Review on Premium Aluminum External USB 3.0 UHD 4K Blu-Ray Writer Super Drive for PC and Mac by Archgon by Todd Phillips

I am now using my third Archgon Premium Aluminum External USB 3.0 UHD Blu-ray Writer Super Driver for Apple MacBook (APED) in about the same number of years. The first, used sparingly and regularly, if not constantly, lasted about two years before plain DVDs started freezing or skipping. The second didn't crack for more than eight months, after which I received an 80% refund from Revain after returning the goods. I've been using number 3 for about three months. So far, so good. I don't expect longevity. With such a mixed history of performance, why do I keep using the same product over and over again? First, I can't afford anything more expensive that may or may not work more reliably. Second, the techies I trust tell me they don't know of a comparable priced product that's better or more reliable. *Sigh.*To answer some basic questions: 1. Yes, this product is easy to use, despite being young and useful: just plug it into your Mac's USB port with or without an additional cable. 2. It is designed to play DVDs or Blu-ray discs from regions 1-6. I just tried it briefly with a Region 2 (UK) disc with no success. 3. Handle with care considering its obvious fragility and short lifespan. When not in use, store it in a durable, zippered plastic case. I also left a saucer of milk before bed to calm him down. 4. Purchase an additional product warranty when the manufacturer's warranty ends. If my experience is typical, you will almost certainly need it. Final Complaint: If Apple hadn't decided that (a) laptops needed to be as thin as onion skins and (b) an entire nation or world of users would immediately abandon their accumulated CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays for Bluetooth streaming, we always would have nor built-in disc players in our computers - and there would be no need for such tricky products at all. UPDATE 32 DAYS LATER: This third Archgon I owner just died on me after only four months of sporadic use (about an hour every two or three days). It just stopped working last Tuesday when I tried to play the CD. I take care of the technology: the device has never been dropped or handled in any way. It just died after 120 days of intermittent use. I have now downgraded my rating from three stars to one star. For whatever reason - cheap materials or incompetent manufacturing - I found this to be a low quality product that I cannot recommend. I'm not enjoying this review but now I have fewer saucers of spoiled milk. SECOND UPDATE 84 DAYS LATER: In the interests of accuracy and fairness to Archgon, whose staff have bread on the table to feed like the rest of us, my third drive to die 52 days ago was replaced by the IT techs I work at , revived . I played both CD and DVD on it last night. I haven't tried any of my Blu-rays yet because there's no point in trying your luck. It turns into a boring technological soap opera. Every day brings a new surprise and a little intrigue: is the machine working this morning? For that unreliability, I'll leave my rating at the one-star level, calm the little device down with another saucer of milk, maybe a touch of bourbon. hit it Gizmo gets milk. I'll have a drink. LAST UPDATE: A year and almost two months after purchase, this product has finally died for me. I watched a DVD with it one night. I stopped playing to paddle to the kitchen for a saucer of milk. When I came back I couldn't get the machine that never turned off to play. He never played another DVD again. It could handle CDs, but at its high price that wasn't enough. As for Blu-ray, forget it. I gave up that chance a long time ago. I want to be very clear to anyone reading this review and trying to make a purchasing decision. This was my third external Archgon disc player in as many years. I was ready to put my full trust in the manufacturer and during that time several acquaintances told me that this was probably the best device I could hope for. All these machines, identical to the model in question, died within a year, give or take.2. Aside from a try or two with a Blu-ray disc, I've never done anything more complicated than (a) play a CD on this unit through my laptop, or (b) play a standard DVD the same way.3. I have never abused any of these units. After use or attempted use, they were all safely stored in the closed-zippered boxer shorts that came with the device. No device has ever been dropped, bumped, submerged in water or dropped into hydrochloric acid. Everything just lay undisturbed on my desk.4. I can speculate about the causes of my problem, but I cannot prove them. Perhaps this device is just more PC-friendly than Mac-friendly. This theory is supported by the oddly designed cables that came with the device. If this assumption has any real basis, then the manufacturer should transparently warn customers that their product is not reliably compatible with Apple/Mac. The plug cable connections from the floppy drive to the laptop could degrade over time, although I reconnected them very carefully without forcing anything. A tech I spoke to today suggested that the built-in DVD playback laser could have simply died: not once, but three times on three identical devices. Who knows? Who cares? I gave Archgon every chance to improve. He's let me down three times in three years. I bought my latest Archgon product. I bought a warranty for the device but now I'm so disappointed I won't waste any more time just eat up all the money I wasted and start with a clean slate, move in a different direction, that satisfies needs and desires. I wish you success. .