From: florin@quartz.geology.utoronto.ca (F. Neumann)
Subject: [A] Zip Drive vs. EZ-135

A few days ago I asked:

> I'm thinking of buying a Zip drive or an EZ-135.[...] Does anybody have
> any suggestions, experience (good and particularly bad) with any of
> those two?

I received many answers, and I'd like to thank once again to everyone who
took the trouble to reply. Here's a comparison of the two drives, based
on the messages I received and on inquiries with a few dealers.

Summary
=======

If ease of use, portability, cross-platform communication, and
availability are important, then Zip would be the better choice.

If speed, cartridge capacity, and integration with other SCSI devices are
important, and if you're willing to put up with waiting for back-ordered 
cartridges, and if megabyte/$ is important to you, then the EZ would be
the better choice.

Putting it in another way, if I had a PowerBook or a low-end system,
and/or I wanted the user-friendliest drive, and/or I wanted to make
sure that I could exchange data with more people, then I'd get a Zip.
But if I had a higher-end system, with several devices on the SCSI bus,
and if I really cared about speed and capacity, but I didn't mind
having to go through a convoluted ritual each time I swapped a disk,
then I'd get the EZ.

Comparison
==========

Technology
----------

EZ  Hard disk technology. Re-engineered Winchester-type SyQuest
    mechanism.

ZIP Combination of flexible and hard disk technology. Does not use
    Iomega's proprietary Bernoulli technology.


Compatibility with Other Formats
--------------------------------

Both the EZ and the Zip read/write only their own formats. They are
not compatible with anything else. The EZ cartridge looks like a SyQuest
270 cartridge, but it can't be read in a SyQuest 270, and the EZ can't
read SyQuest 270 cartridges.

One respondent mentioned that Compaq is poised to come out with a drive
that will read 1.44M floppies, as well as a new 100M format, but he
doubted that this new drive would become available for the Macintosh.


Reliability
-----------

Both drives seem to be very reliable. I haven't had a single bad report
on either of them; but it's early days yet...

EZ  Based on the SyQuest technology, which has a known track-record;
    in general it is fairly reliable as a back-up and temporary storage
    device, but not as a primary storage device.

ZIP Based on new mechanism, without a known track-record. However,
    Iomega is known as a reputable company, and its Bernoulli drives
    are considered to be technically excellent (but use different
    technology).


Availability
------------

EZ  Drive available by mail order and from dealers. Cartridges more
    difficult to come by, only by mail order or from selected dealers.
    Back-ordered at every dealer I checked with.

ZIP Drive available by mail order, from dealers, and from computer
    superstores. Cartridges readily available from the same sources.


Comparative Cost
----------------

DRIVES      EZ is $20-$50 more expensive than the Zip, depending on source.

CARTRIDGES  EZ cartridges are $4-$8 more expensive than Zip cartridges,
            again depending on source. In megabyte/$, EZ cartridges are
            about 120% more cost-effective than the Zips. 


Speed and Capacity
------------------

CARTRIDGES  EZs format to 135M; Zips format to 98M.

DRIVE       EZ av. access time is 13ms; Zip av. access time is 30ms; in
            practice the EZ is 50% to 80% faster.


Size
----

DRIVE       EZ is bulkier and heavier than the Zip, and can only be used
            in horizontal position. Both use external power sources, which
            are pretty heavy themselves.

CARTRIDGES  Both are 3.5'' diameter cartridges. EZs are about 4 times
            thicker and somewhat heavier.


On/Off Switching
----------------

EZ  Has on/off switch.

ZIP Doesn't have on/off switch; is on as soon as the power source is
    plugged in.


SCSI Cable
----------

EZ  Has standard 50-pin SCSI connector. Can be connected to the Mac with
    the usual 25-to-50-pin SCSI cable, or to other SCSI devices via
    50-to-50-pin SCSI cable.

ZIP Has non-standard 25-pin SCSI connector. Can be connected to the
    Mac with a 25-to-25-pin SCSI cable (supplied). Requires 50-to-25-pin
    adaptor to connect to other SCSI devices.


SCSI ID
-------

EZ  Can choose any legal SCSI ID number, but ID button is flimsy and
    hard to reach.

ZIP Can only choose between IDs 5 and 6, but ID button is easy to use.



Swapping Cartridges
-------------------

EZ  Inconvenient. Behaves like a standard SyQuest drive. Have to
    dismount, spin down, and manually eject the cartridge.

ZIP Convenient. Behaves like a floppy. Drag to trash and it ejects
    automatically; likewise upon shutting down the Mac.


Software Driver
---------------

EZ  Rather poorly designed.

ZIP Well designed. "Guest" option allows installation of driver in
    RAM for temporary use on other Macs than the owner's.


Bundled software
----------------

EZ  Not good, except Silverlining Lite, included on EZs ordered from
    La Cie.

ZIP Good.


Use as a Boot Device
--------------------

Both can be used as start-up disks.


Customer base
-------------

Zip has wider customer base than the EZ, but it has been out half a year
earlier. It has caused more of an impact in the Mac market than the PC
market, but I've seen some local PC dealers offering Zips; I have seen
none offering EZs.

Also PowerComputing is offering as an option internal Zip drives with
their PowerMac clones.


Cross-platform communication
----------------------------

EZ  ?

ZIP Can read PC-formatted Zip cartridges with PC Exchange, although
    Access PC may be more reliable.


Rumours
-------

(I had no way to check these, so I put them in as I received them.)

EZ  "EZ 135 platters are Syquest 270 platters that failed the quality
    checks on one side of the platter"

ZIP "I have heard that Zips cause problems on macs with internal
    CD-ROM's because of a "preference" it has for being the second device
    on the bus [I have not verified this, however; nor have I seen it
    published]"


More Information
----------------

EZ  SyQuest faq at http://www2.csn.net/~kassj/SyQuest.html

ZIP Zip faq at http://cnct.com/home/steveg/zipfaq16.html

MacWeek also has on-line reviews of both drives.
-- 
  Florin Neumann
  florin@quartz.geology.utoronto.ca