Labthrift Labthrift Buy the boring upgrade. Skip the rest.

Editorial, 23 Aug 2026. Specs from maker pages and named street snaps. We have not burned this chassis in. Affiliate tags are not live.

UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G: new $49 2.5G puck, not a used US-8

Used US-8 and Flex Mini 1G lots are still gigabit. The new USW-Flex-2.5G-5 is five 2.5G ports, USB-C or PoE-in, $49 at the UI store. Buy that if the house is already UniFi. Need PoE out? That is the USW-Ultra.

SKU USW-Flex-2.5G-5. Four 2.5GbE copper ports plus one 2.5GbE PoE-in for power. USB-C 5 V / 1 A brick in the box. Maker max 5 W on the brick, 6.4 W on PoE-in. Non-blocking 12.5 Gbps, switching 25 Gbps. UniFi Network 8.4.62 and later. Polycarbonate puck, not a 1U. No PoE out — it takes power, it does not feed APs.

UI store, 23 Aug 2026: $49 / $52 surcharge-incl. Authorized Multilink printed $52.15. CDW printed $64.99 on a 4–6 week card. Amazon B0CPT3K48S was a third-party card at $72.19 whose model string still said Flex Mini. Print the live tag. Buy the store.

The short list

BoxWhat it isStreet, 23 Aug 2026Buy if
USW-Flex-2.5G-5Five 2.5G ports. USB-C or PoE-in. No PoE out. 5–6.4 W. SKU USW-Flex-2.5G-5.UI store $49 / $52 surcharge-incl. Multilink $52.15. Skip Amazon 3P $72.The house is already UniFi and you want a 2.5G desk or closet puck, not PoE.
USW-Ultra 60WFanless PoE switch. The box if two APs need watts.See the Ultra note. Print the live tag.You needed PoE, not five 2.5G copper ports.
TL-SG105S-M2Unmanaged 5× 2.5G metal. No UniFi.About $35–39. See that note.You are not in UniFi and you just need five 2.5G ports.
Used US-8 / Flex Mini 1GFive or eight gigabit ports. The lot people still list as a UniFi deal.We are not pricing used lots.You like 1G on purpose. Not the closet default if the NAS is already 2.5G.

Skip

Skip used US-8, US-8-60W, and Flex Mini 1G lots. Still 1G. We are not affiliating them. Skip Amazon third-party cards at $72–$78, and skip any listing whose model string still says Flex Mini on a 2.5G SKU. Skip this puck if you needed PoE out — that is USW-Ultra. Skip it if you are not already UniFi; buy SG105S-M2. We have not sat with a unit.

Sources

UI store USW-Flex-2.5G-5 ($49 / $52 surcharge-incl.; “5-port 2.5G, PoE or USB-C”; fetched 23 Aug 2026). Multilink authorized card $52.15 (4× 2.5GbE + 1× 2.5GbE PoE-in, 5 V / 1 A USB-C, max 5 W brick / 6.4 W PoE, 12.5 Gbps non-blocking, UniFi Network 8.4.62+). CDW $64.99 on a 4–6 week card. Amazon B0CPT3K48S third-party $72.19. Street moves. Print the live tag.

Also in this lane

UniFi Cloud Gateway Ultra: new USB-C gateway, not a used USG + Cloud KeyBuilt-in controller. 2.5G WAN. USB-C. Skip used USG-3P lots. UniFi Switch Ultra 60W: new fanless PoE, not a used 48-port CatalystIf the house is already UniFi, buy the Ultra 60W new. Not a used Catalyst PoE. Used enterprise vs buying newUsed is a gift when the wattage is low and the ports match the job.