible with my Sansa dock and sometimes disconnects from my computer during extended file transfers--but only sometimes.  I believe this is since Rockbox version 3.9...?  They may have fixed this issue.  I need to update.  Keep in mind, I don't usually use the internal storage, so transferring files is as easy as pulling the micro SD and using a card reader to copy music.  And the dock still charges the Fuze, which was the main reason I bought it.

But this drawback does little if anything to dim my love of the Fuze v2.  It's my main player.  You can pick them up on eBay or the Amazon Marketplace relatively cheaply.  With Rockbox running on the Fuze it's a dream machine for me.

Your mileage may vary.

[Vkins]

Thanks Saratoga, that sums up the capabilities of the device quite well. Can anyone comment on the physical structure? Anyone break there's in a drop?

From my experience, the headphone jacks on Sansa devices wear out rather quickly. I'm on the go (walking, office...not jogging or running ) pretty much all day and I use my Sansa all the time...it usually takes me around 6 months until the headphone jack has some connection issues. Clip+, Clip Zip, Fuze...sooner or later, the headphone jack didn't work properly anymore.

Now, repairing a Clip+ or a Zip isn't an issue...pry it open, resolder the jack and you're good to go in most cases.
The Fuze, on the other hand...when you open it up, you will see that the clickwheel is connected using a very small and fragile ribbon cable. It easily breaks, rendering the device unusable. (Happened with mine.)

I would actually recommend going for a Clip, just because it's rather easy to repair.

@Serenity
I don't know about the Fuze being cheap...last time I checked (yesterday) there was only one around on eBay and the seller wanted 90€ (around 120$) for it...

[Serenity]

@Vkins: Holy cow!  I guess there's a surge in popularity. I ended up getting one for $25 from an Amazon Marketplace seller (it was a 2GB v1 that was scratched up but operational), but that was a year ago. I just checked eBay here in the States and found a few going for $60, but I'm not sure how much they'll charge to ship across the pond.

I have had issues with the headphone jack on the e200 (two of them), but so far my Fuze(s) have been solid.  Wish me luck for the future.

And finally an update: the 2GB v1 went through a second wash/dry cycle last week (it's just so small!) and spent another week in the rice bath--battery discharged, but it charged right up again and plays like a champ once more.

[Falco98]

I love my original fuze(v2), but they are downright unavailable and/or scalper-priced these days both on ebay as well as on amazon.  It does have cons which have been previously mentioned (buggy USB) as well as the fact that I hate having to lug around a proprietary cable for the damn thing (imagine an ipod connector but backwards, ..sorta).

I got a fuze+ for my girlfriend and it has pros which are outweighed by the cons, especially for a novice user like her.  The screen is much larger and beautiful at that, but the controls are mostly done on a tiny touch-only pad with no tactile feedback (and a button which is a button but has no marking - the bottom-left-button).  Plus its USB support is WAY buggier.  But (another plus) they finally managed to go with a standard microUSB plug instead of their proprietary junk.  If they'd just used physical buttons and/or a scroll wheel for the front interface, it would have had the potential to be perfect.  As it is, once some of the rockbox bugs are worked out, it'll be a nice player to keep on-hand, though not recommended for use at a time when you can't be looking at the screen constantly (like in the car).

I just ordered her a clip zip to replace the fuze+, but it hasn't arrived yet and i have no experience with it yet.  Holding my breath ;-)