Exactly. Despite reliability and batch/lot issues with drives of vastly different SMART error rates and ages, the KEY Drobo feature appealing to the "lower end

Exactly. Despite reliability and batch/lot issues with drives of vastly different SMART error rates and ages, the KEY Drobo feature appealing to the "lower end" of the RAID prosumer space WAS heterogeneous drives. In the current market, Drobo has managed to price themselves OUT of that space while simultaneously NOT keeping up with performance on the higher end. Drobo is now in the uncanny-valley of proprietary RAID systems.