Cryogenic Products for Safety, Performance and Economy  

Comments by users of our foam dewars:

I have completely switched to the Spearlab foam dewars. They are awesome and all I use! What more can you say…

– S.W. (Ohio)



I use Spearlab foam dewars exclusively in my lab because they are safer, less expensive and much durable than glass dewars. In addition, they are easy to modify. A user can simply cut a small slit or groove on the rim of the dewar and use it to firmly hold tools or samples while they are cooling.

– Z.W. (Georgia)



Yes, I have been using the Spearlab dewar for the past one year. Here are the things I like: non-breakable, fewer ice formations, cool down much faster and dry up very quick after you dispose of the liquid nitrogen. It is particularly convenient for freezing crystals into ALS or universal pucks. I like it.

– X.M. (California)



We were extremely pleased with Spearlab foam dewers. Their safe and easy handling is important for the nervous crystallographer who is rushing to get crystals frozen and shipped off to the synchrotron. They dry much faster than the glass dewers and, because they are fairly inexpensive, we speed up the process by using multiple foam dewers in a freezing session. We like the fact that we can carry them with one hand and the cover helps keep the liquid nitrogen in and the ice out for a longer time, so we use less nitrogen when we use them. Owing to their opacity and colors, we can more easily see and fish out a sample that has fallen in the liquid nitrogen.

– M.S. (California)



The first thing I noticed was how much easier it was to freeze crystals into ALS pucks in the foam dewar – with the round-bottom glass dewar, the puck would often slide around unless you were very careful, but in the foam dewar the puck stays put. As for the tall cane dewars, the wider base on the foam dewar makes it much less likely to be knocked over, and it does seem to hold liquid nitrogen longer than the glass one. After you empty a glass cane dewar, the glass is still very cold and ice forms inside until the glass gets above the freezing point. If someone else comes along 15 minutes later and wants to use the dewar, they have to either wait until it warms up or risk breaking it by running warm water in it. The foam dewar doesn’t seen to retain the cold in the same way, and even if it’s a little frosty I’ll just hit it with a heat gun until it’s dry.

– J.C. (Washington)



I very much like and am very much satisfied with Spearlab foam dewars. I have ordered two types of dewars from your lab, shallow and tall ones. Both types have been used intensively at MacCHESS beam lines by staff and users dealing with protein crystals and LN2. Most of the users noticed new type of dewars and prized them for many things including design. Some of my users have expressed the willingness to order these foam dewars for their labs.
I also would like to mention that Spearlab foam dewars are much better in many ways compare to conventional glass dewars. They are very easy to handle and carry around due to material they are made from and a nice and convenient handle on the shallow dewars. One does not need any gloves for that. These dewars do not brake! Nor do they leak. They are light and very safe. Also, very colorful and nice looking.
Spearlab dewars are excellent for cryo work with protein crystals, providing lower boil off and consumption of liquid nitrogen and reduction of unwanted ice formation. They cost less than glass dewars, which makes them very affordable. I would recommend Spearlab foam dewars to everybody who works with protein crystals and LN2.

– I. K. (New York)