PLEXTOR USB 2.0 External CD/DVD Drive Model PX-610U

Pros: Easy to use/setup. Burns just about anything. Solid. Slim. Quiet

Cons: Cable connector in back of unit is not solid and if not plugged in securely will cause the unit to connect/disconnect in windows. Blue power light at back stopped working almost immediately. With door completely extended it is a little front heavy. Although advertised as able to burn dual layer DVD's at 6x, the reality is 4x. Wish it came in black.

Other Thoughts: I bought this because the second combo drive replaced in my laptop caved as usual. The built in combo drives in almost every laptop are HL-DT-ST DVDRAM and they are junk. This is good old Plextor. They have always made very good reliable equipment. I have so far burnt DVD +R, -R, +R DL, and cd's. I have done 50+ and had one failure and I am sure that was the disc. Despite the minor issues I am as happy with this as I was with my original one purchased back in 2003.

Pros: Feels solid. Looks fantastic.

Cons: Skips if you look at it.
Fails to rip disks.
Fails to burn disks.
Heavy.

Other Thoughts: Plextor used to be the king of the hill. I don't know if they go bought out but they're garbage now. Makes me sad as I like to stick with a brand.

Pros: Fast setup. Took literally 15-20 seconds to have it setup. Have burned over 75 verbatim dvd+rs without any failed disc yet.

Cons: loading the disc isn't easy compared to an internal burner. the tray is flimsy and requires a little push to get the disc loaded.

Other Thoughts: Convenience and fast!