Along with debating and establishing the correct and viable Low Temp for proper thermal control (cooling/freezing) of samples -65°C or -85°C (and anything in between or prior to those temperature settings), questions always come up regarding the use of freezers or incubators to properly do the job versus the MéCour way.

Here are some pros & cons along with guidelines:

1. Different cells behave differently to temperature ( i.e., some cells require precise .1 degree/min. freezing but need a flash thaw to produce optimum results; others require slower, more controlled processes)

2. Freezers / incubators provide indirect or generally applied temp distribution versus direct temp control by MéCour, (i.e., freezer/incubator full of tubes/vials versus individual thermal wells that perfectly accommodate the tube/vial)

3. Freezers / incubators by and large may not have regulated temp control (pre-set specific degree per minute), whereas MéCour systems are programmable and provide real-time temp measurements. Additionally, with MéCour systems, the conditions are applied directly and individually to the actual vessels used to hold samples.

4. Freezers/incubators are more static or passive versus a MéCour system that ensures reproducible conditions that ultimately regulate and affect the success of your end results.

Bottom line: MéCour imparts direct heat exchange which maximizes the accuracy and precision of temp management.