What is it with shipping hard drives?

[C(-)ris]

billb wrote:
[quote=billb]
[quote=Racer X]
[quote=billb]
The inner box is properly packaged ?

How is that any different than the small package alone sliding around on the UPS truck shelf ?
Or thrown from one end of the trailer to the other ?


A non-crushed empty outer box would be evidence of rather well handled, actually. At least in terms of being crushed and maybe kicked / tossed / throw around.

OK, so go grab a newborn, shake him violently, but not actually leave any marks on his head. Let's see how well his brain works as he ages.

No marks doesn't mean a thing.

OK, I'll ask again, Is the inner package properly packaged to protect the child ?



A properly protected package inside a box, inside a box, inside a box, inside a box is just going to thump a lot when it moves and do absolutely nothing when it doesn't.

Edit: The OP doesn't say a bare drive in a big old empty box, he says a drive in a box inside a box.
Hence the question regarding the proper protection of the inner package.

Completely different physics involved between the two scenarios.
Exactly. No need to have cushioning in the outer box when the inner box has it. Who cares if the inner box rolls around? If you think everything has to be double boxed in foam your nuts.

[OWC Jamie]

too much unrapping

[anonymouse1]

I'm the OP.

The inner box just has the hard drive in those two little plastic end cradles, which means that it's pretty snuggly suspended inside the larger box. If I were to shake the inner box, the encradled hard drive might shake a tiny bit.

But look. The point of having foam/peanuts/airbag/crumpled paper between the inner box and the outer box is so that the padding deforms, rather than the full impact going to the inner box. It's not like there's a perfect transmission of force from the outer box to the inner box; you want to reduce the force transmission as much as you can.

[RAMd®d]

Same here. Never gotten a bare hard drive packed loose in another box.

I have.

Every HD I got from NewEgg was a "bare" drive, wrapped in bubble wrap, but otherwilse loose in the box, free to bounce around. Out of five HDs, two were DOA and one died in a month. The last one could be unrelated to the packaging, I admit.

But I don't buy HDs from NewEgg anymore. And I don't buy "bare drives" anymore either.

Although I did receive a bare 2.5" drive that was in a two part foam surround with a cutout that perfectly filled the box and housed the drive.

I don't remember who I got it from (ZZF, maybe?) but I'd order from them, no problem.

All the retail HDs I've ordered have been double boxed with peanuts or pillows all the way 'round. Only once did the drive settle to the bottom, and no DOAs.

[mikebw]

So what do you think about hard drives that are already installed in a computer? Aren't the drives subject to the same shock that the computer is at that point? Most computers I have seen come packed in pretty snugly.

[M A V I C]

Since when is wrapping something in bubble wrap or other padded material, considered "packed loose"?

[Robert M]

Mavic,

The item is considered packed loose when said item is placed without additional padding and/or shock absorbing material in a large box. Packaging material around an item isn't necessarily going to protect it properly since said item can bounce and jounce freely within the larger shipping container.

Robert

[M A V I C]

Robert M wrote:
Mavic,

The item is considered packed loose when said item is placed without additional padding and/or shock absorbing material in a large box. Packaging material around an item isn't necessarily going to protect it properly since said item can bounce and jounce freely within the larger shipping container.

Robert

What matters is there's something around the object has padding around it. If there's padding, a gap, then a box... it's not much different than the same amount of padding, directly against a box. It will bounce around in the box just as much as it would have bounced around without a box.

[Robert M]

Navicular,

The difference is the amount of material available to absorb the shock. An adequate amount of material is key. Space sufficient for jouncing is inadequate.

Robert

[Robert M]

Mavic,

Not sure why my iphone changed your name to Navicular - dang auto correct feature - but I apologize for not catching that prior to hitting the post button. I didn't even see the change until this morning!

Robert