Which Icy Box is the real Icy Box

[rjpearce]

Hi..

Sorry i'm going a bit mental over this one.. I ordered one of these:

Description: Icy Box IB351-StUS2B Black External enclosure for 3.5" Sata HDD to USB + Sata host
After reading the description i assumed this was the version with Sata on the inside and USB/Sata on the outside. When it arrived this morning i was suprised to find it's E-SATA (not SATA).. *minor grumble*

It does'nt help as there are 3 black one's like this on Scan:

Icy Box IB351-StUS2B Black External enclosure for 3.5" Sata HDD to USB + Sata host
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=706425&Product=Icy+Box+IB351-StUS2B+Black+External+enclosure+for+3.5%22+Sata+HDD+to+USB+%2b+Sata+host
-> £22.90

Icybox IB-351-StUS-B *Black Aluminum* Sata HDD to Sata/USB External Case
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?W...+External+Case
-> £23.49


Icy Box IB-351StU-B Aluminium External Enclosure for 3.5" SATA Hdd to USB 2.0 Interface - Black
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?W...erface+-+Black
-> £29.36

Which is the difference between these 3 (except the price) ?

Can someone please look at the products and update the title, product overview, special features and technical features to be accurate?

After looking at Icy Box's own site it's even more mind bendingly difficult:
http://www.raidsonic.de/en/pages/pro..._objectID=3770

I'm not even going to mention the Silver variety.. Why can't suppliers keep it simple..

Does anyone know what the different is going to be between E-SATA and SATA .. I thought the only different was E-SATA had power, but these HDD enclosure come with mains adapters anyway!

Thanks

-Rich
Ps. 1 last question.. What is the difference between these Scan categories:
Direct Attached Storage / Enclosures and Enclosure (3.5"-5.25") - SATA

When most of the products in Direct Attached Storage would probably fit well into the other category..

[Funkstar]

The only difference between e-SATA and SATA is the connector. The normal SATA connector isn't designed to be external so can get dislodged easily. e-Sata mandates a metal clip among other things to make it more secure.

Future e-SATA versions will include power, many are puzzled why it didn't come with it from the start.

As for the differences between them... i really haven't got a clue! they all appear to be identical spec wise.

[strike-down]

first one has esata interface & usb, the second supports esata only, and the third one just supports usb thats wt i got from looking at the different listings trying to find the difference anyway

You will also find that almost all external caddies with a sata interface of any kind are going to be esata, for the reasons funkstar mentioned. So its not really surprising that it has esata

[Funkstar]

Strike Down is right. I wasn't looking close enough.

I have a IcyBox with a basic SATA connector, but this was from before e-SATA, has been useful although i don't use it all the time.

[rjpearce]

Thanks for your help.. It should all be fine, Why dont they just say with e-SATA, e-SATA & USB, USB.. Too simple i guess .. Scan could help by updating the descriptions *poke*

-Rich

[strike-down]

yeah, i had to go searching in the special features tab for the details of the item . . . surely that should be in the general description??? with some hint of it in the title

[cmjrees]

I remember there was one that came with a slot; you'd put it in your computer and it'd be like a huge removable drive... I don't know if they come in 3.5" ones though.

[bledd]

get the icybox 390 series, it slays the older ones in build quality, doesn't need an internal switch for selecting usb2/esata (it just works when you turn it on with whichever connector is in) and it costs £19.96 from scan.

having bought a lot of icyboxes, the 390 is the best quality by far, with the 360 just behind it