04-17-2010, 04:25 PM
The drive in your right hand receives less of a shock as it hits the ground because it has the extra padding of the corrugated outer box.
And how much less of a shock is that? And how much "extra padding" consisting solely of a corrugated box is adequate?
For my money the function/value of a single-wall, empty (no additional packing) corrugated box is for more crush resistance than shock absorption. Some energy is absorbed, but not nearly enough for my liking.
I'd wager a drive inside a padded box inside a box with additional packing will receive less of a shock than a drive inside a padded box inside a box without additional packing, free to jounce around around.
And a bare drive wrapped in bubble-wrap free to bounce around will likely fair worse than former.
I'm glad NewEgg has stopped it's previous practice. But I'll still opt for Retail over OEM (with the one exception I mentioned earlier) in another box with additional packing.
HDs already in computers seem adequately protected to me, since the computers I've received have been very well packed.
Years ago I ordered a LaCie electron blue II from smalldog. It was shipped to CA in the original box. That had only a molded piece of styrofoam on the top and bottom. The box arrived severely damaged with the bottom styrofoam broken into several pieces.
Amazingly, the monitor was unblemished and appeared to be in perfect working order. I thought for sure that at least the convergence would be shot, but no, it was perfect. That was more about luck than proper packaging.
But I never ordered from smalldog again.
And how much less of a shock is that? And how much "extra padding" consisting solely of a corrugated box is adequate?
For my money the function/value of a single-wall, empty (no additional packing) corrugated box is for more crush resistance than shock absorption. Some energy is absorbed, but not nearly enough for my liking.
I'd wager a drive inside a padded box inside a box with additional packing will receive less of a shock than a drive inside a padded box inside a box without additional packing, free to jounce around around.
And a bare drive wrapped in bubble-wrap free to bounce around will likely fair worse than former.
I'm glad NewEgg has stopped it's previous practice. But I'll still opt for Retail over OEM (with the one exception I mentioned earlier) in another box with additional packing.
HDs already in computers seem adequately protected to me, since the computers I've received have been very well packed.
Years ago I ordered a LaCie electron blue II from smalldog. It was shipped to CA in the original box. That had only a molded piece of styrofoam on the top and bottom. The box arrived severely damaged with the bottom styrofoam broken into several pieces.
Amazingly, the monitor was unblemished and appeared to be in perfect working order. I thought for sure that at least the convergence would be shot, but no, it was perfect. That was more about luck than proper packaging.
But I never ordered from smalldog again.