Keeping a Likely Clone Pioneer BDR-209DBK vs Picking up an LG Drive

[kytech]

I recently purchased what I thought was at first a legitimate Pioneer BDR-209DBK, though after receiving this drive and getting my hands on it, I'm pretty sure it's not a genuine BDR-209DBK, since it had a manufacturer date of 2024 on the label and had a plastic film on it like it was new, which is what first raised my suspicions.

However, the drive I received is successfully flashed as a 211M, as identified by MakeMKV, and this previous thread seems to indicate that clone BDR-209DBKs that have successfully been flashed to a UHD-compatible firmware can have remarkably good performance in both burning and ripping, potentially better than a lot of the LG drives currently available. The drive I received has a different manufacture date than the one in the post I linked, but the case stamping on the top looks identical to the one in the post I linked, and most of the rest of the label is nearly identical as well, so I'm not sure if I should expect similar results. I haven't attempted a UHD rip yet, but I will try one and provide an update on how that goes. I don't have a second drive to compare against, unfortunately.

Since I've still got several weeks of a return window available to me, I'm trying to decide if I'd be better off returning this drive and trying to get one of these drive options that I'm seeing as something I might be able to track down, given everything I've come across so far:

• internal 5.25in LG drive - comments on the linked form make it sound like this Pioneer Clone may still be better, is this likely still true?
• Slim Verbatim drive with Pioneer internals - Genuine Pioneer drives always seem highly recommended, but I'm not sure how these would stack up against internal drive options
• One of the more easily available LG slim drives that are easy to get - (e.g. BU40N, though these seem to be prone to scratching discs easily). Asmcom seems to have some latest revision BU40Ns and BP55EB40s available soon

I'd love to get some insight by anyone who is more well-versed on the current state of the UHD-friendly drive market, so that I can figure out what trade-offs come with each option, whether keeping this drive I already have, or returning it and getting something else. I'm comfortable with processes like flashing drive firmware, so if there's any more investigating that I should do, I'm fine taking the time to do that.

[skyrider]

I have never seen any BDR‑209 units newer than 2019.
In 2024, only the BDR‑212 and BDR‑213 models were being produced.
You most likely bought a Chinese recase. The label is definitely fake.
Please upload a few photos of this drive so others can be warned.
I'm curious what's inside. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be a used BDR‑208 model from over 10 years ago.
You can use BDRFlash to read this information.

It may or may not be better, it depends on the condition of the drive.
LG is faster, but it is more sensitive to minor disc imperfections, and based on forum posts it also appears to be more failure prone.
The MT1959 is the last generation design, built extremely cheaply, and the drive is practically nonrepairable.

In general, an internal drive is always better than a slimline model.
However, if you are specifically looking for an external slimline unit, the BDR‑UD03/04 is worth considering.
You just need to make sure you can power it correctly.
Most drives that people return to stores as "not working properly" fail simply because of insufficient amperage.
When that happens, the drive behaves unpredictably. Overall, these are good drives.

From Asmcom you can consider buying a cable with a female barrel connector for 5V DC, but honestly you can achieve almost the same result by using a good quality USB Y‑cable - one USB 3.0 plug (for data & 0.9A power) plus an additional USB 2.0 plug for extra 0.5A power. I'm sorry to say it, but I cannot recommend LG drives.