Review on OWC Drive Dock USB-C Dual Drive Bay: Enhanced Storage Solution for Mac and PC (OWCTCDRVDCK) by Robert Tirona

I used to avoid USB to SATA adapters and docks altogether and only used hot swappable or eSATA SATA backplanes. Both technologies have always been more reliable and faster than USB for me. However, both technologies are dying out or almost dead. Most new cases don't have 5.25 bays for installing SATA backplanes, and eSATA is probably on the list of technologies you'd rather see in A+ certification than in real world will see. right next to the SCSI terminator. So, reluctantly and very suspiciously, I'm moving towards the new world of USB-C. This dock looks very well built. I like that the power rocker switch fully turns the device on and off. I like its weight and the fact that there is no "wart on the wall", the power supply is built-in. I love that I can easily connect it to my desktop or laptop using the same USB-C cable. I really like that you have to hold down the power button for a few seconds to turn off the drives. This is very clever to prevent you from accidentally hitting the button and powering off the drives. Overall I think this is the best SATA dock currently available. Now a few comments: All the cables supplied are too short. When the docking station is in a regular spot on my desk, the included power cord can't reach the floor to connect to a power strip. Similarly with the USB-C cable, if I put the dock on the right side of my Macbook Pro, it gets really cramped trying to get to the Lightning ports on the left side of my Macbook (and my Macbook only has TB ports). the left side). Also, the included USB-C to USB-A cable is Gen1 only, which means it's limited to 5Gbps. I'm not sure why they put the cable that is the bottleneck of the device straight into the box, it confuses me. USB-C-to-A cables are available with speeds of 10Gb/s. I used the included 10Gb/s USB-C cable so I don't care, just an odd decision. All in all, this is a great docking station that's a bit let down by short, inferior cables. If you are looking for a card to connect check out Sonnett, they make a good card. Also, spend some time learning about USB naming conventions as they are incredibly shaky and confusing (USB 3.0 vs. 3.1, Gen 1 vs. Gen2, 2x2, etc.).