SilverStone RVS01 Black External Enclosure

Comment:
As far as the computer is concerned, this is a fine external drive enclosure. I've used it on several machines and have yet to have a problem with the enclosure. There are some things to know before you buy one, first the good.This drive has no problem accommodating the thicker 12.5mm thick 2.5" hard drives as well as the more common 9.5mm drives, so if you've got one of the more capacious drives you'd like to park in a case, this case functions well.The downsides are a matter of taste, and may not apply universally. The enclosure has a magnetic mechanism that secures a rigid flap to the metallic plate that shields the connections. This ensures that when you're transporting the drive that the connection ports are covered and secure. Unfortunately, since this is the only latching mechanism, it means that when the enclosure is plugged into a machine that nothing is securing the top flap over the drive. The covering flap hangs loose over the cables, which doesn't match the otherwise neat look of the device.All of this leads to a design concession - if you'll be swapping drives in and out of the enclosure frequently, it's well designed, offering more protection than other drop-in adapters. If you're likely to have an external drive connected to a computer for some time without needing to switch out drives, and unless you need the 12.5mm capacity, you may be better served by another drive enclosure.

Comment:
I had another HDD case before this (some cheap one) and it kept on giving me problems (would randomly disconnect). This case is awesome, although some may argue that this case is pricey but I think its worth it. It also comes with an e-sata port which is great and the tool-less design is probably my favourite feature.

Comment:
Bought this enclosure for 2 reasons: tool-less design and eSata support. The enclosure is very well constructed and the HDD snap-in works great. Comes with a tote bag that has enough room to squeeze in the drive, USB cable and eSata cable (very handy). The only issue I've come across is that the eSata would not work with the cable I currently have hooked up to my computer (2ft, running from back to front). The cable works with other external eSata drives but not this one. I had to use the supplied (short) cable to get it working. Other than this I think it's a great product. This review was modfied by poster @ 06-22-09 03:30 PM