EAXER Aluminum USB 3.0 Hard Drive Disk External Enclosure Case for 3.5 Inch SATA HDD [Support Automatic Sleep Mode, UASP & 8TB Drives]

This Eaxer caddy fits a standard 3.5" SATA hard drive very well. The connector meets the drive positively. All the holes in the plastic support bracket align correctly with those in the drive and the outer aluminium shell. Different length screws are supplied to ensure that the correct amount of thread engages in the drive chassis. It becomes warm in use, but not too hot with intermittent applications.I checked the USB3 operation connected to my PC with an old 1TB drive previously formatted and used in a PC, and that was excellent, approaching the claimed data transfer speeds. I did not need to mount that drive as it was already correctly formatted and initialised. The microscopic instructions for mounting a brand new drive are comprehensive and follow the standard procedure.The foot tends to fall off without even a moment's notice just moving it sideways, so I've added a double-sided sticky patch as a retainer.The metal case seems to dissipate the heat generated by the drive reasonably well, certainly good enough for my intermittent light duty with USB2, but I would be more concerned if it was working hard enough to support using the full speed of USB3 during sustained operation on a higher power fast drive. Usefully, the drive powers down into a sleep mode after a short while, but I've not found a way of setting this timing and I'm unsure if it is the drive doing this itself or the caddy suggesting it.I did a load check on the power supply and it was happy at 12 Volts and 2 Amps into a 6 Ohm dummy load with very low noise and ripple. So it should be ample for my application where the demand is only about 0.5 Amps once the drive is up to speed and transferring data. If it should fail the connector is a standard 5.5/2.1 barrel connector with + on the inner pin. Always remember to switch off the mains to this external power supply when the caddy is not being used.My application was to re-locate the original 1TB hard drive from my five-year-old old Humax Fox T2 because that old drive was generating occasional write errors after being on 24/7 for most of this time and it was upsetting the Humax, but was fine on a subsequent read - apart from the missing data. A new 1TB drive in the Humax is working consistently reliably, and the old drive from the Humax now works well for intermittent use as the read-only archive in the caddy, and the USB2 input to the Humax is fast enough to play all the video from the caddy without any problems.

The old computer just wasn't up to the job after 10 years of exemplary service, but had information, documents and photographs that I really didn't want to lose. Being sufficiently wary of using the cloud for storage, I had no back up to fall back on to reclaim what was on the hard drive and had resorted to transferring everything via a memory stick - slow and laborious. This little unit was simple to install my old hard drive into and connect to the new computer and wow. Everything is there at the click of a button and the transfer of files has been simplicity itself and very quick.The 'stand' is not stable and the unit falls over just by looking at it, lay the unit flat and everything is fine. I have no negatives to say about this device, I'm exceptionally pleased, it is well made, sturdy and has been reliable in operation. If it fails I would buy another one, but I can't see it failing . Just a dependable workhorse, that does exactly what it should, the metal/aluminium casing will certainly not crack with a slight bump unlike some of the plasticky enclosures. All in all 10/10.

Easy to use and install the hard drive into (just make sure you use the shorter screws inside and in the right holes - can you tell my mistake!). The drive doesn't get hot, just warm, even though I copied over about 400 Gb of data in one go to it. I've used a sticky pad to attach the stand, much like others have suggested, as it does slide along on it or easily lifts out (do this AFTER you've installed the drive - and no, I didn't make that mistake!).My only drawbacks with it are as others have said. I'd much prefer the power button at the opposite end to the power lead and USB port, as it makes it much easier to get to, and for a tidier desktop. I also think the manufacturers should put in one square of 3M sticky foam to secure the base - a tiny cost but it would have made a big difference.

I have several usb 3 disc caddies from Icy Box, which is a very well-engineered product. However the Eaxer Aluminium HDD external enclosure is priced more reasonably at around half the price.Installing the HDD was quite easy - just push the drive onto the data/power connector until it clicks into place, then secure it with the 4 screws provided. There are two different types of screws - 1 for securing the drive inside and the others for securing the outer casing.Some reviewers have criticised the unit for having the led indicator lights on the same end of the enclosure as the power and usb 3 cables. I don't find this a problem as I am using the enclosure in my lounge to store digital copies of films - so I don't want to see a flashing light during an important matinee!The enclosure runs equally as cool as my icy boxes.