Is Pyrex best...?

Question

For beakers and boiling tubes and stuff like that?

Answer 1

Yes. Most glasses crack and/or shatter on rapid temperature changes (high coefficient of thermal expansion), pyrex doesn't (low coefficient of thermal expansion), or rather is much less likely to. That means if you're heating something made of pyrex and the put cold water into it (not a smart thing to do) you're less likely to end up in the emergency room with shards of glass in your arms and face. It doesn't cost that much more than regular glass, and emergency room trips are expensive for everyone. Unless you're really really broke, use pyrex. If you get your money from somewhere else, safety is always a good way to get more money, and it's true in this case.

Answer 2

Pyrex is a type of glass with a very small coefficient of thermal expansion. It changes its size very little when heated. Because of this property (unique among glasses), Pyrex is the best choice for laboratory glassware.

Answer 3

It depends upon what you are using it for. If it is an experiment where the glassware will probably break anyway in a year or 2, it is not worth the extra cost. But if you are looking for longevity, it's best.