Mac Mini Qwiizlab or Generic

[SeaDaddytheRed]

Hello, I am looking to get a hub for my Mac Mini and the Qwiizlab UH25 Pro has everything I need.

But, I am located in Japan and on Amazon there is the Qwiizlab listed for 15,400 yen (104 USD) and then a generic brand version of the hub that looks exactly the same listed as MC25Pro for 10,980 (75 USD).

Is it risky to get the generic brand?

Has anybody had experience with these hubs? Any cons?

 

[meson]

When I was looking (about 18-24 months ago), there were a few brands selling virtually identical hubs that were rebadged, Quiizlab, Hagibis, and maybe others. They very likely come from the same source. I dug through the reviews back then and they all seemed very similar, but never left enough confidence for me to pull the trigger. I would save money and go with the unbranded one (that is Hagibis's model number if I remember correctly), especially if Amazon Japan's return policy is as easy as it is in the US.

I ended up picking up Monoprice Thunderbolt hub on sale instead of one of the stackable hubs, so I can't comment on how they perform. I'm satisfied with my hub, but it is not without quirks. That said, I don't think Monoprice offers them anymore. For 80 USD, it was a good buy at the time, and cheaper than the hubs without power supplies.

 

[PaulD-UK]

Apple and Thunderbolt generally works.
Apple and USB-C, especially cheaper random-brand devices, is much more hit and miss...
In my experience.

 

[SeaDaddytheRed]

@meson Thank you for the suggestion. I saw another thread on here about the Qwiizlab and the poster took it apart and saw MC25Pro stamped on the board so I think you are right; they all most likely come from the same source in Shenzhen. I thought about a regular hub too but I have a 2.5 ssd and a M.2 sdd I want to connect and having them both in one enclosure would help declutter my desk.

@PaulD-UK Thanks for the suggestion but Thunderbolt is just out of my price range. I don't need massive speeds nor additional monitors so USB will be just fine. And as meson said I can just return it if it doesn't work!

 

[Chuckeee]

Are you in a hurry to make a purchase? With the new Mac mini being projected to have different dimensions, the price of these existing stackable units could drop when new Mac mini becomes available.

 

[SeaDaddytheRed]

Are you in a hurry to make a purchase? With the new Mac mini being projected to have different dimensions, the price of these existing stackable units could drop when new Mac mini becomes available.

That would probably be, what, October or November? I could wait that long. I am also keeping an eye on used sites where there will be a lot of people selling their current Mini setup for the new one. These types of hubs won't match the new form factor.🤣