Best External Hard Drives Recommendations from Reddit Comments

Samsung T7 and T9 Drives

• Samsung T7: The T7 drives are durable and suitable for carrying around in a backpack.
• Samsung T9: The T9 drives offer faster speeds and rugged construction.

WD My Passport Wireless Pro

• The WD My Passport Wireless Pro is mentioned, but it seems WD did not develop theirs past 1TB.

Seagate Drives

• Seagate drives are noted as shuckable for regular 2.5" drives.

Kingston MobileLite

• Some users suggest looking for the Kingston MobileLite on eBay as an option.

Benefits of External SSDs:

• SSDs are faster, more portable, and have no moving parts which make them more durable.
• Popular brands for SSDs include Samsung, Sandisk, and Western Digital.

Benefits of External Hard Drives:

• Hard drives are significantly cheaper for storage capacity.
• Popular brands for hard drives include Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba.

General Tips and Advice:

• Multiple backups are essential for data safety.
• The ideal backup strategy follows the 3-2-1 rule (3 copies, 2 local, 1 offsite).
• Avoid relying on a single drive for critical data.
• Consider a NAS or DAS with multiple good HDDs for important data.
• For high-capacity storage needs, consider a multi-bay enclosure or dock.
• Check specifications like warranty, drive type (CMR vs. SMR), and performance before purchasing external drives.

Cautions and Pointers:

• Sandisk Extreme Pro SSDs are recommended against due to reported issues.
• Stay away from Sandisk for external SSDs.
• LaCie drives are praised for reliability, with experiences of good support in case of failures.

Summary of External Drive Models:

• WD Black Game Drive: Recommended by a user.
• Glyph Atom or Atom Raid Drives: Noted for rock-solid performance.
• Crucial X-9 and X-10 Pro SSDs: Suggested for high-performance needs.
• LaCie Rugged Series: Mentioned as a great option for portable HDDs.
• Samsung T5 and T7 Series: Considered as good defaults for external drives.
• OWC ThunderBlade: Mentioned as considerably fast for intensive tasks.
• Promise Pegasus32 Eight-Drive RAID 5: Recommended for fast read and write speeds.
• Seagate Expansion Desktop Hard Drive 20TB: Noteworthy for cost per TB value.
• Internal Drive: Modularity for external drives, with caution against cheap enclosures.

Other Insights:

• Experiences with Seagate external drives discussed shucking practices and internal drive information.
• Considerations regarding warranty quality, usage as a NAS, PLEX storage, and long-term durability of drives.
• Discussions on the Seagate 20TB drives with HAMR technology and their nature of reliability and storage capabilities.

Remember that the best external hard drive varies based on individual needs, use cases, and preferences.