Just came across some docking stations for external 3.5" SATA hard disk at a local shop. I like the idea of being able to plug and unplug the hard disk without having to fiddle with screws and enclosure. Has anybody use this setup for their external hard disks? Any problem or things that I should be aware of?
Thanks!

Work sweet.
You can get USB3 or eSATA.
Really nice for for backups....then put the drive somewhere safe, preferablly off the premisis.

When I built my computer last year I got an eSATA docking station for around $29 as I had several HD's from the previous computer. It works very well for making several backup copies. The only problem (very minor) is that when using the docking station my DVD player gets turned off until reboot. I'm sure it has something to do with my power supply and the wiring harness but it has never inconvenienced me.

They are great but you do have to be very careful when docking and undocking the HD's as any static charge built up on your body can zap the circuit board on the HD. ALWAYS, make sure you grab something substantial and metallic with one hand when undocking or docking or anytime you handle an HD.

Isn't there also a need to keep the HDD in an antistatic bag like they ship in and generally protect it from shock as they really aren't designed with regular handling in mind?

I think I prefer my external fan cooled enclosue with fan for my backups.

They are fine as long as you don't touch them. But if you touch them, ground yourself first

That's why I use enclosures, preferably screwless ones that open easily. I hate looking at that bare circuit board and knowing how quickly I could blow it and lose the data or lots of $ recovering it.

I like ICY Dock enclosures. I don't need fans for single-drive enclosures with good chip sets because I live in San Francisco where temperatures don't get very high (yet).

--Gib