Amazon Basics vs Expensive Thunderbolt Dock

I'm going to be testing a lavish docking station that's $380 and a cheaper dock from Amazon Basics that's $87. Now I know what you're thinking, Amazon sells docking stations? Maybe it's just me. I might have just been living under a rock until now, that is. Since COVID, a lot of us have been stuck working from home or working long hours on a computer in some uncomfortable setup that eventually our heads start to hunch over and we start So that's where a docking station comes in. Instead of plugging and unplugging millions of cables and creating a chaotic mess, you now have one connection for everything, turning your desk into an organized workstation. The ultimate workstation! Whether you're working, gaming, or editing, having the right dock can make or break your setup. But should you really be spending almost $400 on a premium yet highly rated dock or the more affordable, albeit risky, option? So let's introduce our contenders. On the left side of the ring, we have the Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 Pro docking station, a very apt name. It has an average of 3.9 stars with 101 ratings. That's not bad, but not exactly good seeing there's mixed reviews, like this one-star review that says, it only gives image to one monitor, not the second one, which is why I bought this in the first place. So it's hard to know what you're really getting, plus 101 ratings, not exactly reassuring. And on the right side of the ring, we've got the CowDigit TS4. It has an average of 4.2 stars and 1,593 ratings. It's backed by a lot more feedback and trust, but it also costs about five times more. So, is the CowDigit really worth all that extra money or are people just overpaying when a more affordable dock could do the same job? Let's see how they compare when they arrived at the office. So the Amazon Basics dock came in the classic Amazon brown box. You know what I'm talking about. We've all seen it before. Is this part of the experience of purchasing a dock under $100? I know it's Amazon Basics experience, but hey, on the side, there's a label that tells you what the product is. It's simple and straightforward, very on brand. Good job, Amazon. The CowDigit box is a white box with images, lots of fine print, which leans into a premium, fancier feel, but does it really? It just has a lot more text. The TS4 name is stamped on the top and on the side. On one side of the box, you can see all the labeled ports and everything you get. If you flip it around, you find a breakdown of the dock's features in multiple languages. I mean, I can tell you what all the features are in 13 languages. I'm bilingual now, or tri-deck-a-lingual. Let's just go with 13 linguine. And look, it's made in Vietnam, the motherland. This is like having the manual printed right on your box. And now I'm wondering, am I going to have the same experience as I unbox both of the docks? Hey, that rhymes. So going into this, I have little expectations with the Amazon dock. It must be me being pretty used to receiving Amazon packages in my lifetime. I'm greeted with a dock laying on top, like, hey there. And once I take it out and remove the cardboard layer, I found the other parts. The power cord, the adapter, the Thunderbolt 4 cable, all wrapped in plastic packaging with a thick manual on the side. With a count digit box, I expect a lot because it's expensive. But when I look at the inside, the first thing I see is this small one-page quick start manual. It's getting straight into business. Underneath there is the dock, making its grand entrance. Past the cardboard layer, the rest of the parts are also in there. Basically the same stuff as the Amazon basics one, except the only difference is it comes with these tiny little rubber feet. Well, they're not tiny. They're like elongated. So it gives you options on if you want your dock to be vertical or horizontal. That's pretty thoughtful. But it got me thinking, why do I have to install my own rubber feet when I paid $400? Because when I checked Amazon's dock, there's pads underneath already. Boom. All in all, both docks have identical parts. The count digit is just a little extra. They also make you do extra labor. Just kidding. That's a little dramatic. Maybe the extra step is worth it. You put in the extra effort and suddenly it feels more polished. Like you didn't just set up the dock, you customized it to your liking. That's actually pretty cool. Do you know what definitely isn't a scam? Back pain. But today's sponsor, Calami, has you covered with the Atlas Executive Ergonomic Office Chair. First off, this thing is super comfortable, especially for the price. That Atlas has a breathable mesh back that's been keeping me cool in those hot Texas summer months. So I don't have to worry about those nasty sweat stains on my shirt when I get up from working all day. Ugh. It also has a high-density foam seat cushion that feels nice and firm, but also soft and cushiony, keeping you comfortable even when you're spending hours working, gaming, or just watching YouTube. But the best part is the adjustability. You've got a headrest that moves exactly where you need it, built-in adjustable lumbar support for your lower back, so that creaky 30-year-old back pain can be held at bay, no matter how taut you are. It even has four directional armrests that go up, down, forward, back, and even rotate to your liking. The sliding seat depth and multi-position reclining feature mean you can lean in to lock in for gaming, and lean back to kick it when you're waiting for your friend to get ready. I was worried about the assembly process, but the Calami surprised me with how simple the assembly really was. It only took about 15 minutes to put together with two people, and the instructions were super clear and easy to understand. And also, this thing is built tougher than any chair I've ever seen. All of this top-of-the-line performance for a quarter of the price of an Aeron. So if you want to spend less money on the last chair you'll ever need to buy, check out the Calami Atlas Executive Chair today using the links down below. So putting the dock side-by-side, we're going to be taking a closer look before setting them up and plugging them in. The Amazon Basics is thin and looks sleek. It's all black. It's small enough that I can toss this in my bag and travel with it. I also really like the matte black design because it can blend in with the background. I find it surprising though that it's heavy. When I looked up the weight on the Amazon website, this thing is 2.15 pounds. That's actually shocking. It doesn't feel like it. The design layout is a bit questionable. On the front, you have four ports, an SD slot, a USB-A port, an audio jack, and a USB-C. Then the power button at the very end. When you turn it over, you have the DC power port, HDMI, two USB-C ports, an ethernet port, and two USB-A ports. So if I want to plug in more devices or accessories, I have to reach all the way in the back to plug them in. I would have to stand up, hunch over like a shrimp, and reach my arms in a weird way around my setup every time I have to plug and unplug something. So I would have liked a couple more USB-A and USB-Cs in the front. Another thing I noticed is that there's only one full-size SD slot. There's no slot for mini SD cards. So if I have a camera that only uses those cards, I would need an adapter. Boo! And with just one HDMI port, you can only use one monitor, and it has lower resolution and lower refresh rate. On to the CalDigit TS4. It's surprising that the more expensive option is lighter. I thought since it's more pricey and looks very aluminum, that it would be heavier. So the weight of this is 1.41 pounds, almost a pound less than this one. So what exactly makes the Amazon one so heavy? Why is it built like a brick? And why is the CalDigit lighter? So design-wise, the TS4 has ridges on the side and the top, so you can place the rubber feet wherever you want to lay it down. On the front, you have a full-size and a mini SD card slot, USB-A port, two USB-C, and an audio jack. There's a lot of space here, so I think they could do more, but I think they made this design more pretty instead of functional. On the back, you'll find a lot of ports. Ethernet, power, four USB-A, I don't know what this one is, a headphone jack, four USB-C, and a display port. So you can plug in pretty much your entire setup here. There's no HDMI, but I think that's okay, because DisplayPort is just so much better. And if your monitor doesn't have that, you might have to buy an adapter. So you get the high refresh rate and resolution, and you can also use a lightning to another monitor if you want multiple displays. I haven't exactly tried that, but apparently it works. But it doesn't matter how many ports your Thunderbolt dock has, if it barely works when you need it most, right? So let's get it installed. I want this to feel seamless. I would say both docks are easy to follow. They both come with manuals that contain similar instructions. First, you just plug in the power cord and the adapter, put it in the power thing, the outlet, and then you connect Thunderbolt cable to your laptop. And now you're ready to plug in everything else. That's pretty much it on both devices. So I did experience a problem one time where I plugged in everything and it didn't work, and I panicked. No matter what I did, the LED light just wouldn't turn on. Until I did something genius. The classic plugging and unplugging method. It turns out that my power cord just wasn't fully plugged in. So yeah, that one's on me. It's not CalDigit's fault. I'm a dummy. So oddly enough, I actually found the Amazon Basics easier and quicker to set up. It took about 10 to 15 minutes, which I think is pretty impressive. But perhaps it's also because it has less ports, so you can't plug in as many things anyways. But I really need to know which one is better on a day-to-day basis. When you're actually using it. So after a full day of using the Amazon Basics, I was surprised to find that everything ran smoothly. With the mixed reviews that I read that people weren't able to charge their devices or somehow the ports wouldn't work, I was really expecting that maybe I would also experience similar problems. I was bracing myself for something to go wrong. But nope, I just plugged in my laptop, connected my monitor, and it just worked. Then I got curious and I started adding more stuff. So I hooked my wireless mouse up, the keyboard, ethernet cable. I could even charge my phone with this thing and it charged pretty fast. Everything worked and I experienced zero issues. But I did find an interesting quirk. So after about an hour of installing it, when I put my hand on the dock, it's warm. Only after an hour though. It's not scalding hot. I'm not gonna burn my hand off of it. But some Amazon reviews did complain about the heating issue. So I wasn't surprised. I also didn't mind it. It's like a budget hand warmer for those winter months. So fast forward a few days later and you look at this thing now. There's already scuff marks on top of the dock where I'm just like not sure where the port is to put in. I tried rubbing them off and they're there forever. So that's definitely me fumbling around with the cables. HDMI, that's a big one. So with this, I also have to be careful not to put my greasy fingers on it because prints show up pretty easily on this dock too. That's also another thing that I noticed later on as well. One thing is that the Thunderbolt cable on the Amazon Basics is a bit short. So I had to shift my setup a couple times, push the dock closer to my left, scoot my laptop to the right so the Thunderbolt 4 cable could reach my laptop. Which is a little bit annoying compared to the Cow Digit which is two inches longer. I didn't have any problems. So for the Cow Digit, I found that the Thunderbolt 4 works flawlessly for me. After I plugged it in properly, that is. It also quickly charged my phone. I can connect my earbuds, monitor, laptop. Pretty much anything and it runs smoothly. So the Cow Digit does get warm as well. Warmer than the Amazon dock. So if you don't like that cozy campfire vibe on your desk in the form of an aluminum box, it might not be for you. But for me, I don't mind. I get cold easily. So the question you've all been waiting for. Which dock is actually better? Well, it depends on you. I know that's not the answer you want. If you're just getting started with a setup or you're someone who's looking to clean up their desk setup without breaking the bank, this dock, the Amazon Basics one, honestly gets the job done. It gives you the essential ports and you're not paying for a ton of extra features that you'll never use. But if you're someone with a more complicated setup, multiple monitors, a ton of accessories, maybe a video editor or gamer, then the Cow Digit makes more sense. You've got more ports. You can connect more SD cards and it powers way more things. It's designed for the heavy workflows at a heavier price, of course. At the end of the day, both docks work. But you have to ask yourself, do you want a simple, affordable dock or a more powerful dock that can grow along with your setup? And while you're looking at Thunderbolt docks, maybe it's time to upgrade your setup with a monitor arm too. But which one should you go for? The cheap one? The expensive one? I answer that in this video here.