14-in-1 85W Laptop-Charging Docking Station for 3 Monitors (Open Box)

A friend asked me a question the other day knowing my expertise on remote working and tech equipment--his question: is it worth paying a premium for a USB docking station? At the time, I answered 'yes' but later on I was thinking about it and the real answer is that it's a more nuanced decision. Every user's needs aren't the same. In fact, there are countless use cases for a device of this type. For example, I have different needs at home, at my office, on short trips, on extended trips, etc. This is the type of docking station that I'd use for extended trips. The first criteria for me for any situation is that I need a lot of USB ports. For some reason, laptop manufacturers have significantly reduced the number of ports on laptops--high end and otherwise. If you're someone who travels extensively and works on the road you're never going to have a sufficient number of USB and other ports on your laptop. That's just a fact of life. I've got the latest model of a high end, brand name laptop manufacturer. From a performance standpoint, it's a beast. It has a whopping *3* USB ports--all USB-C. The power cord occupies one of them, so that gives us only two. If you use an external mouse, there goes one more. That's my situation--I basically have one USB-C port for anything else I need to attach. This doesn't even consider the need for USB-A ports. Since I travel/work at least half of the year, that won't get it done. This docking station has plenty of ports but where it really shines is in a) performance b) data speeds and c) multi-monitor use. These are all areas where 'you get what you pay for' more often than not. In terms of performance, I want to know that I can put a bunch of peripherals in use and for them to work and work well. This does a great job at that making sure that everything gets all of the juice and data throughput it needs. Speaking of data speeds, they're smoking fast. I didn't time them or anything but they actually outdid the top of the line docking station I was using before this. It also worked great for muitl-monitors which is something I definitely need for an 'extended trip' scenario. As far as form factor--it's not the sleekest hub I've seen but it's also not bad looking. It has a very utilitarian vibe as you'd expect from a 'workhorse' device. It weighs less than a pound so it's not like it's bulky or anything. It comes with a decent enough cable but now DC 20V power supply. There's a case to be made that one should be included at this price point but I disagree. I'd much rather have the flexibility to use whatever power source I need. I usually use a USB-C power in and hate any device that forces me to use some cable that is either proprietary or can't serve double duty. At any price point, I'd rather the manufacturer put their resources into the device itself instead of subsidizing cables, plugs, etc. that I already have or won't use. There's no higher praise for any USB hub than having me use it as my 'daily driver' for long trips. This is a first rate device for serious remote work and travel. Highly recommended!