Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am now using my third Archgon Premium Aluminum External USB 3.0 UHD Blu-ray Writer Super Driver For Apple-MacBook (hereafter, APED) in about as many years. The first, used gently and regularly though not constantly, lasted about two years before simple DVDs began freezing or skipping on me. The second wheezed along not longer than about eight months, after which I received from Amazon an 80% refund after the product's return. I've now used #3 for about three months. So far, so good. I don't anticipate durability. With such a checkered history of performance, why do I keep using the same product? First, I can't afford anything more expensive, which might or might not perform more dependably. Second, techno-geeks whom I trust have told me that they know of no product of comparable price that is better or more reliable. *Sigh.* To answer some basic questions: 1. Yes, this product is simple to use, while it's young and useable: simply plug it, with or without its supplemental cable, into your Mac's USB port(s). 2. It is purportedly equipped to play DVDs or Blu-Ray discs from Regions 1–6. I have only made one, brief attempt with a Region 2 (U.K.) disc, with indifferent results. 3. Given its seeming fragility and short life expectancy, handle it with care. Keep it in its sturdy, zippered plastic case when not in use. I also place a saucer of milk out for it before retiring, in an attempt to keep it pacified. 4. Purchase a supplemental warranty for the product, when the manufacturer's own runs out. If my experience is typical, you'll almost certainly need it. A closing lament: Had not Apple decided that (a) laptops must be designed as slender as onion-skin and (b) an entire nation, or world, of users would immediately quit their collected CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays for Bluetooth streaming, we'd still have built-in disc players on our computers—and no need at all for finicky products like this. UPDATE 32 DAYS LATER: That third Archgon I owned just croaked on me, after only four months of sporadic use (about one hour every two or three days). Last Tuesday, it simply stopped working when I tried to play a CD. I treat machinery with care: the unit was never dropped or mishandled in any way. It simply died after 120 days of intermittent use. I have now dropped my three-star rating to one star. For whatever reason—cheap materials or incompetent manufacture—I have found this to be an inferior product that I cannot recommend. I take no pleasure in this review, but I now have fewer saucers of spoiled milk. SECOND UPDATE 84 DAYS LATER: In the interest of accuracy and fairness to Archgon, whose employees must put bread on the table like the rest of us, my third disc drive, which died on me 52 days ago, has been resuscitated by the IT wizards where I work. Last night I played both a CD and DVD with it. I haven't yet attempted one of my Blu-rays, because there's no point in pushing my luck. This is turning into a boring technological soap opera. Every day brings a new surprise and a little suspense: will the machine work this morning? For that unreliability I'll leave my rating at one star, placate the little gizmo with another saucer of milk, maybe laced with with bourbon. Strike that. The gizmo gets the milk. I'll take the booze. FINAL UPDATE: One year and nearly two months after purchase, this product finally died on me. One evening I was using it to watch a DVD. I paused play, to paddle into the kitchen for my saucer of milk. When I returned, I could not coax the machine, never disconnected, into playing. It never again played another DVD. It was able to handle CDs, but, for its steep price, that was not sufficient. As for Blu-rays, forget it. I had long since given up on that capability. I want to be very clear to anyone who reads this review and is trying to decide on a purchase. 1. This was my THIRD Archgon external disc player in as many years. I was willing to give the manufacturer full benefit of doubt and, during that period, was informed by some acquaintances that it was probably the best equipment I could hope for. All of these machines, all identical to the model under review, died within the space of a year, give or take. 2. Apart from one or two attempts with a Blu-ray disc, I never attempted any maneuver fancier than (a) playing a CD on this unit, through my laptop, or (b) playing a standard DVD in the same way. 3. I never abused any of these units. After use, or attempted use, all were safely stored in the enclosed zippered boxers that came with the unit. No unit was ever dropped, jostled, submerged in water or dumped in hydrochloric acid. All simply rested on my desk, without disturbance. 4. I can speculate about causes for my problem but can prove none. It may be that this unit is simply friendlier for PCs than for Macs. That theory is supported by the oddly designed cables that accompanied the unit. If that conjecture has basis in fact, then the manufacturer should transparently warn customers that its product is not dependably compatible with Apple/Mac. The plug-in cable connections from disc drive to laptop may have eroded across time—though, again, I was very gentle in plugging, never forcing things. One tech specialist I spoke with today hypothesized that the built-in laser for playing DVDs may simply have died: not once, but three times on three identical units. Who knows? Who cares? I gave Archgon every chance to make good. Three times in three years it failed me. I have purchased my last Archgon product. I did purchase a warranty on the unit but by now am so frustrated that I'll waste no more time, simply eat all the money I wasted, and start fresh, moving in a different direction that satisfies needs and wants. Good luck to you.