I bought a 1 TB Freecom Quattro desktop hard drive from Amazon Japan while living in Japan. It is not only an attractively designed product with its mat aluminium casing, it is quiet(its efficiency at dissipating heat means a fan is not required) and has been completely reliable since I began using it in November 2009. It is almost silent with only the occasional click or whir.
On returning to the UK I bought another one. The Quattro also has Firewire ports which is ideal for my Apple iMac and MacBook. And the brushed aluminium finish is a fine match for my Apple computers - of course the appearance isn’t important but it’s a nice bonus.
Freecom customer service also proved excellent when I enquired about availability of a UK plug adaptor for the AC power supply adaptor(for the Quattro I bought in Japan). Freecom resolved my query by sending me a new AC power supply adaptor free of charge(they retail for around £13).
I’ve also bought a light magnesium-cased Freecom 750 GB Mobile Drive Mg with Firewire and USB 3 which I have also been very pleased with.