Acomdata Tango USB 2.0/eSATA 2.5-Inch SATA Hard Drive Enclosure TNGXXXUSE-BLU (Blue)
by Acomdata
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Acomdata Tango USB 2.0/eSATA 2.5-Inch SATA Hard Drive Enclosure TNGXXXUSE-BLU (Blue)
Customer Review: eSATA works [TAKE NOTE]
Summary: 4 Stars
I just got a new DELL Studio 15 (WIN 7 64 Bit) and decided that I would use its SATA port to connect an external drive. So I read a couple of reviews then I decided to purchase the enclosure together with Hitachi 500GB Travelstar SATA 7200 RPM Laptop Internal Hard Drive HD20500IDK/7K - Retail and Syba SY-CAB-ESA e-SATA to e-SATA Cable (21-Inch, Black).
As already pointed out on several reviews, the instruction to remove the PCB is wrong. You have to remove the 2 screws to take out the plastic lid, then PUSH the PCB out (not PULL).
USB connectivity worked flawlessly so no complaints there.
HOWEVER, I could not get the drive to work using the eSATA port. When I connect the e-SATA to e-SATA cable, the blue led indicator does not light up. I tried almost everything from a new laptop motherboard to a total laptop replacement, new eSATA cables, eSATA express card, adding a PCI eSATA Card on my desktop, swapped enclosures (I bought 2) but nothing worked!
Stumped and frustrated, I decided to read all of the reviews for this enclosure. Then I found the answer on two reviews:
* TO USE THE eSATA PORT, YOU NEED TO CONNECT BOTH THE USB and eSATA CABLE!* <-- See Picture Posted
Yes my fault, I should have RTFM!
It works fine now and below are some benchmarks.
Using DiskBench V2.5.3.2 USB Port I got:
Copy File Bench started...
Copy e:\Downloads\sata.exe to c:\Downloads\sata.exe
Size: 339505504
Time: 11450 ms
Transfer Rate: 28.278 MB/s
Copy File Bench ended
Using DiskBench V2.5.3.2 eSATA Port I got:
Copy File Bench started...
Copy e:\Downloads\sata.exe to c:\Downloads\sata.exe
Size: 339505504
Time: 3323 ms
Transfer Rate: 97.435 MB/s
Copy File Bench ended
UPDATE 090110:
The first unit I have, the eSATA port stopped working. I had to get an RMA with Acomdata because of a possible bad board.
Customer Review: Robust Construction, Quick and Easy Installation, Flawless Operation
Summary: 5 Stars
This happens to be my first purchase of external enclosure for 2.5" HDD and I'm glad this has been the best buy ever. There are many enclosures out there costing as low as half the price of this one, but none of them can be compared to this one. This particular Acomdata enclosure stands out among all enclosures for under $20.
Design and Construction:
The outer aluminum case is light and very strong and can easily house any 2.5" hard drive of 9.5 mm height. Anything above this thickness will not fit. The circuit board slides in and out along perfectly machined inner grooves, and unlike other low cost enclosures, there is a provision to screw the hard drive to the circuit board so as to make the entire drive assembly rattle/shock proof.
Assembly:
When I was done with the assembly, I just couldn't believe that everything was done in less than 3 mins. No special tools or miniature screwdrivers needed. Unscrew the 2 screws at the back and DO NOT pull it from the same side. Instead pull it from the front, like mentioned in most of the reviews here. This is because the entire circuit board and front panel are made one piece. Once the HDD is secured on circuit board using the 4 screws provided, putting it back is way too easy. Slide in from front and finally screw it back.
Operation:
First flight in Windows 7 was super quick. Took less than 5 seconds to detect and install drivers automatically. It works flawlessly in Vista and XP too. Unlike other enclosures, the activity light is very well placed on the front. There are no heat issues even after continuous usage for up to 12 hours. However, e-SATA functionality could not be tested since there was no e-SATA cable in the package.
Overall, this enclosure is well built and performs well. No wonder this lists out in the very first spot when you apply "Sort by: Bestselling" filter for all 2.5" enclosures. Not to mention its 5 star reviews and affordable price tag of $20. Some owners might feel the package should have included e-SATA cable and maybe a small pouch/case, but no complaints whatsoever from me.
Customer Review: Perfect for recovering data from a hdd, easy setup, works fine, and looks good.
Summary: 5 Stars
My HP dv9500 laptop just stopped working, no warning...no chance to recover any files....I had backed up lots of stuff on cd's...but not iTunes library and my CD collection and lots of jpgs...empty feeling in the stomach.....fast forward 2 weeks....Blue Tango Portable Enclosure Kit to the rescue. It was expensive to recover data from HDD ......so I just removed them from the broken laptop.
I read the Amazon reviews, and was skeptical of the cheap USB enclosures, but this enclosure got a good review and was only $20 with the bonus eSATA interface......so I ordered it Friday from Amazon prime....and it was delivered Monday 1:00pm.....Amazon rules.
First off, the manual does not describe how to install the drive...it has diagrams, which could be clearer, but just follow them best you can and fill in the blanks. The enclosure was well made, all aluminum, metal end caps, the screws fitted well, and it looks kind of stylish in blue. Installing the hdd was a breeze, place hdd on backplane and push into connector, and secure to the (pcb) with 4 screws.....push the backplane back into housing (making sure to locate backplane in slides), replace end cap and tighten 2 screws. The housing holds the hdd securely...the connectors fit well....so I guess you could carry this around with a laptop.....but remember it doesn't have any shock protection.
Connected the USB....it recognized the drive immediately loaded drivers and explorer opened my old hdd....with all my files accessible......great..... I connected using a single USB connector (2nd USB not required).....I didn't measure the time but it found all the files (110GB) in several minutes. I will connect with the eSATA interface when I get around to purchasing a connector cable (eSATA cable not included in box..pity).
This housing and USB/eSATA enclosure is recommended, it works perfectly for recovering my data, and I will format the hdd as a spare backup.
Customer Review: Excellent! Superb little box!
Summary: 5 Stars
I cannot speak highly enough of this enclosure. I bought it along with a WD 2.5" drive for the express purpose of using it to house the new drive so I could clone my Mac drive (pre-unibody MacBook Pro), and replace it with the new hard drive.
The external casing is a single piece of aluminum (not two pieces held, clam-like). The inside slides out to reveal a board which you then screw the hard drive onto with 4 screws. Once attached, the inside slides into the single-piece aluminum outer casing (along a 'rail' inside the case) and is secured by two screws at one end. Connection to the computer is via a cable (supplied) which has a mini-usb connector at one end and two standard USB connectors, one half way along the cable and the 2nd at the other end (the cable has two standard USB connectors to ensure that if your machine is unable to power the drive with one connector, you can plug the 2nd connector into another USB port to provide additional power).
The drive powered up first time with no trouble. I ran the cloning program on my Mac and then removed the new drive from the enclosure. I then opened the Mac and put the new, cloned drive inside. Everything worked perfectly!
I then put the old Mac drive into the enclosure. That worked first time too! I now have the old Mac drive running in the enclosure.
This enclosure is solidly built, attractive, small, efficient and excellent value. I can't speak for the instruction manual as I didn't even open the plastic bag it came in!
Other enclosures I have purchased over the years have not held the drive on a board, rather they have allowed the drive to 'rattle' around inside, connected at one end via a flimsy cable. I think the board is the best feature of this item.
I am very happy with this product and would definitely purchase another one in the future.
Customer Review: BEST 2.5" Enclosure
Summary: 4 Stars
I've purchased several brands of this type of enclosure to use with extra laptop hard drives. I like this one the best of all of the others I have.
Here's what's great about this product:
1. The screws are durable and larger than many other products--easier to install and keep track of
2. The internal assembly includes a large circuit board that your hard drive is actually screwed to--some other products don't include this, so your hard drive may "rattle" inside the enclosure (a folded business card is a good wedge...but it's nice with this unit that it's not necessary)
3. Materials and finish are top quality. The fit/finish and appearance is better than most pre-built 2.5" drives. This enclosure just looks better than many of the aftermarket competitors.
4. The blue drive activity LED is large and bright enough to see easily--some other products have tiny activity lights that are difficult to monitor.
5. For $20 a device with eSATA and USB is a pretty great deal!
I would have given the overall 5 stars, except that no eSATA cable included. The Amazon listing does mention this indirectly (the package contents identify a USB cable as included...so read between the lines that means NO eSATA CABLE--hopefully most customers are reading between the lines). I'd happily pay a couple extra dollars to have the option of using eSata without buying a separate cable, so it's disappointing this product is packaged without one.
But aside from the cable thing, I'd still buy this product next time I need an external enclosure.