Packaging

The Icy Dock EZ-DOCK MB881US-1S-1 (Ed. note: we will simply call it EZ-DOCK in this review as the rest does not make for an easy read) ships in a clear plastic packaging. The entire unit is visible and seems to have a lot of play within the upper compartment of the package. Our sample managed to punch through one corner during the shipping process. While this may be inconvenient for the retailer, our unit works just fine and has no superficial damage to speak of. All the extras and contents are stored in the bottom portion, with the black pouch right in-between the dock and the lower compartment. This package type is clearly aimed to be hung up in a store shelf and to catch a potential buyer's attention by letting him or her view the entire unit before purchase.

Contents

Besides the EZ-DOCK itself, you will receive the afore mentioned transportation pouch made with a nice leathery feel to it. You will also receive a white USB 2.0 cable, a black eSATA cable and an eSATA bracket, so no matter how you chose to connect the EZ-DOCK all the accessories are included. All you need is a mainboard with USB 2.0 - which is standard these days - and an internal eSATA port. The USB cable has a pair of leads on one end, just in case one USB plug is not enough, so that you can use the device without the power brick when connecting a 2.5 inch drive to the host computer.


The power brick is manufactured by Weihai Power Electronics company. It is fairly large by modern standards, but gets the job done and I do not see much reason to carry the EZ-DOCK around with you in combination with a desktop drive anyways. The input voltage is 100-240 Volts so only the power cable itself is localized and the brick can be used anywhere in the world. It outputs 1.2 Amps, which is required for 3.5 inch drives, as a USB connector can only deliver 0.5 Amps at most.