Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 80
 Easy to Use, Tastes Fantastic January 8, 2009
Cindy Brock (Georgia, USA)
117 out of 122 found this review helpful
A friend at work mentioned this product. My husband is a HUGE soda drinker so I got it for him for Christmas. It has far exceeded my(our) expectations.
We bought our kit directly from Soda Club. Only difference is that we got full bottles of the liquid mix plus the sampler kit. We ordered only the diet ones.
Observations:
1) The machine is so easy to use. Put it together, fill the 1 liter bottle provided with water, put it on the machine, press the button a few times to carbonate it, take the bottle off, add the syrup, put on the lid and shake. Then, let it settle for maybe 30 minutes.
2) The taste is amazing. I never knew soda could taste fresh. The diet sodas don't even taste diet. We've tried the lemon lime, rootbeer, and pink grapefruit so far. I've even given some to friends and they loved them (without knowing we made them). Comments were "refreshing" and "nice balance of carbonation and sugar" and "no aftertaste."
3) Unlike 2 liter bottles that potentially go flat (and it's hit and miss in our experience), this 1 liter bottle is perfect for us. We generally drink a single 1 liter bottle in a day, and make a new flavor each morning.
4) When it comes to price comparison, we're not sure yet as we haven't seen exactly how many liters we can get from one carbonation cyclinder. The syrup is $5 a bottle and makes 12 liters. That equals $.42 cents a bottle. My *guess* is that this will come out to be the same price as buying it from the store. HOWEVER, the convenience and taste make it a better value for our money.
We highly recommend this item - if you like soda and can live without a brand name product like Coke or Pepsi. Honestly, I love Coke and will still continue to drink that. But, when I want something different, and/or something diet, my SodaStream is where I'll go!
No more guilt over plastic bottles! June 6, 2009
Victoria Compton (Seattle, WA)
91 out of 96 found this review helpful
I love this thing! I bought it originally in order to stop throwing away so many plastic bottles (we're seltzer maniacs here).
Features:
* You can control the water source and filter it.
* You can control the fizziness (we're getting up to a level that boils in our blood for at least an hour after drinking it, but you can have a light Euro-water-style fizz as well).
* It's entertaining to use.
* It's better for the environment.
* The sound makes the dog get all wiggy, which is fun to watch. It sounds like a big raspberry when you fizz up a bottle of water.
* You'll probably be the only one on your block with a seltzer maker - it definitely spanks a bread machine.
I still haven't had to return the CO2 bottle, so I don't know how easy that's going to be. Delivery was slow but entertaining: about 3 weeks after we ordered, an actual Soda-Club delivery woman showed up at our door toting our new Soda-Club.
One caveat: the syrups are pretty revolting...at least the ones we tried. Plus, they all contain artificial sweeteners, even the non-diet ones. But we just add some lemon or orange essence (available in the spice section at your store) to pep it up a bit.
Also, if you go through fizzy water pretty fast, be sure to order two extra bottles. You have to chill the water before you fizz it up, so it's good to have a few in rotation.
Excellent for Old-Skool Cocktails or New Age Tonics June 10, 2009
Jason D. Sanchez (New Orleans, LA USA)
34 out of 34 found this review helpful
I've never been a drinker of colas, but have always had a nostalgic desire to own a 1930s style seltzer siphon, since I make and serve a lot of cocktails at home to guests. I've also always enjoyed nectar sodas, as we used to call them here in the South, straight from Mr. Schweikhardt's Pharmacy counter. I've looked at 3-5 seltzer makers in the past, but they've always been very expensive and very fragile, and so I've never bought them in the past.
I finally bought this product and after using it for some time, can unreservedly recommend it. If you are a mom who has to buy cases of cola, or an athlete who wants to make his own energy drinks, or (like me) a hedonist who wants the perfect gin fizz or a more elegant whisky-soda, or to experiment with other concoctions, this is an awesome money-saver that will handsomely pay off in the long term.
Even my 6- and 8-yo nephews and nieces are much happier to visit now that they know I will make them sugar-tasting fizz water, and my 8yo nephew has actually started puttering around the kitchen with me to try out his own new flavors. It's very much idiot proof (I'm the perfect candidate) and so I can say if you drink a lot of soda or a lot of carbonated water, you'll find this a fantastic alternative to provide you with all the base you want for your colas, sodas, or sparkling waters. Since you're making it yourself, you can also adjust the sugar content so that it's not horrid for your teeth and blood sugar level. All-around a big hit in our household.
Saves Money and Lugging Water June 14, 2009
Mel R. Scurbica (USA)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
My wife and I have been wondering how we could make our own sparkling water for a long time because of the cost of buying it in the store and the inconvenience of having to carry heavy bottles of water when we go shopping.
I just bought one of these and after opening the package, I had a glass of sparkling water in about 5 minutes. I'm drinking it right now. It's great! What's more, the unit doesn't use electricity, so it's one less gadget to plug in.
My wife figured that we go through about one 1.5 liter bottle of sparkling water a day, which costs $1.29 a bottle. One canister of CO2 is included and makes about 60 liters of sparkling water. 60 liters of store-bought water would cost $51.60. I paid $90 for my unit, so after 40 days, I would be down $38.40.
A replacement cartridge costs about $13 on the company's web site. that works out to the equivalent of 32 cents per 1.5 oz bottle, a savings of 97 cents a bottle.
This means the unit would pay for itself after about 80 days. After that, I would save about $29 a month. I haven't included shipping in this calculation, so if you buy from the company's website, the savings would be slightly less. (Someone tell me if my math is wrong.)
I no longer have to lug 5 bottles of sparkling water from the grocery store. This alone would be worth the price of admission.
5 years and still satisfied November 28, 2009
Gary C. Johansen (California)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
Went to a home and garden show just to look. First booth we came to was Soda Club and bought a unit.
I drink a lot of carbonated water (not club soda which may contain salt and other ingredients depending on brand), and making my own is very convenient. I use COLD water from the refrigerator door (there is a filter in the frig) and it works great. Once you make a few bottles you can store them in the frig without loss of charge (I tested one for 6 months, when I opened it and it was fine).
I emphasized the COLD water because the colder the water the better the carbonation will be absorbed.
As for refilling the tanks - I live in the Sacramento area, I order the refilled tanks from the website and usually get them delivered to my door within a couple of days, much quicker than I expected. If they have local service in your area be sure to have the empty tanks outside the day after you place your order (or you might have someone knocking on your door looking for your empties like happened to me).
I can't really comment on customer service problems because other than ordering refill tanks I've never had to contact them.
5 years and never a problem, still works as well as the day I bought it.
The refill tanks are expensive but still cheaper that buying the product at a store. Add to that the saved trips, the lack of unnecessary empty containers and the knowledge of how pure your carbonated water is, and in the end I've find it worthwhile.
While I tried some of the soda mixes, I've never bought more than what came with the unit.
I bought it for makeing pure carbonated water, it does it very well.
It's worth every one of the 5 stars.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 80
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