08-30-2013, 01:03 AM
[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Sans Digital TowerSTOR TS1CT+ Firewire 800/Esata/USB 3.0 enclosure
Hi everyone,
I jumped on the deal for one of the Sans Digital TowerSTOR TS1CT+ Firewire 800/Esata/USB 3.0 enclosures. Even at $35.00 (after promo code), this was a bargain. I received it this afternoon and here are my impressions of it.
I opened the box and was pleasantly surprised by how nicely Sans Digital packages this model. The enclosure itself is encased in a plastic bag and nestled between pieces of plasticky foam. It definitely isn't going to bounce around in its box and there is ample room to dissipate the occasional bonk. A piece of cardboard separates it from the wall wart-style AC adapter, hard disk mounting screws, Esata cable, Firewire 800 cable and USB 3.0 cable. Yups. Sans Digital provides all three. Very nice! The instructions are a single piece of folded paper that are super easy to follow.
I removed the enclosure itself from the box and it is definitely not a generic piece of garbage. It is well finished and, unlike many of the cheap enclosures I've used over the years, reasonably solid. Not Wiebetech solid - they're the standard by which I measure enclosures - but nice nonetheless. Definitely a step above the generic stuff you'll see at the local electronics store.
The TowerSTOR TS1CT+ is a two piece, slide-apart design that is held together by four small screws. It has two Firewire 800 ports, an Esata port, a USB 3.0 port, an on/off switch. All are on the back. The top of the enclosure has a little window through which an LED shines. The screws that hold the two parts of the enclosure together are not standard size screws, so its best not to lose them. 'course, if that happens, duct tape will work just as well as them. I removed the screws and slid the parts apart. Actually, duct-tape as a replacement won't be necessary because Sans Digital includes some spares. I found them after I opened the little baggy with the mounting screws in it. The bag also had four silicon feet for the enclosure itself. A very nice touch.
The difference between the innards of this enclosure and the Seagate model I reviewed recently is readiyl apparent. Actually, the difference between it and a Sabrant enclosure I bought several years ago is also apparent. Unlike the Seagate, the chassis of this enclosure is nice and solid. I could easily bend the one in the Seagate. Definitely wouldn't be so easy to do with the TowerSTOR chassis. Unlike the Sabrent, the finishing of the TowerSTOR is nice and there is room to spare for the drive. I had to work to get the drive into the Sabrant. That definitely won't be necessary with the TowerSTOR TS1CT+.
The design of the chassis and enclosure appears to allow for ample airflow. Someone definitely put some though into it. The hard disk drive sits on two rails. To install the drive, you gently slide it to the SATA connector. They line up perfectly. To make the connection, give the drive a gentle push until you hear it click into place. Very solid. Once that is done, lock it into place with the drive mounting screws. Once the drive is locked into place, slide the top of the enclosure over the chassis and lock them together with the little screws.
I don't plan to use this enclosure regularly and I decided against attaching the silicon feet. In fact, I only installed a drive into the enclosure to make sure it works and to give it a rundown for the forum. If you install the feet, you're supposed to place them between special marks on the bottom of the enclosure. Personally, if I were to use them, I'd place them elsewhere because using the marks would cover the little screws that attach the top of the enclosure to the chassis. Placing them eslwehere allows easy access to the screws in the event you want to swap out the drive.
Since my mac pro doesn't have USB 3.0 or Esata, Firewire 800 is my sole option for connecting it. I connected it to the tower and powered it up. The LED illuminated and Hardware Growler informed me JMicron is now connected to the computer. It's safe to say, this is the Sans Digital enclosure. The drive showed up immediately and access appears nice and speedy. The light blinks as you access the data on the drive.
The enclosure is super quiet. The only noise that came from it was from the drive mechanism. Unlike the Seagate enclosure which got very warm to the touch, the Sans Digital box runs much cooler. Likely, this is due to the superior design.
All in all, this is a nice enclosure. It's not as rock solid as a Weibetech enclosure - you can run them over with a truck and probably damage the tire - but definitely a huge step above the generic enclosures readily available at places like Newegg.com and Micro Center. I'm glad I bought it and I'd buy another without hesitation. Maybe even at full price.
Robert
Hi everyone,
I jumped on the deal for one of the Sans Digital TowerSTOR TS1CT+ Firewire 800/Esata/USB 3.0 enclosures. Even at $35.00 (after promo code), this was a bargain. I received it this afternoon and here are my impressions of it.
I opened the box and was pleasantly surprised by how nicely Sans Digital packages this model. The enclosure itself is encased in a plastic bag and nestled between pieces of plasticky foam. It definitely isn't going to bounce around in its box and there is ample room to dissipate the occasional bonk. A piece of cardboard separates it from the wall wart-style AC adapter, hard disk mounting screws, Esata cable, Firewire 800 cable and USB 3.0 cable. Yups. Sans Digital provides all three. Very nice! The instructions are a single piece of folded paper that are super easy to follow.
I removed the enclosure itself from the box and it is definitely not a generic piece of garbage. It is well finished and, unlike many of the cheap enclosures I've used over the years, reasonably solid. Not Wiebetech solid - they're the standard by which I measure enclosures - but nice nonetheless. Definitely a step above the generic stuff you'll see at the local electronics store.
The TowerSTOR TS1CT+ is a two piece, slide-apart design that is held together by four small screws. It has two Firewire 800 ports, an Esata port, a USB 3.0 port, an on/off switch. All are on the back. The top of the enclosure has a little window through which an LED shines. The screws that hold the two parts of the enclosure together are not standard size screws, so its best not to lose them. 'course, if that happens, duct tape will work just as well as them. I removed the screws and slid the parts apart. Actually, duct-tape as a replacement won't be necessary because Sans Digital includes some spares. I found them after I opened the little baggy with the mounting screws in it. The bag also had four silicon feet for the enclosure itself. A very nice touch.
The difference between the innards of this enclosure and the Seagate model I reviewed recently is readiyl apparent. Actually, the difference between it and a Sabrant enclosure I bought several years ago is also apparent. Unlike the Seagate, the chassis of this enclosure is nice and solid. I could easily bend the one in the Seagate. Definitely wouldn't be so easy to do with the TowerSTOR chassis. Unlike the Sabrent, the finishing of the TowerSTOR is nice and there is room to spare for the drive. I had to work to get the drive into the Sabrant. That definitely won't be necessary with the TowerSTOR TS1CT+.
The design of the chassis and enclosure appears to allow for ample airflow. Someone definitely put some though into it. The hard disk drive sits on two rails. To install the drive, you gently slide it to the SATA connector. They line up perfectly. To make the connection, give the drive a gentle push until you hear it click into place. Very solid. Once that is done, lock it into place with the drive mounting screws. Once the drive is locked into place, slide the top of the enclosure over the chassis and lock them together with the little screws.
I don't plan to use this enclosure regularly and I decided against attaching the silicon feet. In fact, I only installed a drive into the enclosure to make sure it works and to give it a rundown for the forum. If you install the feet, you're supposed to place them between special marks on the bottom of the enclosure. Personally, if I were to use them, I'd place them elsewhere because using the marks would cover the little screws that attach the top of the enclosure to the chassis. Placing them eslwehere allows easy access to the screws in the event you want to swap out the drive.
Since my mac pro doesn't have USB 3.0 or Esata, Firewire 800 is my sole option for connecting it. I connected it to the tower and powered it up. The LED illuminated and Hardware Growler informed me JMicron is now connected to the computer. It's safe to say, this is the Sans Digital enclosure. The drive showed up immediately and access appears nice and speedy. The light blinks as you access the data on the drive.
The enclosure is super quiet. The only noise that came from it was from the drive mechanism. Unlike the Seagate enclosure which got very warm to the touch, the Sans Digital box runs much cooler. Likely, this is due to the superior design.
All in all, this is a nice enclosure. It's not as rock solid as a Weibetech enclosure - you can run them over with a truck and probably damage the tire - but definitely a huge step above the generic enclosures readily available at places like Newegg.com and Micro Center. I'm glad I bought it and I'd buy another without hesitation. Maybe even at full price.
Robert
