ICY DOCK ToughArmor Rugged Full Metal 4 Bay 2.5" NVMe U.2 SSD Mobile Rack For External 5.25" Bay - MB699VP-B

Description

ICY DOCK s latest product for NVMe U.2 SSDs offers the next level of ultra-high speed in a compact package with the ToughArmor MB699VP-B. The ToughArmor MB699VP-B is a particularly solid, all-metal, hot plug SSD mobile rack that supports up to 4x NVMe U.2 SSDs in a single 5.25" bay. Review: Since the MB601VK is part of Icy Dock's 'ToughArmor' series for which Icy Dock makes many bold claims on its website I assumed this suggests I will get better quality and reliability than with other docks, so I paid a not exactly small sum of £89.50 for an MB601VK. However, as it turned out the overall quality impression isn't exactly great. Yes, it's metal, but the workmanship is quite rough. The sled is made from sheet metal and has some pretty rough edges to it which is something I would not expect for that price. What's worse, though, is that the rear SFF8639 connector is of such poor quality that standard U.2 NVME cables (which sit snug on any other SFF8639 connector!) on the MB601VK sit so lose that the cable easily detaches by itself (I tried three different cables, all brand name). There is also no mechanical support for that connector. I guess this is why I had intermittent connections. In the end I decided to return the Icy Dock MB601VK and instead bought a Syba SY-MRA25059 U.2 dock instead, which did cost only £29.32 so less than half of the Icy Dock MB601VK. And guess what, the quality is way better, and the SFF8639 connector is properly supported! Review: Not what I thought I was buying, but the metal construction is very sturdy, the mechanism is easy to use, and the connectors inside each drawer seem sturdy. The cables needed and the NVMe connectors were what I got wrong. I'm not going to return it; it definitely belongs in my "just in case" box.