With HDD/SSDs I do the same as you in order to get the "best" of all worlds.
Your wife's and my optical drives (Mine has been upgraded from a tray-loader to a slot-loader, and I imagine hers will follow suit.) are confusing, because their listed weight is without an internal mechanism, giving the impression that they're available as enclosures, but that's apparently not the case.
The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.
In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
