SABRENT ECS-STU35K Aluminum 3.5" USB 2.0 Black External Enclosure - OEM

Pros: >All metal construction
>Accomodates SATA(I, II & III) & IDE drives of any capacity
>USB2 and eSATA output connections to computer
>External in-line power supply - not a wall wart supply
>Bi-Color LED indicates read/write activity
>NO fan to create noise and fail - lots of ventilation holes
>Supplied with rubber feet and small screwdriver
>Stackable to save space - a real plus

Cons: I now own SIX of these enclosures purchased over the past year and a half or so. All work flawlessly - zero problems. The reviewers calling it cheap or poorly made probably did not own Erector sets as children. You do have to have some dexterity and a small amount of patience to get the drive in and the enclosure assembled. Once everything is TIGHT these units are SOLID and dependable. A great deal for the price. They just work!

Other Thoughts: See Cons above. I hope they keep making these enclosures for a long time to come. I will continue to purchase them. A great value and a very good enclosure. I wish everything worked as well as these enclosures.
SABRENT ECS-STU35K

Pros: IDE and SATA. eSATA connection (when using a SATA drive..) Easy to open up, and swap drives if needed. Price.. Bang for the buck value here is good. No screw driver is really needed to open the case up

Cons: The materials are kind of cheap.. Sides kept falling off while installing hard drive. Its a lot larger than other 3.5" shells that I have. eSATA only works with a SATA HD

Other Thoughts: Will work great for what I intended to use it for.. Not everyday use, but to back up Hard disks when working on others computers, so the dual format is a nice add on

Pros: Clean, easy to work in.

Cons: A bit rough on the fit and finish but sturdy.

Other Thoughts: I'm not using this for the intended purpose.

I have a small digital amp installed in it.

Pros: Works as advertised

Cons: Nowhere that I found was it mentioned (as it is in the user instructions) that the eSATA connection only works on SATA drives. PATA drives will only work on the USB connection. This would have been nice to know ahead of time.

Pros: I have a couple of these. They have worked hard, and solidly, for me. Yeah, one could complain about the case if they want, but I find the metal construction 'friendly' and rugged - so I have no complaints there. Good all around value in my book.

Cons: none

Other Thoughts: Cannot really call this a con since no one provides these (that I have seen yet)... I own a number of different kinds of enclosures (collecting over the years) and swap drives often, whether at the bench or working onsite... I wish the manufacturers would add restraint tabs/loops/whatever... for removing the connectors from the drives easily to alleviate concern over constant handling of the ribbon. Not as much an issue on the sata conn, but always need to be mindful with ide connectors.

Pros: It works and works well. I like the screw covers - makes swapping hard drives a lot easier than some others I have had.

Cons: If you don't tighten the screws, the metal plates can rattle a little. Also, one of the screws seemed stripped and I was unable to unfasten it; but wasn't a bit deal as it was the bottom part of the drive.

Pros: IDE/SATA to USB/eSATA
Simple construction
Big knurled screws to open it up

Cons: The biggest con is that I purchased it. The internal components are junk. The PCB soldering job is garbage. The board is has big burns all over it. The solder is globbed on in places. It looks like there could be some cold solder joints, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a short or two in that mess. The components are cheap. I'm hesitant to even hook a hard drive up to it, let alone trust my data to this hack job on an ongoing basis.

Other Thoughts: The simple construction, which I actually really like, does have a caveat. The two long sides rattle a bit, but it's no huge deal. It also came with a little phillips head screwdriver, but the only phillips head screws are the two holding the PCB on. It's like they are inviting to take it off...which is a good idea.

Pros: - SATA and IDE Connectors.
- Plug n Play on 7.
- Decently Fast.

Cons: - Sharp edges (On mine anyway)
- Cheaply made slightly

Other Thoughts: Bought it to back up data from older drives was going to get an all in one 2.5" and 3.5" Sata+IDE but it was actually cheaper (And better) to buy a 2.5 and 2.5" separately. I cut my finger on the end trying to get the screws in as they don't always align right.

Pros: Attaches bot PATA and SATA.
Can connect to comp with both USB and eSATA.
Cheap.
Solid construction.
Easy to assemble.

I had an old PATA drive that I needed and my new Intel Z68 mother board does not have any PATA connectors. So I got one of these thinking that I could use it for that drive and in the future I could always stick a SATA drive in down the line.

Haven't tried internal SATA or external eSATA yet. Transfer speeds with USB are adequate.

Cons: It does get a little warm when being used. But nothing to severe.

Other Thoughts: Mine did not come with a eSATA cable, but I did not order it from newegg. It is possible there are different packages, but it would have been nice to have that since it is one of the features of this enclosure.

It did come with a screwdriver and mounting hardware.

Pros: IDE and SATA compatable....does exactly what I need it to do.

Cons: Little cheaply made but no big deal

Other Thoughts: I have had no problems with compatability with this enclosure, It has worked with all my old IDE drives and it works with all my SATA drives. I have had for 6 months with no problems at all. It is metal so heat isnt an issue but it is a little flimsy. Its cheaply priced and its tough to find an enclosure that handles both IDE and SATA with no problems and I believe this one does the trick.