Pros: Since it is a laptop version of a dvd drive in an external case it is very light and portable. Powered and booted up right out of the box without issue. Worked flawlessly for 11 months.

Cons: My unit failed after 11 months. It would not power up after trying it on 3 different PCs. I used it in an office environment and, as such, it was never used in a mobile situation. For me, this rules out physical damage due to carrying it around with the possible bumps and drops. Returned to newegg without any hassle as it has a 1 year warranty. Newegg was helpful and accommodating. Note: I do not claim you will have the same experience failure wise with this writer, but the possibility obviously exists. That is the main reason for my 3 rating as the writer works as advertised otherwise.