Pros: Great Features: eSATA and USB3 Connectivity

Cons: DOA

Other Thoughts: Have had several Vantec HD docking stations in the past. They usually are good for several years with regular use. My last one was only USB2 to I purchased the new USB3 model. It would not communicate over either interface with any hard drive. Thank goodness for the great Newegg RMA policy. I'll update this review if the replacement works.

Pros: USB 3.0
eSATA

Cons: Has trouble reading drives. Plug things into the old USB 2.0 dock and it works fine there. I tried swapping cables and several computers and it still has an issue.

Pros: Easy install. W7 saw the docking station. It seems to be plug and play. Works well with either USB 3.0 or USB 2.0. I use this with my desktop and my wifes laptop. I use this once a month to backup our HDD's and have been for almost two years. I have the older model NST-D300S3.

Cons: None yet

Other Thoughts: A must have if you are backing up a HDD and don't want to get into your computer case.

Pros: USB3
attractive
multiple inputs

Cons: like anythign you can get a defect. Except that in this case VANTEC stands behind it's products, so I really cannot call that a "con".

Other Thoughts: I bought one of these in 2012 and while cleaning out the office I found it again (don't ask!). I had set it aside because it didn't work. Well, before pitching it I shot an email to customer support and it turns out that all was wrong was the cable, which they are replacing at no cost. Real stand up guys!

Do NOT be fearful of buying this brand. They really do support their products, unlike 90% of all other ones.

Pros: Have only used a few times since purchasing -- for backing up mynetwork drives. Formatted multiple disks just fine. Network backups worked great. No issues.

Cons: none

Pros: Sleek design, nice feel, very Apple like

Cons: Unit came with issues in the assembly (power button was flaky, spring load eject was not functioning). Dis assembly of the entire housing/unit/board was required; the unit came improperly assembled. Once the parts (thankfully there were only a few) were separated, the physical issues were gone (after some basic reassembly).

However, the unit immediately exhibited strange behavior when powered on; the unit would reset after about 4 hours of operation. This happened with both Windows and Linux/BSD. This made extended data transfers problematic. The dock continued to function (albeit with a limp).

This unit runs at a slow speed regardless of connection type (SATA I/II/III and USB3.0). This is a known issue with this dock due to the included hardware.

After 3 months of operation, the eSATA interface stopped working; the dock is no longer recognized. "Thankfully", there is a USB 3.0 interface to fall back on. Same hiccuping behavior appears; drive blanks online/offline now within an hour, regardless of activity/load.

Other Thoughts: I had much better luck with the Thermaltake BlacX ST0005U; 25 months of reliable operation without hiccups. Speed is a slow USB 2.0/eSATA, but they're upfront about the capability. I've had the same bad luck with the 2.5" Vantec enclosures, but their 3.5" Hot Swap docks are rock solid.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
We try hard to provide our customer with the best service. If you have questions about our products, please feel free to write to us for assistance at support@vantecusa.com. We will try our best to answer your questions. We do not encourage disassembling the unit because it can create more problem for the user. Thank you for looking into our products. We do value your patronage.
Best Regards, Vantec

Pros: Works well with multiple PCs and Synology DS1511+ NAS

Cons: Does not work with Synology DS213+ at all using the USB connections (USB 3 ports in back or USB 2 port on front). When using the eSata connection the Synology DS213+ will recognize the drive briefly, but the drive disappears and is inaccessible after 10-30 seconds.

Pros: Seems like it should work and did for me once. The problem appears to be in the cheap cable it comes with.

Cons: Cheap defective cable, I think.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you. We do provide a one year warranty from the date of purchase on your product, so feel free to get that exchanged for a brand new unit.
Please contact support@vantecusa.com
Best Regards, Vantec

Pros: It works.
Inexpensive.

Cons: Flimsy plastic construction.
Obnoxiously bright blue LED.

Other Thoughts: This would be a great little product were it not for the blue power LED. It's way too bright. You could use it as a nightlight. The plastic construction is a little flimsy and cheap, but that might be expected in an inexpensive model such as this.

Pros: Everything! Other than not fully supporting 6Gbp/s

Cons: I carefully read their tech specs online.
Inside, there is only a Sata-II connection. This bottlenecks the USB 3.0 speeds to e-Sata speeds.

I confirmed:
...

Me: "It appears that this device supports USB3 out; however, internally does this use SATA II speed only?"

Them: Support Oct 19 (2 days ago)
"Hi Michael, You are correct. The eSATA port is 3Gbps"

...

eSATA delivers 3 Gbps. 3 Gbps is 384 MBps
USB 3 delivers 5 Gbps. 5 Gbps is 640 MBps.