Vantec NexStar TX 2.5" SATA to USB 2.0 External Hard Drive/SSD Enclosure - Model NST-210S2-BK

Pros: Cheap

Cons: Screws included did not fit.

Pros: Does what you would expect. Holds 2.5" drive and transfers at USB 2.0 speed. Great price to convert drive.

Cons: None at this price.

Pros: It was of less price but a better quality than another one that i bought at a different store. It comes with a faux leather pouch, easy to assemble. Simple.

Cons: none so far.

Pros: 5 minutes to install...works right away!
Newegg delivery is fast!!!
Thanks!

Cons: I have not encounter one yet..don't see how I will find one either!

Other Thoughts: I will probably buy two more...nice and handy...

Pros: cheap. easy to setup/use. works great for the price. recommended.

Cons: the only con,and why I gave it 4 stars,is the fact its all metal(yes I know its in the description) and you get a plastic shield to go on the circuit board. I've had other enclosures that have a tray attached to the plugs to protect it instead.I guess it's a "save money " tactic.

Other Thoughts: great enclosure other than the listed con.but for the price,I can't really complain. more of an ocd /worrying thing.

Pros: It's inexpensive.

Cons: This didn't work for either of the 2 drives I purchased it for. Yes, I plugged in the USB cable as directed, and I used the static shield insert.

I put the 1st drive in the enclosure, but when I plugged it in to my computer, WinXP didn't recognize that an external USB device had been attached. Nothing happened.

When I plugged in the 2nd drive, WinXP detected that a device was attached, but after a few seconds it indicated the device was removed, even though it was still physically connected. This repeated endlessly.

Other Thoughts: In the end I just plugged in my drives to the motherboard to use them.

I was planning on returning this for a refund, but the RMA shipping costs more than the product itself! ($9 vs $10.50) What a ripoff.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Customer,
We try hard to provide excellent customers service. If you have questions about our products, or anything that are not functioning the way it is advertised, please feel free to write to us for assistance at support@vantecusa.com. We will try our best to support and answer your questions. Thank you for looking into our products.
Best Regards, Vantec

Pros: After assembly, felt more solid that I expected. I put the old laptop's 5400RPM hard disk inside this enclosure to then clone onto a new bigger and 7200RPM drive put into the laptop. Don't remember how long it took via USB 2.0 to clone the old drive to the new one (probably around 1-2 hours). When done cloning, the old drive in this case was just a little warm. I'm sure continuous access for a 7200RPM drive would've been a lot warmer in this case.

I had to sector clone the old 120GB hard disk inside this case onto the new 750GB put into the laptop. Connected to 2 USB case ports (on the laptop). No problems with the clone. No bouncing of the connection (disconnect, wait, reconnect) during the cloning. 120GB continuous copy operation shows me this unit doesn't have a problem with bouncing the connection (to "blink out" the device) as I encountered with 2 Rosewill enclosures I got for 3.5" SATA drives.

Cons: Some users complain about difficult assembly, like screws not easy to install. When pushing the drive (on tray) into the case, there is a piece of foam tape inside the case on the front end. This is to prevent the drive from rattling around inside. You have to push the tray in to squash the foam tape and move the pilot holes (not threaded holes) back far enough so the tiny screws can go through the case holes into the pilot holes in the plastic back panel's tangs. Those holes aren't threaded. You are screwing in self-tapping screws into tiny pilot holes. The screws are small so make sure you have a good grip on the case with one hand that squeezes the tray into the case and lay your hand with case onto a table so you can apply good pressure downward on the tiny screws. Use the included screwdriver and make sure it doesn't slip which, as with any screw, would chew up the slots and make turning the screw hardware. They are VERY tiny screws. If you drop them in the carpet, you probably won't find them without the help of a magnet. I would've preferred a couple more [larger] screws up front through case holes to go into threaded screw holes in the drive for a more secure assembly. Just 2 of those itty bitty screws hold this thing together.

Not a 'con' (and a 'pro' for most users) is that it is so small that sometimes it's hard to find. Took me 20 minutes of searching before remembering I put it into a pocket inside the laptop's carry case. I figured after the new laptop drive proves itself after several months that this little 2.5" drive in the tight case will tote along with the laptop to give me lots off external storage, or something that I can easily tote to another computer in another location (as long as 2 powered USB ports are available).

Other Thoughts: Comes with a leather-like pouch in which to store the case. Nice touch.

This is a passive enclosure; i.e., no power supply. This is obvious from the product's description. It uses the power from the USB ports to which it is connected. It comes with a Y cable that consumes 2 USB ports. While an already spun up hard disk doesn't require more power than what one USB port can supply, it needs a lot more during spin up. A 2.5" hard disk might need 4.5W to spin up. One USB port can only support 2.5W (5V x .5A) so that's why this passive enclosure requires 2 ports to have 5W power available to ensure the drive spins up okay. I don't have any USB 3 ports to see if the higher power output of that port would allow a single port connection for this enclosure.

Obviously because it needs 2 *powered* USB ports for sufficient power during the surge to spin up, you can't connect this to 2 ports on a passive USB hub. You need to use 2 USB ports where each has its own power, like the case ports on the computer or from a powered USB hub.

Other than wishing a couple more robust screws were used to hold the drive or the tray (to which the drive is attached) in place inside the case, I'm very pleased with this item.

Pros: It looks nice.

Cons: Product never worked. Dead on arrival.

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: Price

Cons: It worked at first, but stopped after a few hours. After disconnecting the unit from my computer, and plugging it in again it would work sometimes and not other times. This is frustrating. I will exchange it. If the replacement does not work reliably, I will return it for a refund.

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. Thank you for looking into our products. We do value your patronage.
Best Regards, Vantec

Pros: Easy to use, inexpensive.

Cons: None yet