I removed the optical drive from my old 2010 MBP to add more storage and it sat in my desk drawer for ages. The new computer and the disappearance of all optical drives from all computers in the house meant something had to be done. It was and works great. It's of course just as good as the drive that's inside, but the drive fits as intended. The materials are uninspiring, they are very light, but honestly I don't care.