Vantec Nexstar GX USB 3.0 Dual 2.5" SATA SSD/HDD RAID Enclosure, Black (NST-272S3-BK)

Works great but you can't just throw two drives in this and expect it to do the rest. Both drives must be formatted BEFORE installing in the enclosure and both drives must match if you wish to use RAID 0. I actually formatted one and forgot to format the other and the formatted one showed up while the other didn't.Solid performance in RAID 0 with two 256GB SSDs. Getting approx 400mb/s read and write.The enclosure is decent aesthetically. I believe it's aluminum and is about the size of a 3.5" HDD.Hopefully it holds up over the long term.

I connected 2 ssd drives, different sizes and they went in easily. Connected them to my smart TV, worked first-time! I'd worried about if they needed a power supply. It came with a US style 2 prong mains plug. Useless in the UK, I'd need an adaptor. But the tv's USB socket is powered so no need for an external power supply after all. Great! Super! This cheap setup replaces a non-functioning £200 media box connected to my TV. Very happy customer. Don't use the RAID facility.

i like the design for 2 hard drives as i transfer alot of files to external drivesi also bought 2x identical 2TB seagate drivesan use both as separate storageand have not had to use extra power plug as my laptop is fairly new and the usb 3 port canpower it np,

I bought this to mount 2 X SSDs for a NAS based on the Raspberry Pi 4.Very handy for keeping the drives in one enclosure.The pre-drilled screw holes make it easy to mount in a standard 3.5" drive rack, or mount to other types of frames.

(Note: This review is specifically for the Nexstar GX USB 3.0 Dual 2.5", Model# NST-272S3-BK)I've bought a couple of these now, and will probably get a couple more. Among other things, these are a great way to repurpose older, smaller-capacity drives, especially since they come with their own supplementary power supply if your HDDs pull more current than your USB port can supply on its own. (If you're only connecting to computers with USB3 ports, or using SSDs rather than HDDs, you generally don't need the extra power, but it's handy to have the option.)Assembly is easy; the drives just slide in to their respective bays, and one screw in each corner holds them in place. Note that the package comes with two short screws, and two longer ones -- and what's not immediately obvious from the instruction sheet is that it's the *longer* screws which are used to secure the drives to the plastic carrier tray, and the *short* ones that are then used to secure the carrier into the outer metal shell. Once assembled, it's a compact and solid little device; the sturdy metal shell is a welcome change from the usual flimsy plastic a lot of external USB cases use.The only two issues I've found so far, are these: First, I have to agree with some previous reviewers about the status LEDs; they're really not in the best position for visibility when the drive is in use, being located on the side of the unit and well towards the "back" where the connectors are, and recessed below the surface of the drive enclosure. They're more visible if you use the unit in the vertical "stand-up" position with the little plastic stand, but when it's lying flat on the desk, they're very hard to see.The other issue is first-time setup. The manual really should caution you not to connect the device to your PC until *after* you've powered up the enclosure and pressed the "reset" button to reinitialize the enclosure and set the desired RAID mode -- otherwise, Windows seems to get confused when it finds the drives, and then they abruptly disappear when you reset the enclosure, and you may have to restart Windows entirely to make it recognize the new array again. If you do your first-time setup by powering it from the USB power supply, reset the enclosure, *then* connect it to the PC, it gets recognized right away.That minor annoyance aside, it's always nice to find a product that just *works* and does what it's supposed to. :-) Recommended.