I read a review a year or so ago that put Iomega in the "top bracket", with Maxtor firmly in the "avoid" list. So I bought a 500GB Iomega USB external. It didn't work well, which I put down to my PC's USB. I didn't think to look to see what Control Panel says it is.
Then I dropped it (not from a great height) and the top came off. The drive inside said Maxtor - even though the case said Iomega. It's now in my bottom drawer - I can't bring myself to throw it out yet.
I bought a new 500GB one from a well-known store: it's a "book" format one, with Western Digital on the box, and the drive identifies as Western Digital in Control Panel. It works flawlessly. The price wasn't bad, either.