Inateck USB 3.0 HDD Enclosure + 3 port Hub Review ( Model FE2007 )

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received an Inateck USB 3.0 HDD Enclosure + 3 port Hub ( Model FE2007 ) for a product review. In addition to the enclosure itself, a USB 3.0 cable and another USB cable for power were included.

I have tested various enclosures before, but this is the first one with a built-in USB hub.  Installation of the hard drive was very simple and didn't require any tools - just remove the cover and insert the drive.

Top Left : Enclosure Top Right : USB 3 cable Bottom : USB power cable

No tools required to install the hard drive, just remove the cover

To test the performance of the enclosure, I used a LiveCD version of Ubuntu to perform a benchmark tests.  Using the same 2.5" laptop hard drive in the enclosure and installed in the laptop itself, the benchmark tests for average read/write and seek times showed minimal ( less than 1% ) variance.

To test the performance of the hub aspect, I used the Ubuntu system again to compare the performance of a different external USB hard drive connected directly to the laptop against the performance of the same drive connected via the hub in the FE2007.  Again, there was minimal impact to performance but I did have to use the 2nd USB cable (for power) which is understandable since I was having to power a hub and enclosure.

USB power port, on/off switch, LEDs, and 3 USB ports for the hub

I also did a few tests to see what sort of current was being pulled - I do want to note that the device I use to measure current only supports USB 2.0 mode so I don't know if the true power consumption is different when the drive is in USB 3.0 mode.  Based on those quick tests, I noted the following:

- With the hard drive off, the hub itself uses about 0.24A
- With the hard drive on, the enclosure + hub uses about 0.56A when idling ( jumping up to almost 1A when it is turned on, and about 0.85A when in use).
- Using the 2nd USB power cable put about 0.56A on the main USB 3 data cable, and 0.25A on the second power only cable.

Considering USB 3.0 is rated for 0.9A, you probably should use the 2nd USB power cable if you are going to attach anything to the hub.

Size Comparison Left to Right:
FE2005, FE2007, 2.5" HD

As a real world test, I used this drive with my Xbox One without any problems.

This enclosure would work well for situations where you would need both an HDD enclosure and a USB hub.  However, if you don't need the hub then I would suggest looking at other Inateck options such as the FE2005.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Easy to Use: Installing the hard drive doesn't require any tools, and everything worked fine on the Ubuntu system without any special settings or drivers.

Versatile: In addition to supporting 2.5" SATA drives, this enclosure also has a 3-port USB hub which is great if you are using a device that doesn't have many available USB ports.

Performance: As both an external enclosure and USB hub, the benchmark tests showed that this device performs well.

Bottom line: If you have a need for an external enclosure and USB hub, this device does both jobs well.

Inateck Product Page: http://www.inateck.com/inateck-usb-3-0-2-5-portable-hdd-enclosure-3port-usb-3-0-hub/
Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00T2ODFCU

Jelly Comb USB Power Muli-meter Review

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received a Jelly Comb USB power multi-meter for a product review. I was looking forward to testing this product to see if it would be a good addition to my geek toolkit.  For testing things like USB battery packs, I have a USB tester which would let me see the voltage and current but I didn't have a method to test the capacity easily.

Jelly Comb tester

The Jelly Comb tester is able to measure voltage, current and capacity.  It can store 10 sets of data, and even saves the data if the power is turned off.  I considered this a very important feature primarily for testing USB battery packs because you wouldn't want to lose your test data when the pack itself finally dies if you are doing a capacity test.

Easy to read display

For my first test, I used a 5 port 8A USB charger as a power source and tested 3 different USB meters to see the voltage:

Jelly Comb : 5.15V
DROK unit 1:  5.11V
DROK unit 2: 5.17V

As you can see there is variance between the 3 but I would consider it minimal for my use.  I also tested all 3 devices with a 1A load and they all measured about the same current.

For my next test, I wanted to test the ability to measure capacity.  I used a fully charged USB battery pack, the Jelly Comb tester and a 1A load.  Once the battery pack died, I connected the Jelly Comb (without load) to another USB source and looked at the measured capacity.  Here are the numbers I came up with on that test:

- Rated capacity per product info: 6000 mAh
- Measured capacity: 3870 mAh

So the measured capacity was about 65% of the rated capacity.  I plan to test a few other battery packs to get an idea of what sort of loss I see on average.

Testing the capacity of one of my battery packs

For the average user, I would see this as a great tool to make sure your devices are charging at the voltage and current expected.  You could also use it to help measure the actual capacity of your battery packs, and compare it over time.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Ease of Use: You just plug the device up between whatever you want to measure.  The fact it only has 1 button isn't too complicated as long as you read the directions.

Features: I have other similar devices that only measure voltage and current, this one also measure mAh capacity.

Size: The device itself is small, about the size of a stick of gum.

Bottom line: If you are looking to do some at home USB testing, this is a great option to consider.  I definitely plan to use this for future tests

Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00NHHP06C

Inateck 2.5 & 3.5 Inch HDD USB 3.0 External Enclosure ( model FE3001 )

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received an Inateck 2.5 & 3.5 Inch HDD USB 3.0 External Enclosure ( model FE3001 ) for a product review. The product included the enclosure, a USB 3.0 cable, power adapter and some hardware ( screws, screw driver ).

Everything that came with the enclosure

To test the performance of the enclosure, I used a LiveCD version of Ubuntu to do some benchmarks.  Using the same 2.5” laptop hard drive in the enclosure and installed in the laptop itself, the benchmark tests for average read/write and seek times showed minimal ( less than 1% ) variance.

Side shot of enclosure

2.5" drive (Left) and 3.5" (Right) for size comparison

For a real world test, I had a 3.5” SATA drive sitting in another Inateck enclosure connected to my Xbox One.  I put that drive into the enclosure, and was able to use it on my Xbox One without any problems.

Inside the enclosure

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Easy to Setup: Installing the hard drive was very simple, and for a 3.5” drive everything you need is included.  If you have a 2.5” drive you will need some screws to secure the drive.

Easy to Use: No special software or drivers needed, just turn the power on and use it.

Works with Xbox One: If you are looking for a way to add storage to your Xbox One, this is a great option to consider.  It can handle both 2.5” and 3.5” drives giving you options, and from what I can tell even if the enclosure has the power on the drive itself will spin down when the Xbox One is off so you don’t have to worry about the drive constantly running.

Bottom line: If you are looking for an enclosure that can handle both 2.5” and 3.5” hard drives, this is a great option.  If you only need an enclosure for 2.5” drives, Inateck has some great options.

Inateck Product Page: http://www.inateck.com/fe3001-tool-usb-3-0-enclosure-aluminum/
Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00UAA4J6G

TaoTronics Ultrasonic Cool Mist Home Humidifier ( Model TT-AH001 )

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received a TaoTronics Ultrasonic Cool Mist Home Humidifier ( Model TT-AH001 ) for a product review. I immediately noticed that the top of the cardboard box could actually be folded in a way that would make it into a carrying handle -- although this may seem small, it is nice to see a vendor put thought into that sort of detail.  This isn't the normal type of product I review but I like to be open minded about what I review, and in this case my wife is going to help let me know if it seems to be working or not.

The unit itself was two main pieces ( the larger part was for the water, the bottom is where the magic happens ) and easy to put together, I would say it is about the size of a coffee maker.  The manual seems pretty good about explaining the function of this unit, and I did a few simple tests to make sure it was working.

You can easily see how much water you have left

Over the next few days, I had my wife setup the unit how she felt was best and let me know if she noticed any changes.  After testing it, she said that she noticed her nose wasn't dry and throat wasn't irritated.  She mentioned the fact it lasted long ( around 12 hours as an estimate ) and was very quiet were the main things she noticed over other humidifiers.

Close-up of controls

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Ease of Use: It was very easy to setup and use the humidifier.  The functions are easy to understand, and the instructions explain any details you might need to know.

Features: The humidifier has options for multiple mist levels, and can even monitor the humidity so that you can set a target level and it will run until it hits that target level.  The unit also has a night light which is useful if you are going to use this unit in the kids room.

Other factors: The large capacity lets it run for around half a day without any problem, and the unit itself is very quiet.

Bottom line: If you are looking for a humidifier with low noise and good features this is a great unit to consider.

Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00V7M9YQQ