3/15/22
The 16GB Ultra Luxe works well for "full" Linux installations, as well as for "live" installations, although it's overkill for live installations, which can be put on cheap USB-2 drives. [1] The "full" installation process takes about 10-15 minutes on an Ultra Luxe (assuming an .iso of about 1.5GB), which is very fast for a flash drive, and the resulting installation runs well. However, the drive runs warm, and some might say hot, especially when writing a lot of data to it, which indicates relatively high power consumption, which is a consideration when plugging the drive into a laptop running on batteries. You could probably clamp a heatsink on it to help it stay cool.
On the other hand, my 15GB USB-3 Kingston DataTraveler runs cool, but creating a full installation took about 70 minutes for MX-Linux XFCE, which has an approximately 1.5GB .iso. However, it runs well, although Xubuntu 22.04-64 didn't run as smoothly when I installed it on the same drive. Besides the slow installation process, there aren't any significant problems with the Kingstons as far as using them for MX-Linux installations is concerned. However, considering how long it takes to create an installation on a Kingston, you should practice on a Sandisk to maximize your chances of success when creating an installation on a Kingston. I've noticed that the installation-process failed if I hit the spacebar to reactivate the screen (if it shut down during installation), and succeded if I dragged my finger on the touchpad to reactivate the screen. So, hitting the spacebar, or perhaps any key, except when entering data, might confuse the installer.
Another possibility is to put a full MX-Linux installation on an Ultra Luxe, and use the installation's MX Snapshot tool to create an ISO from the full installation (including any software which you installed, and any settings which you made), which can then be used for creating a live installation. A big advantage of this approach is that you'd never have to use the source installation to do any work, which would allow you to connect it to the internet to make changes, such as to add software, without worrying about anyone being able to access any data on it, since there'd be none. If you prefer some other type Linux which (like MX-Linux) uses the APT software manager, and can't create a live installation from the full installation, you could use APT-Offline and APT-Offline-GUI to make changes to the full installation without connecting it to the internet. It's easy to install APT-offline on MX-Linux without first updating the package index, and without a direct internet connection. For details, see AnAptOfflineBlog.
If the live installation were non-persistent, it would be secure because it wouldn't retain any data after being shut down (you'd store all data on separate flash drives, including encrypted ones). But to change the password, you'd have to change it on the source-installation, then create another live installation from the full installation, but this isn't a big deal if you don't do it very often. (You could change the password on the live version, but the change wouldn't be retained after shut-down.)
For security, I use one PC for accessing the internet, and a couple of offline PCs for everything else. I switch my monitor, keyboard [2], and flash drives between them by means of a CKLau-64H2ua KM switch. The offline PCs have no wireless circuitry, including in any peripherals. The wireless circuitry in mini-PCs is typically on a removable module - pull the tiny RF connectors straight up from the module using long-nosed pliers, cover the end of the RF cables with tape to prevent shorting, and the rest should be obvious. My offline mini-PC doesn't have any internal storage, in case the OS would surreptitiously save data on the internal drive. (If you run the PC from a full installation on a flash drive, the PC might surreptitiously save data to the flash drive, but you could conceal it when you're not using it. But if you run it from a nonpersistent live installation, it wouldn't retain any session-data after being shut down, and you could leave it plugged in. If someone takes it, you could make a replacement from the ISO in about ten minutes.) My other offline PC is a desktop PC which currently runs Kubuntu and which I made from parts from Amazon to get everything I wanted without spending a fortune. It has big, fast internal drives, but I don't process any sensitive data with it.
Don't make the mistake of underestimating hackers' ability to penetrate software-based security, or to hijack any wireless circuitry. Back up your important data on multiple encrypted flash drives and develop a system to ensure that you don't lose the data in any likely situation.
Notes
[1] Full installations are created by booting a PC with a live installation and running the live installation's installer to create an installation on a flash drive connected to the PC (just not a USB-2 flash drive). Live installations are created by simply copying the relevant .iso source-file to a flash drive with a "USB installer" program such as Rufus, Etcher, or MX Live USB Maker, which is included with MX-Linux, and which can create persistent live flash-drive installations, which retain some data upon shut-down and pose a security risk.
[2] My keyboard is an E-SDS KB-1011 wired keyboard with touchpad, available from Amazon. I've had it for over a year, and it shows no sign of wearing out, unlike Adesso's similar keyboard, which gave out after a year (the elastomeric "spring" under the space-bar wore out and couldn't be swapped out). The KB-1011's delete and insert keys are in unusual positions, so it takes a while to become accustomed to the keyboard, but otherwise the layout is great. The Adesso has a more standard layout, and I'd prefer it except for its dubious durability.
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