ExelStor drives - any good?

[Ribbit]

I might be able to get a good deal on some Exelstor hard drives. They're new, but I think they're fairly old/low capacity models (somewhere between 20 and 40GB). I want to put two of them in a home server and make a RAID-1 mirror with them - they'll be running 24/7.

Does anyone know if Exelstor have any reliability issues, either now or in the past? I don't want these to turn out to be another set of DeathStars.

[Fat Tone]

I've used a couple (40GB models) in systems where cost was paramount...no problems so far, but I think they were a little noisy by current standards.

[dZeus]

aren't they just relabeled Hitachi/IBM drives? (or more specifically, refurbished ones?)

[Ribbit]

Turns out dZeus is right - they're made by the same manufacturer as IBM/Hitachi drives. They're not refurbished, they just come out the same plant.

In any case, I'll be avoiding these.

[Taz]

I thought Excelstor was started by former Conner employees?

[The PIT]

Originally posted by Taz
I thought Excelstor was started by former Conner employees?

Yup but I thought they'd gone to wall again.

[gpremec]

Re: ExelStor drives - any good?

Originally posted by Ribbit
...Does anyone know if Exelstor have any reliability issues, either now or in the past?...

Excelstor proved them to be reliable HDDs for the past 2 years. I never heard anyone had any trouble with them.
Excelstore is manufactured by Hitachi and it is IBM technology, but since that was the first HDD factory that IBM sold, name must be neither IBM nor Hitachi. It is proven and reliable technology.

[gpremec]

Originally posted by dZeus
aren't they just relabeled Hitachi/IBM drives? ...

Yes

Originally posted by dZeus
... (or more specifically, refurbished ones?)

No

[lAmerZ]

just a bit noisy... (same screamin noise of IBM/Hitachi drives when the heads were recalibrated sometimes)