We recently reviewed the StarTech USB to SATA Hard Drive Duplicator which allowed us to easily duplicate a drive to another while also providing quick access to two drives at once. Now we have the chance to see how this Thermaltake BlacX Duet eSATA & USB Docking Station holds up.

I do want to point out that these are similar but also different in a sense that the StarTech is mainly a duplicator with dock capability but the Thermaltake is a dock only. With this Thermaltake docking station, you don't need to slave an internal hard drive or even connect using a USB cable anymore. This will save a lot of precious time for anyone. This hard drive docking station usually retails for $69.99 but you can probably find great deals if you search sites like Amason.com or Bestbuy.com (the lowest I found it for was $48.36). Use the Price Comparison! link above to find the current lowest price.


DESIGN, CONTROLS AND THE PACKAGE
The Thermaltake BlacX Duet Docking Station (ST0014U) is capable of docking two 2.5" or 3.5" (or mixed) hard drives at the same time. There is a power button on the front panel that turns both drives on or off at the same time. There are two eject push buttons to remove the drives (when powered off to avoid damage to the drives). Then there is a power connector, a USB 2.0 port and an eSATA port on the back of the unit. This hard drive docking station is small enough to fit on any desk or work station (5.51" (W) x 4.76" (D) x 2.74" (H)). The package includes the ST0014U hard drive dock, one AC power adapter, a USB type A-B cable, eSATA cable and instruction manual (that you really don't need to use this device). The unit is pretty self explanatory and easy to use.