My MacBook Pro 15″ is awesome going on the road when migrating from workspace to work space, but when I work at home or in my main office, I like having it hooked up to a 21+ inch sized monitor with keyboard and mouse.
For awhile, I’ve been using the Book Arc as a stand to plug in all the external devices but it became a pain unplugging and plugging everything as I come in go. It’s not really that big of a deal but it was at a point where I was toying with the idea of just getting an iMac to use at home. However, spending around $1200 plus tax to satisfy my laziness doesn’t make financial sense! Unfortunately, there aren’t that many docking options available for the MacBooks except for Bookendz which costs around $250, and then the Henge Docks which is about $70.
Based on the reviews I’ve read, the Bookendz is a solid product and Henge Docks received mix reviews with complaints of reliable, build quality, and difficult setup. I decided to take a chance and go the cheaper route and give the Henge Dock a try, and have been quite satisfied with the product so far.
The Henge Dock came in some fancy packaging paying homage to how all the other Apple products are boxed. The build quality is solid, despite that it’s made of plastic. Some argue that it’s cheap and flimsy but I think it looks and feels very sturdy.
When taking the contents out, my first impression was, “What a horrible mess of wires!” and then I started to sympathize with the people who made the negative reviews because it looked like a nightmare. There was a bunch of tiny screws, a pair of USB extension cables, clips for the Mag Safe power adapter, fire wire extension cables, and audio extension cables. You have to supply your own DVI or VGA adaptor which you can buy at the Apple Store or order from Henge Docks. It was a very intimidating sight.
My impression changed when I started doing the actual setup. Taking a tip from other reviews, I had the dock on with my MacBook “docked” when I plugged in all the connectors started from the power adaptor and then fastened in the screws. Afterwards, I tucked in all the cables, plugged in my VGA cable and external devices and I was done. Yeah, it was THAT simple and the whole process took 20 minutes.
The real test was to “undock” and “dock” and it I believe that was the real challenge for the first few times. On my first try, I had a difficult time pulling out my MacBook Pro and was afraid of squeezing it too hard and damaging the screen or body. It takes a little practice in finding the right strength and angle, but once you got it down, you’ll appreciate how easy and convenient the dock is. And also, don’t forget to eject your drives before “undocking!”
As said earlier, I’m quite satisfied with the Henge Dock and I think it’s a great value in saving time from unplugging and plugging all your devices, making your workspace neat from having cables all over the place, and giving your MacBook Pro a better desktop experience. I
Overall Rating: 9/10
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Yeah, it was THAT simple and the whole process took 20 minutes.