Expanded glass particles (EGP) have been used to manufacture Al syntactic foams using a simple vacuum casting method. Clamping of the casting in the stainless steel mould was observed when preheating the mould to >400°C, causing damage to the EGP, resulting in a weaker foam but with the significant advantage of eliminating the yield drop, improving the energy absorption characteristics. The same effect in castings that were not clamped (for mould preheats < 400°C) could be achieved by quenching in liquid nitrogen. These "low strength" syntactic metal foams are a costeffective alternative to metal foams and porous metals (in terms of specific strength, stiffness and energy absorption) rather than "conventional" syntactic foams which contain smaller, stronger, hollow microspheres.