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OT - soda stream

I know this topic was covered a few years back, but apparently it was sunk because when it tried to resurrect it stayed buried. Anyway, we're considering a Soda Stream purchase and looking for some feedback. I linked the previous thread below, so if anyone's opinion has changed or if there's a better option out there, would appreciate anything you are willing to share. Thanks

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2530072#Comment_2530072
Stillwater, MN

Comments

  • U_tarded
    U_tarded Posts: 2,042
    I’m too lazy to read it, we have one, it’s been in the pantry about 3 years because we always forget about it.  The soda is ok sparkling water is nice but not worth the price of admittance 
  • poster
    poster Posts: 1,167
    If you like diet sodas its ok, i cannot stand the taste of diet sodas and it seems every syrup available for these is "low cal" so they have the usual diet taste
  • We only ever use it for soda water, so I can’t speak to other applications. One observation I have made is that, invariably, when I make a bottle, only half to 2/3 of the bottle gets used before the carbonation disappears. When you factor in this waste, I am not sure the Soda Stream is any more economical than buying cans of soda water. 
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Wife and kids love sparkling water so it gets used alot. We had a fizzi original bit it broke and now we have a fizzi one touch that has to be plugged in but is much nicer. 
  • wla1mjd
    wla1mjd Posts: 3
    I have one that gets used constantly for sparkling water.... the economics didn’t make sense until I started refilling my own CO2 bottles from a 20lb tank instead of exchanging them. Went from $15/tank to about $2/tank. I refill the 20lb tank about twice a year. 
  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,410
    Tried it.  We buy sparkling water.  Returned device. We liked it fizzy. Ran thru CO2 fast. 
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,951
    edited July 2020
    Had one for 6-7 years. It mostly sits idle. The refills were really hard to get for while (all their retail partners bailed on them) but they have that fixed through mail order now. Still really expensive and a PITA to mess with. We only use it for sparkling water so I can’t comment in their mixes. We use it from time to time but I wouldn’t buy one (ours was a gift). All the other comments ring true. It’s just...meh. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Brason
    Brason Posts: 330
    We love ours. We use it for sparkling water and go through a bottle or 2 a day. We trade in the CO2 bottles at Bed Bath and Beyond. With the $5 off coupon it is $10 a bottle so worth it for us.
    Cheers,

    Jason

    Orange County- CA
  • Brason
    Brason Posts: 330
    wla1mjd said:
    I have one that gets used constantly for sparkling water.... the economics didn’t make sense until I started refilling my own CO2 bottles from a 20lb tank instead of exchanging them. Went from $15/tank to about $2/tank. I refill the 20lb tank about twice a year. 
    How do you refill the cannisters? I would be interested in that.
    Cheers,

    Jason

    Orange County- CA
  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,741
    edited July 2020
    Thanks everyone. We're still on the fence a bit, but really appreciate the feedback.
    Stillwater, MN
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,324
    Brason said:
    wla1mjd said:
    I have one that gets used constantly for sparkling water.... the economics didn’t make sense until I started refilling my own CO2 bottles from a 20lb tank instead of exchanging them. Went from $15/tank to about $2/tank. I refill the 20lb tank about twice a year. 
    How do you refill the cannisters? I would be interested in that.

    Find your local paintball gun shop.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • GatoGordo
    GatoGordo Posts: 80
    While I would not purchase one myself, my daughter gave me one last Christmas. I drink a lot of diet sodas and she did not like the number of cans I would go through. The taste of the syrups is good for the most part. I also like the fruit drops that give a light taste to sparkling water.

    As for cost, this comes out to be just slightly less than buying soda in the store, even when refilling the CO2 at home. If you are just looking for sparkling water, then after paying for the soda stream, 20 lb CO2 bottle, CO2 adapter, and CO2 refills it would eventually pay for itself.

    In short, I like it, but would not buy it for myself.

    LBGE, Stoker WiFi, UDS, Pit Barrel Cooker
  • GatoGordo
    GatoGordo Posts: 80
    Brason said:
    How do you refill the cannisters? I would be interested in that.
    I had a CO2 tank from when I made my own beer and purchased an adapter from Amazon.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MFXQ15J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    LBGE, Stoker WiFi, UDS, Pit Barrel Cooker
  • wla1mjd
    wla1mjd Posts: 3
    Refilling is pretty straightforward... you need a siphon CO2 tank and the refill adapter (available online, at amazon, even some paintball shops). There’s a bunch of YouTube videos that show how to do it.
  • AprèsSki
    AprèsSki Posts: 131
    Have had one for at least a decade, on our 2nd one now. Wife loves it I like it. Not soda drinkers but do drink a lot of sparkling water.

    It helps if you have good water to begin with (freshly melted Wasatch powder tastes pretty good). We leave the bottles out on the counter overnight with their caps off to to off gas as much Cl2 as possible. We don't puff the bottles until we drink them, keeping the in the fridge until needed.

    Our biggest reason to buy one was to avoid all of the empty bottles we'd truck off to the recycle bin each month. I still prefer the little cans of Perrier.
    Firing up my XL Big Green Egg, KJ Jr. or Weber gasser in Salt Lake City
  • GatoGordo
    GatoGordo Posts: 80
    wla1mjd said:
    Refilling is pretty straightforward... you need a siphon CO2 tank and the refill adapter (available online, at amazon, even some paintball shops). There’s a bunch of YouTube videos that show how to do it.
    A siphon tank is not required. If using a siphon tank then hold the CO2 tank upright. If using a non-siphon tank, like me, then hold the CO2 tank upside down.
    LBGE, Stoker WiFi, UDS, Pit Barrel Cooker