Super Speed 5Gbps 10 Port USB 3.0 HUB Review:
A great hub from Etekcity with solid engineering and function.
Sometimes I feel like I’m reviewing USB hubs and nothing else. Here at MacSources, we get asked to look at a lot of different USB hubs and sometimes there are just too many to look at. Occasionally, we have to tell companies no. In the case of this USB 3.0 Hub from Etekcity, I’m glad we said, “yes.” Let me start off by saying that this is more of a hub for a geek than a casual user. I say this because while this hub is very well made, it is rather simple in terms of aesthetics. However, what it lacks in design, it more than makes up for in solid engineering and function.
Things I Like:
- 10 USB 3.0 Ports at your fingertips
- The 9-top mounted ports are sectioned into groups of 3 with on/off switches
- 1 side-mounted standard USB 3.0 port
- 1 side-mounted 5V 2A charging port
Performance:
Setup was simple. You just take it out of the box and plug in the power supply and USB 3.0 cable to your computer. I mounted several USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 thumb drives without any issues. The device feels well made and it is easy to insert and removed cables and devices. I made several large files copy back and forth from my Mac to the attached drives and noticed no performance issues. The side-mounted charging ports are convenient for charging devices on your desk or for plugging in an awkwardly shaped device.
What Could Be Improved:
The only thing I really didn’t like about this hub was that when the USB 3.0 data cable was unplugged from the computer, connected devices stopped charging even though the power adapter was still plugged into the wall. To me this is a missed opportunity because with the cool on/off switches on the top of the hub, I thought it would make a great charging station. On the whole, this is really a non-issue since this is not the intended purpose of this great little hub.
To Sum Up:
I liked the Etekcity Super Speed 5Gbps 10 Port USB 3.0 HUB a lot. It does its job and it does it well. This would make a great addition to an engineer’s work space or on the desk of an average user. If it came in an aluminum finish with rubber feet on the bottom, it would be near perfect. This hub retails for around $39.
For more information, visit http://www.etekcity.com/product/100139.html.
