Rugged HD enclosures.

[Mike W]

So my small Lacie 80gb 2.5inch HD died.
I'm kinda tempted by Lacie's rugged-line, but I also have doubts about the ruggedness.
Anyone use these in the field?

Anyone who can recommend though-as-nail HD enclosures? I'm guessing they're out there somewhere...just can't find 'em. Everyone claims their enclosure is rugged these days!

Thanks in advance,

Mike

[JessicaLuchesi]

So my small Lacie 80gb 2.5inch HD died.
I'm kinda tempted by Lacie's rugged-line, but I also have doubts about the ruggedness.
Anyone use these in the field?

Anyone who can recommend though-as-nail HD enclosures? I'm guessing they're out there somewhere...just can't find 'em. Everyone claims their enclosure is rugged these days!

Thanks in advance,

Mike
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=166604\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Well, I got a rugged unit from Lacie, last Jan, by suggestion of a few people on this forum.

I got the Lacie Rugged 160Gb tripple interface. Ok, it's not 7200rpm, ok, it's not a huge, 250Gb HD... but it does it's job. I carry it around as my main backup unit on the road, and this far, no issues. I guess this piece of info will interest you, here it goes... last friday, it was dropped, from waist-level down. A careless assistant on a hurry, grabbed it by it's cord to carry from table to table in the studio, and as you can guess, it disconnected and dropped to the hard concrete floor. Bounced a couple of times, with me screaming like hell when I saw it. The assistant turned into a "OH SH*!#" shade of white. I instantly plugged it back into my notebook... and did breath relieved that all my data was there, intact.

Later, I conducted a surface test, no issues. The fall was within the resistance limits Lacie advertises, and I can vouch for them now  Felt anyone who needs a sturdy, shock resistant, dust resistant unit would be happy to know that.

PS: Yes, the unit was already disconected ( so, nothing spinning in there ) when the accident took place.

[snickgrr]

I've had one LaCie rugged pocket drive since maybe 2003 and used it heavily everyday for four of those years and it is bulletproof.  I shoot MFDigital and would use the drive to extend the Firewire, a 15' wire in and a 15' wire out.  That gave me a 30' cable from computer to camera.  In the studio, in the field, laying out in the sun, on dusty roads, in wet grass. Got stepped on (lightly once), it got dropped, it was continually being moved when operating...nothing stopped it.  It was also where I was shooting to rather than shooting to the computer hard drive.  I've since switched to a 33' Firewire cable so I no longer use the LaCie in that manner but it still works to transfer stuff from here to there.

[Christopher Sanderson]

I bought two Ruggeds when they first came out a couple of years ago - at the time I had no choice and was in a hurry to get something for a road-trip. I was extremely sceptical when I gave the drives a close look, since the aluminium metal enclosure is very lightweight and flexes easily to the touch. I thought at the time that I had rather wasted my money (they are quite expensive) and that the drives were simply smart marketing and a cool looking orange rubber bumper. Two+ years and many miles later with various drops and bumps and usual mishaps, they keep chugging along. I'd now say they are definitely worth the money.