[Lawrence]

I've been researching a few like LaCie, EZQuest Boa.
OWC seems to have a bargain at there web site at the
moment, But I'm not too sure about the portability or
reliability of their drive, Here's a link to the OWC drive.

OWC CDRW Firewire/USB drive

Anyone know anything about this drive mechanism?
Would this drive be too chunky and heavy to carry
around with a laptop?

Dave

 

[monokitty]

Be advised that even though this drive is "technically capable" of burning at 52x speeds, it won't be able to burn at the speed via FireWire. The bandwidth through FireWire is too little for 52x burning through it. Otherwise, it seems reliable and not too chunky looking.

 

[dcyyz]

Lite-On is highly regarded especially with Windoze folks who need RAW copying. It's a good mechanism... been reviewed and recommended on many tech sites. Same for the mechanism in the LaCie. What I would be considering is... OWC supports both FW/USB. LaCie only supports FW *or* USB, not both. Both offer 1 yr warranties. The price of either unit is so close, I don't think you should use price as a determining factor.

 

[Mississauga]

I'd stick with LaCie - great hardware, good warranty service and they're located on Dufferin, near the Exhibition - handy!

 

[Troutmagnet]

I have to agree with Mississauga...our Lacie 52X24X52 Firewire/USB burner is a sassy beasty. No complaint at all!

 

[Lawrence]

Size wise, They are both pretty close.

OWC
The OWC CDRW has a size of 7.5" x 2.5" x 10.5"
LaCie
The LaCie CDRW has a size of 6.3" x 1.7" x 10.6"

The features on the other hand are making it tough to decide.

• Lacie has a Firewire port and a nice aluminum case.

• OWC's CDRW has two Firewire ports and one USB
2.0 port with a plastic covered metal case and a fan.

This is going to be tough, Unless LaCie has a major sale.

Dave

 

[RicktheChemist]

Actually, the LaCie burner on Firewire would support a 52X burn but the problem is that most Cd burners are firmware limited to less than 48X due to the possibility of "exploding" CDs.

Cheers,

RtC

 

[Lawrence]

After a lot of thought and comparing the features of both
of these products...I'm going to have to go with the OWC
brand.

I'd buy a LaCie if it had the same features, But it doesn't.

Thanks for all the replies.

Dave

 

[Lawrence]

Oh-Oh...
Now there is two versions to choose from,
Which mechanism is better?

OWC Mercury Pro 52x24x52x CD-RW External FireWire/USB 2.0/USB 1.1 Combo Solution. Features Lite-On SMART-BURN Technology. Roxio Toast 5.x, 25 Pack CD-R Media, 1 Pack CD-RW Media, FireWire & USB Cables included! 1yr OWC Warranty (OWCMRFWU5224S) more info... $129.99


OWC Mercury Pro 52x24x52 CD-RW External FireWire/USB 2.0/USB 1.1 Combo Solution. Features Teac Burn-Proof Technology. Roxio Toast 5.x, 25 Pack CD-R Media, 1 Pack CD-RW Media, FireWire & USB Cables included! 1yr OWC Warranty (OWCMRFWU2552E) more info... $137.95

 

[Lawrence]

I just found a Firewire/USB CDRW by LaCie in Canada,
I didn't think LaCie made one.

Looks like some of the other drives are coming down in price too.

http://www.dvshop.ca/cdburn.html

Dave