Little and large -- Inateck FE3001 and FE2007 USB 3.0 HDD enclosures [Review]
What do you do with the SATA hard drive you took out of that old machine you threw away a couple of years ago? One answer is that you get hold of an external enclosure and use it as an archive or for making backups.
Inateck's latest external enclosures allow you to do just that for both 3.5- and 2.5-inch drives. Let's take the larger one first, the FE3001 is USB 3.0 for fast transfers and the case is made of sturdy aluminum with a smart, grained finish. There's an external power supply, USB cable and everything else you need -- screws, rubber pads and even a small screwdriver -- is included in the box.
It's easy to fit your drive into the case -- pull out the back panel, which carries the connections and an on/off switch, and out slides a half-length metal tray. Plug the drive into the SATA connector, attach it to the tray with a couple of screws, slide it back in and fasten the cover with a couple of longer screws and you're done. There are good printed instructions if you get stuck, these also give advice on formatting disks and safely disconnecting.
The FE2007 is for 2.5-inch drives, it's a bit larger than you'd normally expect to accommodate this size disk but that's because it incorporates a USB 3.0 hub. The case is made of plastic but it's a neat tool-free design with a sliding cover. There’s an on-off switch, which is something you don’t often get on small disk enclosures, and there’s a separate power input for systems that don't provide enough juice on the USB port. Cables for both this and the normal USB connection are supplied.
As a drive enclosure it's similar to the FE2004 that we reviewed a few months ago but the addition of a USB hub means you can leave it connected all the time without sacrificing a USB 3.0 port.
You can buy hard drive enclosures cheaper, however, the Inateck products have an air of quality and are thoughtfully designed with some nice touches you don’t get in budget-priced alternatives. If you have an old hard drive that you want to rehouse they’re well worth considering.
The FE2007 costs $29.99 on Amazon (£25.99 in the UK). The FE3001 is on Amazon for $22.99 (£23.99 in the UK).