Vantec NST-536S3-BK NexStar DX USB 3.0 External Enclosure for SATA Blu-Ray/CD/DVD Drive all black

From my research I already knew for a fact that the highly rated OWC Mercury enclosure had already gotten bad marks from disappointed users for only supporting installation of 7" (177.8mm) or shorter 5.25" optical drives. My objective was to install my 7.5" (192mm) Panasonic SW-5584 BluRay drive (that had previously been installed in a desktop PC that died and was replaced by a smaller machine that didn't have any 5.25" expansion bays) into an external enclosure.So I knew I couldn't use the OWC enclosure as the SW-5584 drive is about 192mm (7.55") long with the front bezel attached. I then found the Vantec enclosure which is a bit longer than the OWC.The Vantec NST-536S3-BK enclosure is actually 252mm in total length but the electronics and connecting SATA/power cable at the rear of the internal tray between the drive and the rear panel with USB and power connectors take up some of that total length. The documentation says the enclosure supports an optical drive 185mm (7.3") or shorter. That means the SW-5584 is about 1/4" longer than supposedly acceptable in the Vantec enclosure, but it might be too much. Or, it might just fit if I was really lucky.I called Vantec tech support to ask bout this and they thought it would just fit (depending on where the side fastening holes were on the drive relative to the rear of the drive where the SATA connectors live). The problem is not with a bit of the excess projection out the open front "nose" of the enclosure but rather how much clearance the rear of the drive (from the fastening holes on the side of the drive back to the rear end of the drive) consumes once the SATA power/data connector is attached and the drive must be slid back in the tray in order to be tightened down with screws.Worth a shot I decided.Well, it arrived today, and to my glee it JUST BARELY FIT! No extra room to spare, but nothing broken either. It works!Yes, I had to carefully push the drive back into the tray after attaching the drive to the SATA connector in order to fasten the drive to the tray with the four screws, to be sure to not do any damage to the short SATA power and data cables. These had to be curved up in a short loop to allow the tray to be pushed all the way back, without getting damaged or breaking any solders to the electronics in order for the drive to be slid back far enough so that the fastening holes of the drive were now just visible through the fastening slots on the tray.Miraculous. It was just barely enough. Not one piece of extra room left. Inside the rear of the enclosure the tray was now backed all the way to where the SATA cable actually meets the electronics it's soldered to. It's as far back as it can go, and all four fastening screws are tightened cleanly between tray and drive. Then I the completed tray+drive assembly into the metal enclosure, fastened the rear-end black plastic cover with two screws to now hold the tray+drive securely inside the enclosure so that it's all one unit now, and I'm done. All black stealth.The front black bezel of the SW-5584 peeks out of the open front "nose" of the enclosure by maybe 1/4" but the enclosure itself is also all black as is the SW-5584 so that you would never even know it's probably supposed to be flush on the front . Looks perfect, with the small protrusion of some of the bezel actually looking very attractive.And it works perfectly as well. The drive tray opens and closes perfectly, and the unit is handled perfectly by Windows. I hope there's no unnecessary stress on the SATA cable solders caused by the U-shaped curve I had to impose on it in order to slide the tray all the way back, but I think it'll be just fine.Case closed. Surgery a success. Pressing the four small rubber feet pads (with sticky adhesive on one side) into the four indentations present on the enclosure's underside lets it sits horizontally on my black tabletop and be very decorative, and functional as well (its top surface can be used for anything, as there's no heat generated). The black bezel of the SW-5584 looks straight ahead and the tray opens/closes easily and perfectly It's a very attractive all-black desktop addition, and the curved blue light that shows USB-active/drive-ready is also sleek.Excellent product. I couldn't have gotten away with this install if my drive had been 8" long (as some Sony drives are), but I was able to successfully install my SW-5584 which I measured to be around 7.5" with the bezel on.Highly recommended.

A decent quality product, as I've come to expect from Vantec over the years.A bit longer than I was expecting, but I understand the need to fit a range of drive manufacturers.I was a bit disappointed that it doesn't allow for reverse mounting of a drive. Be advised that if you're going to use it vertically, as advertised, it will be left-hand operation only, without drilling new mounting holes.(The internal SATA data/power cable is long enough for this, as long as you're careful.)On the whole, it's decently constructed, comes with everything needed, and installation is straightforward.

My new PC has no front bays for optical drives. Most things these days are going digital however I still like watching Blue Ray and DVD disks, burning application disks and listing to CD's. Thats where this product came in. It is literally Plug-n-Play (with access to a USB 3.0 outlet of course). There are many others to choose from, but a Blue Ray Burner / Player requires more speed for data transfer.This was easy to install the drive and works simple and flawlessly. Highly recommended!

Note: We never give 5-start reviews for consumer-electronics products until those products have been in service for years, typically well beyond the warranty period. A product does not have good value (IMHO), unless it meets or exceeds its typical product lifespan. (We have only used this product for 1 week thus far.)As others have commented, at first glance this Vantec NexStar DX (model NST-536S3-BK) BD/DVD drive enclosure seems "pricey" but as they also commented, it's well worth it (price and value are not the same criteria). (We seem to be "over promised" too often lately with low prices and fantastic technical specs on consumer electronics -- and all too often, ending up returning or discarding those items.)Assembly is quick and easy though not without a few minor things that should be done carefully.Although not in the instructions, we carefully removed the plastic "front faceplate" before inserting the BD/DVD drive into the enclosure. The enclosure seemed too small/too tight otherwise. In addition, doing so speeds things along (be very careful: the front panel's small two plastic tabs probably can be easily broken, we assume).Before tightening the 4 screws that mount the BD/DVD drive into the enclosure, check the alignment and fit between the faceplate and the metal enclosure. It took us a couple of adjustments before we got it right. You should be able to assemble the unit without ending up with any gaps between the plastic faceplate and the metal enclosure (i.e., no "light leaks" from the enclosure's drive status light).We are very impressed with the design and manufacture. Details such as the larger, blue drive status light and the depressions in the bottom of the metal enclosure for the little rubber feet showed thoughtful design (IMHO).We also like the design that even with the enclosure's power switch in its "on" position and the enclosure's large blue light shining, the BD/DVD drive does not power on unless the USB cable is hooked up to a powered, working PC.Yes. You end up with a very large (bulky), heavy external device for desktop PCs, notebook computers, but it is a clean, useful conversion of a desktop PCs internal BD/DVD drive in the current world of drive-less desktop and laptop PCs.Note: There is also a newer version of this product available but this model is perfect for our needs.