11.7.2016

I ordered this to use for business purposes. Obviously I was not planning to use the dock too frequently, as this product doesn't last as long with continued use as more expensive products, which I already knew before purchasing.I tested it out on an SSD hard drive which I knew had issues, just to bench test it and see what it could or couldn't do. Doing so bought up two key issues...the instruction manual, and also the labeling available on the front of the device. When you first start using this device, the instructions are pretty bare. I had to use a few YouTube videos just to compensate for my lack of knowledge and, gain a bit of confidence before using it.Once confident enough,the first thing I wanted to try was the erase method. There was not a lot of input on the internet surprisingly about how to erase an entire hard drive. My intention was to place the hard drive to a starting point where it may be possible to restore to it's original settings, before faults occurred by erasing the faults and any other information that maybe still be on the hard drive that was preventing it from functioning, where I had already tried check disk and disk management, which had already failed to this point. This is where I found the issues with both the manual and the labeling on the device as they both supply such basic of information where further research was required.After attempting completion of erasing the entire hard drive, needless to say this had not worked. The hard drive had too many errors before the dock was able to complete the task in hand. Also to note that all the lights had gone out on the device, to the point where I did not know if I had any power going to the device. This resulted in me having to turn the dock off and on just to see if I hadn't broken anything. Everything was good.The dock function was the next bench test. Due to my particular model of laptop, I found the dock had to be switched off before the laptop could find it. It was no good having the power switched on while the laptop was starting up, You had to turn the dock completely off, wait for the operating system to load, then turn it on. *NOTE: this was for my particular model of laptop. Other devices may have a different reaction, and also the hard drive was still in place within the dock before it was switched on.Everything on the dock method worked fine and even disk management was able to find the hard drive.The duplication method works as described. Currently running my original operating system on a new hard drive as we speak, and it's as if nothing has changed. All my settings, and programs are in the same space except now I have more space available. You will need to go into disk management to extend the hard drive, but that is probably the only minor thing you will have to worry about.It only received 4 stars as the labeling on the dock and the instructions within the manual are basic and for something that would have such a huge impact on most devices, I would've thought StarTech.com would've put more effort within these particular areas despite it being a budget device. But saying that, for the price offered and the fact it is a budget device and you get what you pay for. It is still a very useful piece of equipment and I would recommend this item to any start-up business, gamer and also to anyone who would like a useful method to back up their information and memories, delete sensitive information, and also use as external dock for more storage space if required.

27.4.2018

I previously purchased an Inateck dock which just failed to work as advertised. So due to Amazon's excellent return policy, I returned it and purchased this StarTech dock. The build quality is so much better than the Inateck dock, the buttons on the top are made of hard plastic and upon pressing, you feel an assured click. The dock is light weight but feels well made. It features two chunky HDD eject buttons, which is a nice touch. The simple light indicator on the top lets you know when the drives are initiallised and lets you know the clone progress (0-100%).Cloning:Formated the target HDD using my Win 10 PC, disconnected USB cable from PC. Put source HDD in the first slot (labelled HDD2),

5.8.2015

1. The StarTech cloning dock (SATDOCK2REU3) is well made and nicely labelled for ease of use. This replaces my earlier model (SATDOCK22RU3) which would not transfer data from a Seagate HD to the new SSD Samsung 850 Pro. See my review of the Samsung SSD 850 Pro regarding problem and what not to do. StartTech, who by the way are outstanding with their prompt and comprehensive replies to even minor questions, advised the SATDOCK2REU3 uses a completely different chipset compared to the SATDOCK22RU3 (Prolific - PL2775 vs. the older JMicron - JMS551).2. Using the SATDOCK2REU3 enabled the transfer of data from the Seagate Barracuda HD to the Samsung without problem. However,

11.9.2018

So far, I have only used this in copy mode. It made a complex job of repeated swapping and copying my boot drive using software into a simple one-step process. In response to other reviews, the manual is simple but that’s because the device operation is so simple - plug in the source and target drives, switch on, select copy mode and press start! It took 3hrs 15mins to replicate my 1Tb HDD on to a 2Tb SSD and a few minutes more with a partition manager to extend the boot partition to use the additional space.Maybe those who found the lack of instructions daunting might consider whether they have the necessary skills to handle precious disk drives! To me,

9.7.2019

I purchased this device to clone my (Windows 10) 128Gb drive which was running out of space. I removed my PC's original SSD and cloned to a greater capacity (500Gb), new Crucial SSD. The stand alone cloning process worked very well; however as my original drive had a C: partition and an adjacent "recovery" partition, within Windows 10 disk management I could not simply extend my C: partition to utilise the extra storage space which registered as "unallocated" space on the new drive. I purchased a partition manager software product and this resolved the issue with a few clicks. Very happy that this device enabled me to DIY upgrade my PC which is now performing much better,

7.8.2019

This StarTech kit is really really easy to use and needs no connection to a PC; so having removed a sluggish old SATA HDD and bought a fast SSD NB there are SLOW SSD's about; so Read/Write speeds are crucial. Just place to donor(old) SATA drive in the rear slot and the blank SSD in the front and press clone. The unit lights up and tells you exactly what progress you are making. It takes approx 40 mins. to complete.The unit will take the HDD and perform an exact copy; so(1) The SSD can be inserted into the laptop etc ready to boot.(2) A small HDD transferred to a large SSD will only use the same volume as the original. However getting the C:/ drive to fill the SSD can be easily achieved with a simple partition manager.

5.10.2014

I've only duplicated 2 drives with this but its worked flawlessly so far. I used never to be able to trust copying widows drives and they often failed when the replacement target disk was inserted back into the system in question. However so far all good with this little box of tricks. I've copied a fast ssd onto a larger 7200 rpm hdd and also a small 5200rpm hdd onto a larger and faster hdd. In both cases I turned on the computer with the new replacement disk and they just worked first time.Speed is also good. Second time around I set the box to copy just before leaving home for an hour and a half and when I returned it was done (we are talking about a 150/200gb fairly slow hdd 2.5" drive).

20.12.2010

I have been looking for something like this for years. It is fantastic. My boot drive was starting to become a little small for the programs installed on it, so I purchased a larger one and really didn't want to go through the grief of installing it all again and then trying to transfer all the custom settings to each peace of sofware. Well with this little beauty I didn't, I simply cloned my small drive to the larger one and replaced it in my tower. It worked perfectly, you wouldn't know it wasn't my original drive. It also acts as a docking port for both SATA and IDE drives, allowing you to quickly transfer files to another drive for use in another computer. Lovely but of kit,

1.8.2018

The Good- Easy to use for SSD migration- Surprisingly lightweight- Didn't burn out an SSD (Unlike the cheaper one I bought!!!!)- Fast! Like a lot faster than I expectedThe bad- Cable length is pretty short, not an issue for me but maybe for others which is why I'm not taking away a starThe ReviewI bought this product as I was recommended by a friend, I was looking for a replacement for a cheaper version that had burnt out a brand new SSD... This product has surpassed my expectations, I didn't realise how much slower the old one was until I bought this caddy. I highly recommend it if you migrate users from HDD to SSD often.

2.12.2016

Excellent gadget, we've bought it mainly to erase disks before disposing of old computers, and it's really fast -plug in a couple of (say) 500GB hard disks, press the recessed "erase button" on the back for 5 seconds,and then wait 3-4 hours until the 4 LEDs flash red. Simple, and no computer involved,Afterwards, we attach the disk to a computer, boot from a Linux rescue CD and pull some data off the disk with dd - and it's zeroes as far as the eye can see! I'm sure we'll also use the duplication feaure too, at some point, but I haven't played with that so far..

25.7.2016

I needed to clone a SATA startup/boot drive for a media server. After a small struggle (I was overthinking and misreading the instructions) it worked perfectly. I needed to contact customer service and they sorted me out really quickly. The misleading thing was that it appeared that I needed to connect the dock to a pc via the usb cable. It turned out that this is only if you need to use it as an external drive reader. To clone drives, just use it as an unconnected, standalone unit and it is straightforward to use and works really well.

1.1.2018

Very useful device. I keep my OS(s) on small SSD's and use NTFS junctions to move all the data to spinner(s), so making a back-up (clone) of an OS now requires the source SSD in Drive ONE (rear) and the destination in Drive TWO (front) and a press of a button. Far better than connecting up my notebook to the SSD's using ESata cables (& power cables) and then cloning with with (debatable) software.When not being used as a cloning device it also acts as a dual SATA to USB 3.0 hub.Excellent product.

28.7.2019

Works well as a drive dock and to clone reliably. Bit pricey and the bulky adapter plug instead of a standard plug with a adapter brick as is more usual and easy to place when you're short on sockets. But more importantly, it clones well and the indicator lights let you know the progress, if it lasts it'll be worth the money.

8.2.2020

Very reasonably priced for the peace of mind you get knowing that you can keep a copy of your hard drives, should your originals fail.Quick and simple to use, sturdy and well made, there is nothing that I can think of that could be improved , Brilliant Product !

3.5.2018

Maybe a little expensive, but it is a most useful piece of equipment - very well made. It did, and does, all that I wanted, with no problems. Very useful to be able to use it without connection to a computer. Despite the price, I would recommend it.

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