ineo Rugged NVMe SSD enclosure

I've been using this for the last 9 months, and it's pretty good. I keep it on top of my PC, and under my desk. Sometimes, it falls off the PC (sometimes, that's my fault because I accidentally hit it with my feet) and so far, it has just kept on working. This is in sharp contrast to my earlier enclosure, which was plastic and would stop working (the SSD would slide out of it's socket) if it was just slightly touched. The installation was okay. Again, compared to the earlier enclosure, which was tool-less, it took longer, but this Ineo was much more secure, and screwing in two screws is not much of a hassle, considering I haven't had to look on the inside since I assembled it. I switched out the cable for a longer one but otherwise I like this the way it came.

I've been using this enclosure for years and was so impressed with its performance that I recently bought another one. When connected to a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, it consistently delivers fast speeds. The build quality is exceptional, being a single piece of aluminum that provides excellent heat dissipation. Despite being tossed around in bags, desks, and drawers and dropped on floors, my previous enclosure has sustained little to no damage. In fact, it's more likely to damage whatever it hits due to its sharp edges and the fact that it's made of metal. The only minor issue I have is that removing an SSD from the enclosure usually requires removing both end covers and pushing the SSD out. However, given its overall quality, I would definitely buy this enclosure again.

Takes care of the three concerns I would have for such an enclosure: effective speed (my drive gets 465MB/s read, 345MB/s write with this enclosure. I don't recall what it gets directly connected to an m.2 slot, but this is more than adequate for my portable drive needs.), durability (I've had it for a good while (more than a year) and haven't broken it yet), and heat dissipation (requisite for sustained speed with SSDs) . Works well, I recommend.

I am not ashamed to say that have bought 5 of these so far. The rugged aspect was secondary to the write protect switch. I will simply not accept any USB media for my computer if it doesn't have one. That is why I keep going back to this. The main reason for this review is give a heads up to everyone buying longer cables for it. and then commenting it is slow. I needed a little reach so I bought some 3, 6, and 10 feet cables. That was a huge mistake for me and taught me a valuable lesson. Not all USB C are made the same. I need to find out if they have longer ones that the short ones they include.. The first image is with the factory cable. The next two are the same case, computer, and drive, using different non-Ineo cables in SS+ ports. I broke one (definitely out of warranty) so I have see where I can get a replacement. I will deal with the short cable for such a massive improvement in the speed. I hope one day they come out with a case of the same quality and features that holds two.

According to the description on their page, the item is supposed to come with both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables. But the vendor ships ONLY the USB-C to USB-C cable. This is not a mistake during shipment because I'd ordered several pieces of this item and only received the USB-C to USB-C cable as seen in the photo. This is important to know because if customers do not have USB-C ports on their PC then they would not be able to connect this to their PC. The vendor also no longer ships the pouch, which they call as "gift storage bag". Again, this is not a case of accidental misplacement during shipping. The customer support is unreachable at the given phone number. Needed to get in touch with Amazon CS to resolve this. Functionally, the inserted NVME tends to gets heated up quite a bit since it is very difficult to close the case with a proper fitting thermal film. Since the nvme drive needs to SLIDE IN rather than close from the top like a clamshell, it is quite impossible to properly slide in a well fitting silicone thermal film without making its gummy surface less sticky. Connectivity is good with the USB-C cable. Speeds are decent and approach around 400 MBPS real-life on gaming PCs. With the USB-A connector the speeds reach around 300 MBPS. Portability is good. The case is made of Aluminum material and can withstand falls from small heights pretty well. It is not waterproof, of course. To change from read-only to read-write, one needs to EJECT the drive and then make the change before plugging it in. Otherwise the change does not take effect unless ejected first. This is not well explained in the documentation.

This is without a doubt the best NVMe to USB enclosures available. The tolerances are super tight. It’s a bit of a squeeze getting the silicon pad and shield into the enclosure but I know that isn’t going to rattle around at all! And this tight fit will ensure excellent thermal transfer to the aluminum enclosure. I have tested the device on Windows 10 and macOS 11.15.5 and the transfer speeds are very good! The USB cable retainer is kinda pointless, the device came with a carrying bag.

The assembly instructions sucks, they are incomplete, and are lacking IMPORTANT info. I put the main board in the case upside down. It slides in better that way. But, the screws don't line up. And now, it's VERY hard to get the plate and main board out. I like the cheaper ones, where the entire top opens up instead of just the side. When putting the screw on to the M.2 card, on the cylinder washer has a slot more toward one side than the other. Which way does it go??? I put it on wrong, and the M.2 board curves down too much. The metal top plate, it doesn't show EXACTLY how to put it on. I put it on too far forward, toward the USB connector. Nope, it needs to go back just a little. So the back of the metal heatsink is flush the the M.2 card. NEEDS BETTER "DETAILED" INSTRUCTIONS !!!

Worked perfectly. Good design. Snug fit with the thermal pad but that is a plus for heat transfer. This thing is HEAVY; much more than expected but that is not a negative for me.

And I like it.