How about do both your body and the environment a favor and don't drink soda and use a Nalgene or some type of reusable bottle for tap water. News flash: Aspartame is not that good for you. Another news flash, this just in (not really): there is nothing wrong with tap water in the U.S. People... Dont believe everything you hear in commercials

Soooooo....

theoretically one could use this to make premixed gin and tonics that totally kick butt? And what about a litte vodka in that grapefruit soda?

Hmmmmmm.

tap water may be SAFE but it often tastes like crap.

I have a kegerator at home (bought used for $300) setup with 5 gallon soda keg full of tap water (which is filtered through an undersink carbon filter). I throw in 1 1/2 tablespoons of grey sea salt for flavor.

With a 20# CO2 tank, I'll get around 500 liters for $24 worth of gas.

Plus I have a beer fridge and could always mount a second tap to have running soda water AND beer. All in good time.

As for the environment, most of the CO2 is converted to carbonic acid in the water, which is why it tastes good. And lets be honest if sparkling WATER is the worst thing I'm putting in my body, I'll probably be ok.

We *love* our SodaClub machine! for the commenter who says aspartame is bad for you... .we agree! which is one reason we use SodaClub... all their diet syrups are made with Splenda only. With a diabetic in the family, we have no choice but to use artificial sweetners to have any sort of normalcy in our diets. Splenda may have naysayers, but we've found no real evidence it's dangerous, as opposed to Nutrasweet.

Enviromentally, instead of literally CRATES of recycling a week from our household that has a college student, a high school student, and a middle-school student - we now only have recycling for the small bottles of syrup, and that's infrequent. We use our own tap water and the CO2 cartridges are refilled, so there's no waste there.

We're not big on the faux Dr. P, but the rest taste really good, especially the Root Beer and Lemon-Lime. And we never run out of soda. (so long as I remember to order the CO2 refills on time!)

All tap water needs is to be chilled. It tastes great. No need for filtering or other effortful processing.

My Sweetie bought one last summer, we Love it. We're all about drinking tap, and she uses a Britta filter to knock the chlorine out of it. Take that tap water put it in the fridge in the handy reusable bottles that sell with the system then thermodynamics does the rest. Thermodynamics sure does make for a tasty treat! Oh, we just do the seltzer, none of the syrup stuff.

"I bought this mainly for environmental reaons" - it's sole job is to SQUIRT CO2 INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. Jeez, this isn't rocket science, c'mon Bunky: you can figure it out if you try real hard...

I have a soda club machine and the thing I don't like is that all of their flavors are diet. They claim that their "non-diet" flavors have 1/3rd the sugar. Well the reason they are able to do that is because they use Splenda to make up for the lack of sugar. Splenda tastes like crap, so 1 year later I have yet use even half of the mixes that my wife got me.

"News flash: Aspartame is not that good for you."
"for the commenter who says aspartame is bad for you... .we agree! "

News flash: there is essentially zero evidence for either of these assertions. That is remarkable, because aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied food additives in human history. The stuff is astonishingly safe and to suggest otherwise is - to put it bluntly - conspiratorial bullshit.

Of course, like all other artificial sweeteners (except stevia), it doesn't go in my mouth, because aspartame (like splenda and saccharine) tastes absolutely awful.

And I also like the idea that the submitter enjoys this appliance "for environmental reasons." I did not really need more evidence that the human race is doomed, or that it deserves to be -- yet this thread provides it. Thanks, folks!

We have the Puritans vs. the Ostriches battling it out this time.

I'm sorry, but I like diet cola and I'm not going to give it up for tapwater. Horrible, I know. Given that selfish fact, this carbonation system could provide me with the carbonated beverage that I want — and I can see how it could save a significant energy (carbon) that would go into producing aluminum cans or plastic bottles, packaging, transporting, and retailing the soft drinks I consume now. So pardon me for burping a tiny amount of CO2 from my soda, but I do take the environmental impact of my consumption seriously and will consider the Sodastream if their diet cola tastes good.

The company should really offer samples of their flavors for sale because the question of taste is the biggest barrier I have to buying. I agree with Spiny on one thing, the assertions against aspartame aren't based on science. Sweetener preference is highly personal and I detest stevia. Splenda is more tolerable but I'd hate to buy the Sodastream and not use it because I didn't like their flavors. That would indeed be a waste.

There was a great documentary on Nutrasweet called Sweet Misery: http://tiny.cc/ah7ht

As for Splenda, evidence is showing that it is linked to weight gain and malabsorption problems: http://tinyurl.com/3ekquc

$40 for a carbonator good for 60 liters is more than "a little more" compared to the $7.95 it cost me to charge my fire-extinguisher-sized DIY systems tank, that has charged more than twice that many and is still more than half-full after a year of use.

I paid a lot less than $150 for the initial set-up as well. Plus, I don't have another appliance cluttering up my kitchen countertop.

I turn away immediately when I hear the words "proprietary CO2 cartridges". That means I have to pay exorbitant sole supplier prices and am saddled with ridiculous shipping charges when this item is discontinued by W-S... If you don't have a local outlet you're stuck w/shipping from the outset... And don't tell me the environment benefits from this... rubbish!

This product is widely available - including here in Israel.

We don't buy the syrups - instead we use the soda water straight, or to dilute fruit juice. It is also very easy to make your own ginger syrup (and you have candied ginger as a byproduct) - which we find to be better than the Soda Club stuff.

We've used this for at least 5 years and it is great, reliable system. If you don't like their flavors or ingredients, MAKE YOUR OWN. It is not that hard to figure out. You can carbonate the water and add anything you want to it.

As for it being more expensive to refill the CO2 vs. the theoretical lowest price...who cares. The annual cost is trivial for a turn-key system that delivers to your door. Did you calculate the cost of fuel, depreciation on your vehicle, and your time in traveling to get your CO2 containers filled?

The product is quality. It definitely reduces your consumptive footprint. It is thrifty and flexible.

And, if you are concerned about the 'healthfulness' of soda or artificial sweeteners, then don't drink it.

We have been using the soda club setup for several years, it is a space saver in addition of offering a wide selection of soda flavors. We make what are guests want in 1 liter bottles so there is seldom any waste. The bottles that come with the maker will keep the soda sparkling for several days at least.

Love the idea, but the math doesn't work out. Here's why:

A bottle of cola flavoring costs $4.99. The website says that a bottle of flavoring makes 12 liters, which is about 6, 2-liter containers (which can be bought at the store, of course). $4.99 divided by 6 is about 83 cents.

So, to make the same amount of soda in a 2-liter container's worth of soda, we're paying 83 cents, just for the flavor.

Now, a carbon-bottle exchange costs about $12.50 (according to the site, after dividing their three bottle exchange deal by three). A single bottle carbonates about 60 liters of soda, or about 30 2-liter bottles. This adds an extra 42 cents for a 2-liter's bottle's worth of soda.

That comes out to about $1.25 per two liters of soda, not counting the initial cost of the equipment or the cost of shipping this stuff. I can beat this price, even for brand name soda, if I wait for a sale. And I can beat it any day, for a generic brand, which this product is, basically.

Ok, there is an environmental factor here, and there may be convenience factors, but I can't justify this until the price gets down to, say, 75 cents, cost-wise. Maybe if I could make my own flavoring...

Check my math...I am lousy at math.

Been wanting one of these for many years, and got one for Christmas. I don't do flavors, except to add it to lemonade now and then. I generally just drink it with a bit of lime or by itself.

I *do* think that the environmental impact is substantial: figure I save the bottling and moving of at least 50 lbs of water a month. Stupid to be transporting water when NYC has some of the best water in the US, delivered right to our kitchen. (Oh, and I still use a filter: sorry, but chilled or no, I don't like the taste of chlorine, and living in an 80 year old building means not-so-tasty particulate in the last 100 ft.) This is before you factor in the fact that I reuse all my containers, and save the production and recycling of plastic or glass bottles.

But mainly, I do it for convenience. This way, I don't have to cart bubbly water up to my apartment a couple of times a week. This is also the reason I went with the soda-stream instead of DiY. For those who do DiY, more power to you, but after years of trying to find the time to do the project (and space, in a tiny apartment kitchen), I'm very happy with the SodaStream.

As I said, I haven't tried the flavors. We just had a small party, and the unflavored water was a hit with the young kids, who were as thrilled to be allowed to drink "soda" as their parents were about the lack of sugar. But I am looking forward to trying Open Cola, and maybe experimenting a bit with it.

Wow! There are actually people concerned about the adverse effects that carbonated soft drinks have on the environment? Do you people have any time left to actually enjoy life?

CO2 = plant food. If you're so concerned about CO2 emissions, then I suggest you also consider not breathing so much. It's really hurting your carbon footprint. Jeez.

I've owned 2 of these for about 7 years. Recently, I quit using them. One reason: the price went up to $4.99 for the syrup. It's cheaper now to buy sodas on sale at the store. The second reason: they changed their website and it no longer works properly with my Firefox browser. Yes, it's probably my fault with all the security I have on my browser, but I just don't have the energy to figure it out.

I kick myself every time I go to the garbage can, though. It is a lot of plastic that I'm throwing away.

Don't forget to add in the cost of replacing those bottles. They say they will last 18 months, I believe, but the truth is, you are going to want to replace those often - with all the water and dark spaces, mold grows in the cap.

If it wasn't RIDICULOUSLY expensive, it would be worth it to upgrade to the Penguin version of this, which has glass bottles and a different cap system.

The truth of the matter is: Coke or Pepsi are missing out on a good market here. There are a LOT of people who would like a home dispenser. You can't even legally buy the syrup without a commercial license, unless something has changed.

BTW, if you are thinking you can save money by refilling these CO2 cartridges at a local gas place, forget it. They use a special fitting and none of the gas places I visited could fill them.

As far as the flavors go, think generic brand soda, mostly.

The Pink Grapefruit is pretty outstanding, and the Orange is very good. but the Cola and "7 -UP" and other standard flavors are similar to generic store brands.

The tonic is awesome. Diet! With Quinine! However, it does lead to drinking more gin and tonics by the pool than is strictly recommended by 4 out of 5 teetotalers.

as mikea said above, we love the soda club machine! I posted a review about it here, and included some links to non-splenda sweetened mixes for alternative soda concentrates - like a ginger flavored simple syrup, or a mix for coke concentrate!

http://tinychoices.com/2008/06/09/soda-club-seltzer-maker/

Paul is right about the cost. My wife loves seltzer water and Kroger sells 2-liter bottles at $ 0.67 each! I suppose you could just open one and pour in some syrup if you wanted soda as well.

Proprietary CO2 cartridges? Ugh. Get yourself an old-fashioned soda bottle and you can use standard CO2 cartridges that can be purchased for about $.40 each.

Less then half the cost of a bottle from our grocery store, and you reuse the same bottle over and over again.

I'm a big fan of the pomegranate syrup, or just a splash of OJ.

ew (if that is your REAL name - ha!), what is the hookup on that?

How do you prevent the bottles from exploding.

Oh, wait, ew. I see what you are saying. Those little CO2 cartridges and siphons don't work very well. You don't get a decent carbonation. And, at least when I used it, it wasn't cost effective.

"#13 | Sat, 04-04-09 06:33
Cal Ryndar

I turn away immediately when I hear the words "proprietary CO2 cartridges". That means I have to pay exorbitant sole supplier prices and am saddled with ridiculous shipping charges when this item is discontinued by W-S... If you don't have a local outlet you're stuck w/shipping from the outset... And don't tell me the environment benefits from this... rubbish!
"

Actually shipping is free when you order over $50, and there is almost no order that is less than $50. Shipping costs really don't come into play.

If you drink a lot of soda, there is a lot of plastic you generate.

I'm looking into building a custom rig to charge up regular liter soda bottles, but I bought one of these first; I wanted to know if it would be worth the effort or if I was just going through a phase.

The CO2 refill is a bit on the pricey side, but you're paying for a convenience of tiny canisters and portability. I also bough 1 liter soda bottle that uses 8g chargers; to use less than 1 liter at a time while not losing most of the pressure/CO2. Those are the best for infrequent small amounts.

If you want liters each day, just spend the hundreds to get the same hardware used at a fast food place, and use the bigger, economic CO2 tanks. It'll pay for itself in a year.

I consider all artificial sweeteners questionable at best, while high fructose corn syrup is just evil. I use Torani syrups or just enjoy the bubbly water as is.

I'm going with a hybrid solution. There's a dude on eBay that has machined an adapter to connect my SodaStream machine via a flexible tube to a standard CGA valve.

I got a 20 pound CO2 tank on craigslist, and the whole setup will be in the garage. I already have my beer fridge there, so it's nice, I can keep a couple of the 1L bottles filled and ready.

This should prove more cost effective in the long run, but the upfront costs are substantial. The adapter is a bit over $100, the tank ran me $60, and I'm going to have to get it hydrotested ($25) before it can be refilled ($40).

The hydrotest for the tank is once every 5 years, and I think I can shop around for better refill prices, but haven't seen any in my area under $30. (I'll pay the $40 to have it done at the same place it's going to be hydrotested just to do it all at once)

I'm also looking into alternatives to the $4.99 syrups. As was previously mentioned, they make 12 liters - at that price they aren't much cheaper than 2 premium 2 liters.

One alternative to them would be the 5 gallon Coke syrups available at GFS or off brand alternatives (Sam's club has a "Red Wave" off brand).

The trick with these is it's hard to compare prices directly, because if my back of the napkin math is correct, the water/syrup ratio for these are 5:1 while the SodaStream versions are much more concentrated - in the range of 24:1

Since I drink a lot of plain carbonated water as well as Diet Cola, I'm really enjoying this.

my advice is go for the original product - i got mine thru http://makeyoursoda.com and saved 10 dollars

Yeah, also got mine from http://makeyoursoda.com

Anyone know which flavours are best?

I mainly drink the creme soda and sparkling seltzer water

The Peguin SodaStream rules. We use it every day. Have yet to buy ANY sodastream flavors. Knudsens Black Cherry concentrate - awesome. Lime juice and Vanilla - Cola like. Many recipes on the net. Grapefruit juice and Stevia-sugar free wonder. But I prefer Simple Syrup. Soon to try agave syrup. Be creative.