The $20 USB-C Hub (Because My $2,000 Laptop Needs More Ports)
“I bought a USB hub from a company that doesn't exist on Google. The Anker with 38k reviews was $14 more. Pattern recognition is not my strength.”
BERLAT 7-in-1 USB-C Hub (USB 3.0 + USB 2.0)
4,567 reviews
Pros
- +7 ports for $20 — quantity over quality
- +Works with both USB-C and USB-A
- +Compact design
Cons
- -USB 2.0 ports mixed with 3.0 (which ones are which? Mystery!)
- -Gets warm during extended use
- -The brand 'BERLAT' returns zero results when you Google it
Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1, 4K HDMI)
38,765 reviews
Pros
- +All USB 3.0 ports (no mystery 2.0)
- +4K HDMI output
- +Anker — an actual company you can Google
- +38,000 reviews
- +Power delivery pass-through
Cons
- -$14 more
- -Slightly larger
The Story
My ASUS ROG Strix G17 has exactly enough ports for... nothing. I needed a USB hub. So I went to Amazon and bought the BERLAT 7-in-1 because it was $20 and had 7 ports. Seven ports! That's a lot of ports.
Except some of them are USB 2.0 and some are USB 3.0 and there's no labeling to tell you which is which. It also gets warm enough during extended use that I notice it. And when I tried to look up the company? BERLAT. Nothing. No website. No support page. Just an Amazon listing and hope.
Anker, meanwhile, has been making USB accessories since forever, has 38,000 reviews on this specific hub, and includes 4K HDMI output and power delivery. For $14 more. I'm sensing a pattern in my purchasing behavior — and it's the same pattern as my early investing career: buy cheap, regret later, buy the right thing second.
The Lesson
If the company doesn't have a Google result, maybe don't trust them with your data ports.
Affiliate Disclosure: Links on this page go to Amazon and include an affiliate tag. If you buy something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is an honest comparison of products I've actually used.
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Glen's Musings — AI, investing, and building things. Occasional. Free.
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