Soda stream machine?

[MillicentLake]

My sister was just raving about their purchase of a soda stream machine for making tonic water and diet cola. The notion of saving on returnable cans and bottles has me intrigued; taking them back is a dreaded chore. And storage is an issue.

Any experiences pro or con?

[wbwood]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Haven't had a soda in.........must be going on 20 yrs.

Ice tea, lemonade, coffee and water....leaves more room to haul beer and bourbon

With a Soda Stream, it still leaves you more room to haul beer and have soda if you want as well. By the way that have a lemonade flavor for it as well. 🙂

[Chalkie]

Big Katuna wrote:
We only make club soda for cocktails and for this it works well. Stores can jack the price of CS around as you don't have many choices.

We get the tanks refilled at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% coupon for around $10.

We have found many places you might not expect for Soda Stream things. Our local Ace has the best selection of flavors around. Most Kohl's have the refill gas bottles. What we like is that we can have fizzy water with ZERO sodium or anything else and most of the flavors are zero sodium as well, plus zero calories on the diet flavors.

[Old-Biscuit]

Haven't had a soda in.........must be going on 20 yrs.

Ice tea, lemonade, coffee and water....leaves more room to haul beer and bourbon

[murphysranch]

I would consider purchasing one if I lived in the states we recently passed thru that had NO RECYCLING! In Calif we pay extra for each can or bottle and then us smart ones turn them back in for money. Yes, cents on the initial Recycle Value fee, but if you don't turn them in for money, there are recycle places even at your curbside for doing the right thing. I was horrified that the 4 states didn't have any provisions for recycling.

[Big_Katuna]

We only make club soda for cocktails and for this it works well. Stores can jack the price of CS around as you don't have many choices.

We get the tanks refilled at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% coupon for around $10.

[wbwood]

NYCgrrl wrote:

Sprig wrote:
Well, I'll add my 2 cents worth of comments.

First, NO MORE flat sodas!
Second, no more lugging around all that volume of water.

No more having to use up the space to store and dispose of the containers in an RV.

I don't mind the "iffy" flavors. But, what I really like is to add a little more Orange to the Orange, add a little Orange to the Mt Dew knockoff, and add a little bit of real sugar to the Root Beer.

And, every flavor can have the carbonation level you prefer. Have a regular powered lemon aid or something like Crystal Light? Well, it can be lightly carbonated easily (Do experiment in the sink the first time ... some mixes become super fizzy right quickly).

If all one considers is the $$$ then I don't think the math works out over store sales of regular sodas. If one considers all the weight they are lugging around in the regular sodas, all the space that is taken up, and all the waste that has to be lugged back, well that math is a little different and can be in favor for the Soda Stream.

If your household consumes say a 2 liter bottle daily (I think the average American drinks 3 cans daily)at a cost of 90 cents(guessing bigtime on the regular cost of soda;dunno) and a soda machine can be purchased for 125 bucks it would take about 4 months for the machine to pay for itself. Doesn't include the cost of additional syrups but they would only add pennies per use to the cost of the overall process, I'd imagine. Basically, the Soda Stream can be a bargain.
As for paying for space to store store bought sodas..that probably would be very expensive between the actual space in an RV and the cabinetry. I suspect the Soda Stream is a saver all the way around IF you drink enough to justify the cost.

Didn't pay nearly that much for our Soda Stream...I think it was under $75. We do not consume anywhere near 3 cans of soda a day. We don't buy 2 liters because they would go flat before empty. Which is why the 1 liter bottles with the Soda Stream work good for us. The good thing about the Soda Stream is the ability to control the fizz. I like a good bit of fizz. My daughter does not. So she can make hers the way she likes it and I can makle mine the way I like it. We also bought a couple of half liter bottles. Occasionally I will make one of those and bring it to work with me to have with my lunch. 20 oz coke in the vending machine at work is $1.45.

[MillicentLake]

Wow, thank you for all of the thoughtful and detailed replies! Lots of food for thought here!

[wbwood]

We love our soda stream. We take it with us in the RV and save from buying and storing cans/bottles of sodas. We have had no issues finding the syrup or canisters. Bed, Bath and Beyond, Walmart, Kmart, etc.... If you can't locate one of those places....

We don't even carry bottled water anymore. Just use a Brita water pitcher. No more cases of water or sodas under the dinette.

[NYCgrrl]

Sprig wrote:
Well, I'll add my 2 cents worth of comments.

First, NO MORE flat sodas!
Second, no more lugging around all that volume of water.

No more having to use up the space to store and dispose of the containers in an RV.

I don't mind the "iffy" flavors. But, what I really like is to add a little more Orange to the Orange, add a little Orange to the Mt Dew knockoff, and add a little bit of real sugar to the Root Beer.

And, every flavor can have the carbonation level you prefer. Have a regular powered lemon aid or something like Crystal Light? Well, it can be lightly carbonated easily (Do experiment in the sink the first time ... some mixes become super fizzy right quickly).

If all one considers is the $$$ then I don't think the math works out over store sales of regular sodas. If one considers all the weight they are lugging around in the regular sodas, all the space that is taken up, and all the waste that has to be lugged back, well that math is a little different and can be in favor for the Soda Stream.

If your household consumes say a 2 liter bottle daily (I think the average American drinks 3 cans daily)at a cost of 90 cents(guessing bigtime on the regular cost of soda;dunno) and a soda machine can be purchased for 125 bucks it would take about 4 months for the machine to pay for itself. Doesn't include the cost of additional syrups but they would only add pennies per use to the cost of the overall process, I'd imagine. Basically, the Soda Stream can be a bargain.
As for paying for space to store store bought sodas..that probably would be very expensive between the actual space in an RV and the cabinetry. I suspect the Soda Stream is a saver all the way around IF you drink enough to justify the cost.

[przao]

We just happened to purchase one today - the starter kit to get you going with everything you need was on sale for $49 at Shopko - that is a $100 off the regular price of $149.

I like the idea of having a blank canvas with which to design your drink of the day. Our home is on spring water, and the carbonated mineral water we produced today was excellent. Flavorings for us will be simple - add a little fruit juice and vodka, and we're all set! 😄

[happynow]

Love SodaStream, use daily over 2 years. Less to haul in when I grocery shop. With the reusable bottles, we don't contribute endless bottles and cans to the trash anymore. We use with Dole orange/peach/mango juice for a refreshing light beverage.Also makes a great sparkling lemonade drink. I like that you control the amount of fizz, like mine extra fizzy.

Target and Staples have been consistent for exchanging canisters in MD. Flavors can be found at Target, Walmart, Staples, Bed-Bath-Beyond and they can be ordered online. Website shows many tasty sounding drinks---I keep it simple.

[notruffinit]

We take our Soda Stream with us. I love it for the soda water. I very seldom put a flavored syrup in, instead just add a little lemon or lime juice with no sweeteners. I find it very refreshing. You can get the CO2 refills in Walmart, Target, Kohl's, Bed Bath Beyond and almost any large department store. A cartridge lasts me a couple of months and I carry a spare one and exchange the empty when I am close to a store.

[Kittykath]

Before leaving the house, I charge 3 reusable bottles of plain fizzy water and sometimes just take the syrups with me. We can decide the flavor on the fly.

Although I have a variety of the flavored syrups, I primarily like the plain 'ol fizzy water with a slice of some fruit in it. It's an acquired taste for sure, but I find this to be the best way of getting my daily water intake.

Love the SodaStream!

[cyntdon2010]

I must be Old. because I don't wanna make my own soda,

just pop a top.. and drink it down.

we drink only diet and one can per day.. next y'all growning your own chicken.