A Thunderbolt Hub for Photographers: ProGrade’s PG20 Pro

The Thunderbolt and broader USB-C hub house is crowded with choices from price range to top class, providing a dizzying array of ports. ProGrade, makers of very good high-performance garage, are diving into this house with their first hub: a Thunderbolt 4–based totally hub designed round their card reader ecosystem. Does this hub have what it takes to stand proud of the gang?

Wes Brewer, CEO of ProGrade Digital, mentioned, “We have spent the time to think about how professionals work with our card readers and what they need to maintain a clean workspace in designing our new PG20 Pro Hub,” and that presentations within the design. Unlike some Thunderbolt hubs, which might be simply dotted with USB-A 2.0 ports for the aim of bumping up overall port depend numbers, the PG20 is constructed round pace.

On the hub are 3 Thunderbolt 4 USB 4.0 ports with strengthen for 15 W of energy and 40 Gb/s of connectivity, together with an upstream Thunderbolt 4 USB 4.0 port with 85 W of energy (best for charging your attached pc). On the entrance is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port at 10 Gb/s, in addition to indicator LEDs and an influence button.

As I’ve come to be expecting from ProGrade, the entire ports fit their specifications completely. Running the quickest playing cards and exterior SSDs finds there’s no bottlenecking, even with more than one ports in operation immediately. Drawing the whole 85 W from the facility port could also be no factor, with the incorporated AC adapter in a position to placing out 100 W.

The best includes a shelf-style interface that pairs completely with ProGrade’s card reader ecosystem. ProGrade’s readers, like this CFexpress Type B reader, characteristic robust magnets within the base that protected the reader to any magnetic floor (or to the magnetic sticky plate they come with with the readers). When paired with their short-length Thunderbolt 4 cables, you get a compact, cable-managed reader and hub setup. The addition of magnets to the ground of the hub (together with an identical better magnetic plate) permits you to mount this combo to a studio cart, your desk, or perhaps a larger pc by the use of the magnetic sticky label they supply.

While the PG20 used to be designed with strengthen for the ProGrade reader’s magnetic connection in thoughts, there’s not anything combating you from the usage of any USB-C or Thunderbolt units with those ports, to be transparent. They are customary ports with simply obtainable placement.

Clearly published labels display the facility output of each and every port, whilst the remainder of the instrument appears to be like sharp with darkish grey composite and ProGrade branding at the best shelf. The incorporated Thunderbolt 4 cable is of very good high quality, measuring 31.5 inches lengthy. On the general aspect of the instrument are Kensington Standard and Nano safety slots, helpful for securing equipment on a DIT cart and even in a shared studio surroundings.

Who’s This For?

ProGrade’s merchandise had been fascinated about imaging execs from the beginning, and this hub is not any exception. The hub solely makes use of high-speed connection requirements, buying and selling off an general selection of ports for high-performance multitaskers like Thunderbolt 4. While the hub isn’t missing for connectivity, due to the additional Thunderbolt 4 and USB-A ports, in addition to strengthen for 8K presentations at 60 Hz, it’s nonetheless transparent that this hub is constructed round high-speed virtual imaging workflows. If you want some extra USB-A ports for miscellaneous units, there is a number of different hubs that’ll be offering a bevy of those slower ports, at a cheaper price and function degree.

I see this hub as being an excellent choice for centralizing your readers and transportable SSDs, all related again on your units with a unmarried Thunderbolt 4 cable. Thanks to the standalone capacity of the ProGrade readers, you’ll simply seize a unmarried reader to deliver with you into the sector or over to some other instrument, wanting simplest to drag it from the magnetic base and unplug the cable.

I additionally see this instrument as being a forged choice for customers with high-performance necessities. Unlike affordable, no-name USB-C hubs, you’ll know that you just’re in fact getting true 40 Gb/s speeds on the ports. Whether this implies connecting 8K presentations or operating high-performance exterior garage, I’ve were given entire self assurance that the hub will carry out to the Thunderbolt spec. ProGrade is assured on this too, with serialized monitoring of the hubs and equipment, subsidized through a two-year guaranty.

My simplest complaint of this dock is the exterior energy brick’s dimension and setup. It’s beautiful giant, as is the barrel connector used with the hub. While I perceive 100 watts isn’t not anything, the dimensions of the connector and the brick collides with the graceful and built-in design of the hub and readers.

Overall, the PG20 Pro Thunderbolt 4 hub gives exceptional functionality. While it’s a specifically horny choice for photographers and videographers already the usage of the ProGrade reader ecosystem (bringing a near-dock-like revel in with out the desire for customized readers), any imaging skilled will admire the number of excessive functionality ports. The PG20 Pro is to be had for acquire now from B&H with energy cable strengthen for North America and a variety of alternative international locations, in addition to in quite a lot of bundles with ProGrade’s very good card readers.