Zalman ZM-VE300-B Aluminum Alloy, Acryl, Poly Carbonate 2.5" Black USB 3.0 ZM-VE300 HDD External Enclosure with Virtualization and One Touch Back-up

Pros: Does what it says it'll do. Note that not all computers support booting from USB, and rarely older computers that claim to be USB bootable are incompatible with this.

Good construction

Solid, durable, keeps HDD/SSD cool.

Cons: I've read that the mounting feature is NTFS only, which could be an inconvenience to non windows users.

I can't explain it but sometimes I just have a hard time getting some older computers to 'take', but it works eventually.

Not sata III, only sata II

Older model had temperature display always visible. This one hides it under a menu.

Other Thoughts: This is incredibly useful for a very specific person. If you don't plan on relying on NTFS and you want SATAIII, then look elsewhere. But as far as I know, nothing else does virtual disk emulation at such high speeds (my friend has told me android can do it, but between USB2 and crummy phone-SD performance, it won't be nearly as fast).

Pros: Same as before.
Zalman Support

Cons: USB3 microb connector is unreliable

Other Thoughts: I reviewed this before my RMA when the USB3 connector broke. Zalman RMA'd me a new one without question. Will baby this one until I have to hard solder the connection on after the warranty runs out.

Pros: Write protection
Loading ISO's as a virtual CD/DVD drive
Looks great
USB 3.0 speed

Cons: Write protection switch is software not hardware

Other Thoughts: Coming from the USB 2.0 version (I dropped it and the selector broke, my bad) I'm happy to have the speed boost, but I miss the hardware write protect switch. At the least they could put it as a main menu option instead of burying it. Old one also has eSATA but I never really used it and it required the USB cable too which was annoying. Reading the reports about the connector issues I've been somewhat careful with it and unplug the cable before I put it in my bag, so far I've had no issues (2-3 months occasional use). The ISO loading feature is great, I have all the versions of Windows, Office, etc. ready to go when my clients (inevitably) can't find them when I need to repair their computers. Not only does it take less space than a stack of discs, it's much faster. I plan on putting in an SSD eventually which will really make installs fly.

Pros: USB 3.0
ODD Emulation
Small Size
Uses Standard 2.5" SATA drives

Cons: USB 3.0 Micro B connector is faulty
No other connection options like previous model (esata)
No hard switch for write protect like previous model

Other Thoughts: I own both the ZM-VE200 and this model the ZM-VE300. I loved the first one for the ODD emulation and purchased this one as a spare/upgrade to for the old one. Since I use it mostly as a ODD I didn't miss the esata that much, but I did miss the hard switch for Write protection since I plug into a lot of questionable computers for support work. The big disappointment was when the usb3 connector started failing and eventually completely stopped working without me pressing it up an extreme amount. I have attempted to start an RMA on the website to see if I will get a replacement. I do think the connector is a problem on more than just this device from internet reviews of other usb3 hdds. -3 stars for now for using a bad connector instead of hard wiring up a cable to the device. I will drop it down to one star if I don't get a replacement.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear valued customer,

We sincerely apologize for the issue. Please contact our customer service e-mail support.usa@zalmanusa.com or via toll free number 1-888-925-6266 for further assistance.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Zalman USA Customer Service

Pros: Works great at mounting ISO, I have troubles getting it to work as a boot drive on our macs but I attribute that to the EFI type boot on the MAC and no so much the drive works great on all of our PC's though.

Cons: I did break my first one by leaving the USB cable attached to it and placing it in my bag which ended up breaking the connector that plugs into the unit itself. Zalman sent me a replacement and I now know not to do that so warning to everyone else out there.

Pros: I have not had the issues anyone else seems to be having, had the enclosure for a while and bring it back and forth to work, works like a charm. I use both USB 3 and USB 2, again no real problems.

Love the ability to mount ISO (had to look it up on the Net to figure out where to put what as the manual isn't so good), use it for installs quite often.

Cons: None really, it's not Sata 3, and being external could break if you drop it. I used Windows 7 to encrypt the drive.

Pros: Easy to use. Helps a lot. Fast.

Cons: Hard USB cable may brake the connection. Unreliable - after 2 month start disconnecting itself. Tested hard drive - perfect. 1 month later stopped detecting at all! Giving the worst feedback because Zalman doesn't provide any warranty as stated.

Other Thoughts: My friend used it with USB2.0 soft cable and he never had problems.
The common problem with USB 3.0 cables: devices don't recognize if you plug them all the way into your computer's USB 2.0 port. You need to pool it a little bit out to make it work.

Pros: Can say much for the pros because my shipment was missing the SATA interface controller.

Cons: What can be said about what I did receive is the manufacturing quality is poor and definitely not worth the price.

Other Thoughts: I will not get a replacement unit. The dream of a carousel ISO device has not come true for me at least.

Pros: Great quality, Virtual ODD, Looks good, Included case.

Cons: Nada

Other Thoughts: Installed a WD 1TB. Works great. Booted many ISOs from it.

Pros: Fast transfer speeds, love the ability to boot ISOs and nice form factor.

Cons: Only SATA2, cheap construction and not reliable

Other Thoughts: I have only used my Zalman ZM-VE300 about 3-4 times and already it has stopped working. I have to lift up on the USB 3.0 cable plugged into the device if I let go it stops working.