Source Sparkling Water Maker Starter Kit

I purchased this SodaStream used, so it did not come with any of the flavors. All that came in the box was the water bottle and the SodaStream, so that is all that I will review. Pros: 1. Easy to use. Since it was used, it didn't include any direction booklet, but the directions were written on top of the machine, and I had no difficulty getting it to work. 2. Air tight! During carbonation I couldn't hear or see any signs of leaking between the bottle and the machine. I didn't see any water leaking or hear any hissing, so it looks like all the CO2 is going directly in the bottle. The next step would be a soap bubble test to verify this. 3. You control the amount of carbonation based on how long you push down on the machine. If you let go at the first LED, it's low carbonation, 2nd LED gives you medium carbonation, and the 3rd LED gives you high carbonation. I tried at all 3 LEDs and got the expected level of carbonation all 3 times. CONs 1. New ones are expensive and you can read up on the cost/benefit analysis in some of the other reviews. If you want to make soda cheaper, then you may not want to invest in this product. If you want to have carbonated water available at your convenience, then this is perfect. I fall in the latter category, so it's worth it for me. I like to make my own fruity flavorings :). To mitigate some of the cost of the proprietary CO2 canisters, I took advantage of my homebrewing equipment. Standard kegging equipment includes a 5lb CO2 canister, which is A LOT bigger than the tiny proprietary canisters that SodaStream wants you to buy. I can't quanitfy how much larger because my CO2 is measured in weight, and SodaStream measures in volume. Anyway, these are expensive up front (around $80), but refills are about $15-20 at the local welding shop (yes, this is food safe. It's meant for beer kegs). Then, I went on eBay and found someone selling a hose with the right connectors on it (this was about $60). This set up also worked like a champ! Pictures are attached. You could probably put the hose and connectors together for a cheaper price (the proprietary side is about $20-50 depending on where you buy), but I wanted to go with something I knew would work. Buying a used Soda Stream and the connectors put me out about $100. It'll take me about a year to get my money back, but considering how frequently I use it, and the convenience, I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

If you've ready any reviews that talk about leaks and things breaking, please understand that a lot of that it user error. When I first got mine, I was a little too excited and held the fizz button down for a full second... or slightly longer. And OF COURSE water shot out from whatever crack in the seal it could find. That's how it works. If you use it correctly, it is guaranteed to provide proper fizz to whatever you're drinking. If you're an accident waiting to happen (seriously, some of you people are... and you know it), this device will probably underperform and upset you. Now, I am a seasoned veteran (had mine for 2 months) so no leaks, no errors, no issues. Also, no non-bubbly drinks anymore. Everything has fizz now! Also, exchange your tanks at Walmart for $15. Go to customer service with your empty tank and walk out with a fresh one a few minutes later. You're welcome.

Our soda streamer broke and I wrote the seller to find out about an exchange and I have not had a response. It was great and we loved it until it stopped working.

First Impression: I thought I would post a quick first impression of it. It is a SodaStream water carbonation device - sort of thingy. Impressions (first subject to change) 1. It was very well packed, better than most things we recieve. 2. It was simple to get ready to use - more time reading warns than anything else. 3. It just worked. First time. The carbonated water it produces is very nice. Very small bubble and 3 levels of carbonation available. It cost about $0.50 per 2 liters or water - add another couple cents for lemon/lime juices and it is really less expensive that buying 7-Up or other store bought drinks and it is healthier since it doesn't have that long list of unpronounceable ingredients.And you can sweeten with your favorite (instead of corn syrup which is horrible for you). We use Stevia and it seems to work well. CO2 refill adapters are available so you can buy CO2 from a local restaurant supply and get the price down to around $0.05 per 2 liters if you want, the $0.50 per 2 liter price is estimated based on projected CO2 use and buying refills from Walmart of the brand name (SodaStream). I will say more when we have tried some various methods of flavoring and used it a while - oh, and it has a life time warranty.

I am enjoying the SodaStream and make fresh seltzer water every day. It is a sleek-looking appliance that looks good hanging out on my counter, too. I took off one star because I have found that when I hold down the carbonator-thing until the third light lights up (I like super-bubbly water), the water often overflows the container and goes up into the machine, even though I only fill the the bottle to the water line. It's slightly irritating to have to clean up water nearly every time I use the machine. I've also found that the water does not stay carbonated for more than a day or so in the provided bottle. I've taken to transferring the water immediately to a glass bottle with rubber stopper/metal cage top thing, where it seems to stay bubbly for much longer.

I like the compactness of the SodaStream water maker and the ease of using it. The starter CO2 canister is a bit of a waste, as you would never refill it, so it just gets discarded. One of the best parts of SodaStream is that it is good for the environment because you can keep refilling the CO2 canisters. I wish it included a full size CO2 canister.

This was received in a timely manner and is attractive. I have another one in the camper that I used all last year and was pleased with it, so recently ordered this one for our house and already the CO2 carbonator is empty with not using it that frequently. I do not know if it is defective for it does carbonate the water but also really hisses after every push. The soda stream models are different so am unsure. I actually like this one better for it is easier to push down and tells how strong your carbonation will be, but am unhappy about having to buy the CO2 carbonators so often.

I've been on the fence with getting a SodaStream for about two years... always due to cost. Thankfully I live in Oregon, which just doubled our bottle tax, so it now makes more sense. Since everyone else reviews these better than I do, let me just share a quick cost estimate for why this starts to make sense. I'll use Trader Joe's sparkling waters for reference, and let's also assume you bought the whole SodaStream setup and have bottles. I normally HATE to buy water at Trader Joe's, it requires lots of room in the car and garage to store it, so I usually but 4x packs of 12x bottles, which Oregon just decided should cost me $4.80 in a bottle tax that I never get back (since I do curb-side recycling). To my taste buds it takes a SodaStream setting of 3 to get the same carbonation as Trader Joe's waters, so for a 60L cylinder on setting 3 I assume you get about 20L of SodaStream water, which means: Soda Stream 60L cartridge (once you have one to return for refill) - $14.84 @ Kroger (includes rewards savings) Trader Joe's 1.5L sparkling water - 12 pack + 1 bottle (~20L) - ~$13 + $1.30 bottle tax = $14.30 We are finally close on cost, and frankly with smaller volumes on the SodaStream, we are less likely to toss that last bit of 'old' water that I tend to do with the Trader Joe's larger bottles. Add the ease of not lugging massive amounts of water home from the store, and it starts to make sense... especially if you get a good deal on the cost of the unit.