Nobody outside of these forums will have heard of let alone would recommend Astone compact flash cards. Sandisk's Ultra line are universally heralded (or at least heard of) worldwide.
Not to take anything away from those here that use generic brand CF cards and have been satisfied.
I do appreciate the difference between satisficing and optimising, and I research deeper than others to make optimum choices when it comes to any purchases I make. There are only a handful of CF controller manufacturers in the world. Sandisk is one, and they make their own controllers that goes into their flash memory products. Who knows who makes the flash memory circuitry and interface controller of generic name CF cards such as Astone and/or Transcend? It could even vary by batches - courtesy of the lowest parts bidder...
Speed issues aside (the Ultra II is
faster for data transfer), the extra $$ spent on Sandisk buys you peace of mind. Some
reported issues with this generic brand as used by other members on here attest to that fact.
I have never experienced any problems under any circumstances with flash memory in my life. I exclusively use Sandisk Ultra II on my D70 and I'm not about to change.
(Sorry, it must be the full moon making me stubborn....)