I'm compelled to chime in here. I have both the MicroDrive Turbo (2 CF cards) as well as several of the CFFA3K cards, and they are both outstanding and they have their differences. If you are looking to use CF cards as solid state hard drives, especially under GSOS with its large (2 GB) volumes, the MicroDrive Turbo affords you much more storage space. I have invested in a CF extender cable so that I can swap one of the CF cards easily without having to take my IIGS apart, and I use that CF card to transfer files back and forth between IIGS and PC. The MicroDrive and MicroDrive Turbo is easier for the complete novice to pick up and use out of the bag. The CFFA3K offers you both one CF card and one USB Thumbdrive as well as the ability to boot/run .DSK archive files directly without having to unarchive them back to physical disk. This is very handy for gamers as well as being able to quickly switch back and forth between DOS and ProDOS OS. Like I said, I have both and love both, but they have their distinct strengths and differences.
From my small view of the world, it seems like the Mac folks who have been using emulators for years much prefer the CFFA3K card. Those who have been using the real actual Apple II hardware - floppy disk drives, SCSI hard drives - seem to prefer the MicroDrive Turbo to start. I've never used an Apple II emulator (a badge I wear proudly) so I personally had difficulties with the CFFA3K when I first got it. After I used it extensively over a few months I came to appreciate its benefits. I still enjoy using floppy disks (I know, I know, I'm a dinosaur) but I really enjoy the full retro experience of the Apple II line. I thought I was the only one left, and then today I received an email from someone in France who is looking to fill out her Apple IIe and IIGS systems with Apple RGB monitor and a SCSI hard drive system. I told her about these cards, and she indicated that she is more of a purist and wants the full retro experience. She and I fell in love immediately LOL.
For me, having both CFFA3K and MicroDrive Turbo cards in my toolbox gives me the best of all worlds. I know everyone has their favorite betwen the two, and that's the way it should be. Can never have too many options, and to each his own. With all the hardware I sell that requires me to include floppy disk(s), I have a fairly large hard drive full of masters from which I cut the disks. That all resides on my MicroDrive Turbo system. For the software that I run myself - admittedly mostly games but also a fair amount of hardware utilities - I run them from a USB drive off my CFFA3K.
There are some pretty exciting things coming down the pike with the Raspberry Pi integration that may make these cards passe in the not too distant future...
) and it has been a pretty good solution so far for me. It really seems though that the CFFA3000 is the way to go now though.