New user question-zip 100 vs 250

[Steve]

I have a friend who offered to give me an older SCSI Zip 100 or Zip 250,
whichever I prefer.

I know these drives have been out for years, I never used them. In the
real early days of the Zip, there were huge reliability questions, and I
just went the route of Magnetic Optical for removeable storage.

Since I lost touch with the evolution of these drives, I'd like to know
if there were problems with either kind, and if I'd be better off with
one over the other.

I do know that the SCSI Zip 250 is 50% faster than the 100, but I don't
know if there may have been more problems with the 250 than the 100.
Maybe there weren't any problems with either after the initial bugs were
worked out. Maybe they are both the same, quality wise, I just don't
know.

I'd appreciate any input from you experienced users.
One better than the other?
More problems with one, over the other?
Is there anything else that I'm not considering when choosing between
either of these drives?


Steve

[Rick]

Post by Steve
I have a friend who offered to give me an older SCSI Zip 100 or Zip 250,
whichever I prefer.
I know these drives have been out for years, I never used them. In the
real early days of the Zip, there were huge reliability questions, and I
just went the route of Magnetic Optical for removeable storage.
Since I lost touch with the evolution of these drives, I'd like to know
if there were problems with either kind, and if I'd be better off with
one over the other.
I do know that the SCSI Zip 250 is 50% faster than the 100, but I don't
know if there may have been more problems with the 250 than the 100.
Maybe there weren't any problems with either after the initial bugs were
worked out. Maybe they are both the same, quality wise, I just don't
know.
I'd appreciate any input from you experienced users.
One better than the other?
More problems with one, over the other?
Is there anything else that I'm not considering when choosing between
either of these drives?
Steve

Same technology - same potential for problems. The only drives that
haven't come in here with complaints of click death are 750MB units,
probably because so few of them are in actual use. The problems are
still the same: if it works it works, it if fails it fails
miserably.

The numbers you quote regarding speed have to be taken with a
skeptical eye. Just because the potential data transfer rate is
higher does not necessarily mean the drive will function faster in
actual use. Also, you should be aware that writing data to a 100
disk in a 250 drive is about three times *slower* because the narrow
heads in a 250 drive have to over write the 100 tracks several times
to fill out the track width.

I switched to MO drives after repeated Zip replacements. 6 years
later I'm staying put. You can get 640MB MO disks for only ten
bucks, 1.3GB for 20 bucks, these days. Why would you want to pay the
same, or more, for a 250MB Zip disk?

[Steve]

Post by Rick

Post by Steve
I have a friend who offered to give me an older SCSI Zip 100 or Zip 250,
whichever I prefer.
I know these drives have been out for years, I never used them. In the
real early days of the Zip, there were huge reliability questions, and I
just went the route of Magnetic Optical for removeable storage.
Since I lost touch with the evolution of these drives, I'd like to know
if there were problems with either kind, and if I'd be better off with
one over the other.
I do know that the SCSI Zip 250 is 50% faster than the 100, but I don't
know if there may have been more problems with the 250 than the 100.
Maybe there weren't any problems with either after the initial bugs were
worked out. Maybe they are both the same, quality wise, I just don't
know.
I'd appreciate any input from you experienced users.
One better than the other?
More problems with one, over the other?
Is there anything else that I'm not considering when choosing between
either of these drives?
Steve

Same technology - same potential for problems. The only drives that
haven't come in here with complaints of click death are 750MB units,
probably because so few of them are in actual use. The problems are
still the same: if it works it works, it if fails it fails
miserably.
The numbers you quote regarding speed have to be taken with a
skeptical eye. Just because the potential data transfer rate is
higher does not necessarily mean the drive will function faster in
actual use. Also, you should be aware that writing data to a 100
disk in a 250 drive is about three times *slower* because the narrow
heads in a 250 drive have to over write the 100 tracks several times
to fill out the track width.
I switched to MO drives after repeated Zip replacements. 6 years
later I'm staying put. You can get 640MB MO disks for only ten
bucks, 1.3GB for 20 bucks, these days. Why would you want to pay the
same, or more, for a 250MB Zip disk?

Rick, you make some excellent points.

I appreciate the response.

Steve