Many times throughout a given week, we get products from vendors or from our own purchases that just find their way onto a shelf.  Rarely used and even more rarely discussed, you'd likely be ashamed of me for the number of devices we come in contact with that don't see a word of coverage on this very tech site.

A USB hub might have been one of those items but this model was worth discussing thanks to its relative performance and price.

The HooToo HT-UH006 7-port USB 3.0 hub is, despite the silly sounding name, a capable product that does exactly what it states it will do: split a single USB 3.0 connection into 7 ports capable of USB 3.0 performance.  My quick testing with the device showed nearly identical benchmarks of our USB 3.0 enabled SSD both directly connected to the back of my motherboard and through the HooToo hub.  With 280 MB/s read speeds and 175 MB/s writes, I was essentially seeing the limit of the drive in question.  I don't expect the hub to support more than those kind of performance levels IN TOTAL on the 7 ports though.

One thing the HooToo does not do, despite having an optional external power connection, is charge your iPad or other USB power hungry accessories.  A quick look with our USB power meter showed our iPad Air only getting 0.46 amps of power through the USB 3.0 hub; the same power draw was recorded directly from the PC as well.  This charge level did not increase when we connected the external power connection.  Our search for a perfect multi-amp USB charger with multiple ports continues…

The hub is very light which actually becomes more of a problem than a feature for me.  Sitting on my desk, I would prefer a heavier device that is less susceptible to movement and cable tug than the HooToo was.

But, with a price tag of only $35 on Amazon.com, the HooToo 7-port USB 3.0 hub is a simple yet useful device for most PCs.  I no longer have to run an extension cable around to the front of my system to plug in additional USB thumb drives, even fast ones.  Testing out new keyboards or mice is as simple as plugging the cable into the HooToo box on the top of my desk.  If you are looking for a USB hub capable of USB 3.0 speeds, the HooToo 7-port seems like a solid choice.