Soda Stream? Is it worth the trouble?

house_cat · ‎03-09-2010

I've been drinking seltzer water for decades and it used to be extremely inexpensive. Lately is seems to be trendy and the price for a 12 pack is $5 and up where I shop. I think that's ridiculous.

I'm thinking of getting a soda stream to make my own sparkling water. I don't even put flavor in it, just carbonation.

Are these machines worth the kitchen counter real estate? I'm wondering if they need new cartridges frequently.

If anyone can give me some feedback on these I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you.

~ house cat ~

Hilery · ‎03-24-2018

@house_cat Absolutely worth it. Our family is on our second Soda Stream having used this brand appliance for at least 10 years. The model we have is electric. We do not use flavoring. I keep several extra CO2 cartridges; purchase at Bed Bath Beyond using coupons. Price for one new cartridge is 29.99 but trade empty for replacement for 14.99. We use one cartridge per month except in summer months and then a cartridge will last for about 3 weeks.

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

It depends on how often you use them as far as cost savings go. We have both a SodaStream and a Drinkmate. That's only because a small plastic part broke on the SodaStream and it took awhile for my husband to figure out how to 3-d print one and fix it. I used that time as an excuse to get the Drinkmate. The advantage of the Drinkmate is that you can carbonate literally anything whereas SodaStream you can only carbonate water and then add to it, but if all you're going to do is carbonate water to drink, the Drinkmate has no advantage.

He still prefers the SS and exchanges cartridges. I have a 5 lb tank hooked to the Drinkmate that we take to Airgas and exchange. I no longer drink sodas except when we eat out.

They both use the same CO2 cartridges, but the bottles you carbonate are different so can't be used interchangeably.

house_cat · ‎03-09-2010

@Icegoddess

@Hilery

Thank you for taking the time to reply in such detail. That's exactly the kind of feeback I was looking for. My closest BB&B is not very convenient, so I'll have to check into another source for purchasing and exchanging the cartridges.

~ house cat ~

JeanLouiseFinch · ‎10-03-2011

Not worth it, imo. We did it for awhile. I convinced myself that I was saving money, reducing waste, eliminating carrying big bottles or cartons of cans. The pop doesn’t taste right and you are always having to replace the CO2 canisters so it’s only exchanging one inconvenience for another, if you ask me. I gave up pop several years ago. DH still drinks some but we only buy Zevia for him. Otherwise it’s unsweetened flavored water, sugar free water flavor drops, iced tea, or electrolytes. I don’t miss pop at all.

RollTide2008 · ‎02-14-2017

If you put vodka in a soda stream, it will void the warranty.

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

@RollTide2008 wrote:
If you put vodka in a soda stream, it will void the warranty.

@RollTide2008 I don't know about that. Really, you shouldn't carbonate anything except water in a SodaStream unless you're willing to clean up a big mess. However, you CAN put Vodka in the Drinkmate. You can carbonate anything in those.

faeriemoon · ‎03-14-2010

Is it worth the trouble? Yes, if you're concerned about the enormous plastic waste we produce using single serve plastic bottles. If you think you're going to save money, probably not because the trade-in program is not inexpensive.

My suggestion is to buy the half liter bottles (Amazon has them) and make your seltzer frequently for a short term use. I have found that the fizz doesn't last long when you make the bottles ahead and store them in the fridge, no matter how tight you turn the cap.

All that being said, I use it all the time. I always have a half liter bottle of seltzer next to me or in my bag. I put a splash of lime juice in mine because I don't want to use those chemical flavorings they sell to flavor your seltzer. I also drink it plain.