Lindy USB 2.0 & eSATA Docking & Cloning Station review

The Lindy Docking & Cloning Station is aimed at people who frequently repair computers or need to transfer files off internal hard disks. It’s compatible with both 3.5in desktop and 2.5in laptop SATA hard disks, without the hassle of fitting the disk inside an enclosure. You can connect it to your PC via USB or eSATA.

Unlike other disk cradles it has two top-loading slots instead of just one, so two disks can be attached to one computer using a single USB cable. Unfortunately only one disk can be used over eSATA due to the limitations of that interface. As it names implies, the Cloning Station can also copy the contents of one disk to another without the aid of a computer.

The disk cloning worked perfectly in our testing, even copying a hidden restore partition. The Cloning Station’s file transfer speeds over both USB and eSATA were in line with what we’d expect from external disks using those interfaces. Not everyone needs a hard disk cradle, but if you do then the Cloning Station is the best yet. It’s pricier than single-slot cradles, but the disk cloning function could be very useful and is easily worth the extra cost.