Soda Stream

[QueBert]

Big Lots had them pre Xmas for less than $20, may still. Its a nice idea that has failed in the marketplace many times.

It failed? I can buy the CO2's and the syrups at like 8 stores within 2 miles of my house. 3 of which are about a block apart. Everywhere I travel I've been able to easily get supplies for mine, They also are still releasing new flavors. I don't know how big of a success it is, but to call it a failed idea is far from true.

 

[Imp]

Don't have one. Only thing holding me back is the CO2 tank. Seems annoying to have to refill. On the otherhand, we have to hump 10 lb of full carbonated cans home every few weeks, so...

 

[Kaido]

It failed? I can buy the CO2's and the syrups at like 8 stores within 2 miles of my house. 3 of which are about a block apart. Everywhere I travel I've been able to easily get supplies for mine, They also are still releasing new flavors. I don't know how big of a success it is, but to call it a failed idea is far from true.

Yeah, even my local Best Buy (of all places) has an enormous rack of the syrup, they seem to be doing pretty well...

 

[Kaido]

Don't have one. Only thing holding me back is the CO2 tank. Seems annoying to have to refill. On the otherhand, we have to hump 10 lb of full carbonated cans home every few weeks, so...

We've had mine for, I dunno, 6 or 8 months now and it's still going strong on the original cartridge. I think they're supposed to make like 40 bottles per cartridge or something ridiculous.

 

[Kaido]

That's what we experienced. Overall we are happy with it. People don't give home carbonators enough credit. There is such a huge variety of drinks you can make with one. Look at what the old soda jerks used to do. Some of their concoctions have no modern equivalent.

Yeah, I've found I actually like carbonated orange juice quite a bit. It's a pity I can't directly carbonate it (juice makes the bottle explode like the Exorcist, unfortunately) but it also helps tone down the sugariness of the OJ.

 

[artvscommerce]

The site I linked earlier sells adapters that let you refill the co2 tanks @ paintball shops, but the valve on those sodastream tanks is kind of weird and most of the refill stations around me wouldn't work with it, even though it was able to physically connect.

They have yet ANOTHER adapter on that site that allows you to use paintball tanks on the sodastream machine. I would recommend this for lighter use.

I prefer the adapter hose with the bulk tank. Whether your tank is 5 pounds or 20 pounds, Airgas still charges $20 to exchange/fill it. $20 for 1 year+ worth of co2 isn't bad.

 

[drebo]

They use a nonstandard CO2 connector (ie non food grade CO2) that is designed to self destruct if you try to refill it. They do it purely for the profit on the CO2. That alone is reason not buy one.

They charge $15 for trades (recharging) and $30 for straight purchase of the tank and gas. The soda stream's tank capacity is 10oz. To put this to scale, it doesn't cost $30 to fill a 35lb CO2 cylinder with food grade gas. You can get the cylinder new for $220.

One sodastream canister is supposed to be around 33 cans worth or 3.3 cans / oz. Obviously you can get a smaller tank but after 15 or so soda stream refills making 495 cans, you could have bought enough gas to make 1848 cans.

I don't know where you got your measurements, but the SodaStream canisters are 14.5 oz, enough for 60 liters of soda. That's 30 2L bottles, or around 170 cans. If you drink your soda quickly, you can make it go even further by not carbonating as much.

While no one will say that there's a significant cost savings, it certainly doesn't cost MORE than buying soda in 2L bottles. It also saves considerably in the amount of trash created.

Also, there are a number of people who have modified their sodastreams to work with commercial CO2 canisters.

I've had one for a few years now and I do like it a lot. The syrups have gotten more expensive in the last year, though.

 

[drebo]

Don't have one. Only thing holding me back is the CO2 tank. Seems annoying to have to refill. On the otherhand, we have to hump 10 lb of full carbonated cans home every few weeks, so...

You don't need to refill it. You just take it to a place that sells them and they'll give you a full one for $15.

 

[Kaido]

I'd really like one of those soda machines they have a 5 Guys...has all of the different sodas accessible via touchscreen, then has flavor injectors, so if you want a lime fanta, you can have a lime fanta. I saw a guy working on one once and they have basically what looks like jumbo printer cartridges inside for each flavor. So water, ice, carbonator, and syrup cartridges, all driven by a user-customizable flavor system on a touchscreen interface. So much nerd love it's not even funny :wub:

 

[QueBert]

I'd really like one of those soda machines they have a 5 Guys...has all of the different sodas accessible via touchscreen, then has flavor injectors, so if you want a lime fanta, you can have a lime fanta. I saw a guy working on one once and they have basically what looks like jumbo printer cartridges inside for each flavor. So water, ice, carbonator, and syrup cartridges, all driven by a user-customizable flavor system on a touchscreen interface. So much nerd love it's not even funny :wub:

Coke Fusion machine! Best thing ever, what's impressive is the Coke tastes exactly like Coke, but it can't be regular coke. The carts are tiny and make a ton of soda. So they can't be using real sugar, but it doesn't taste like any artificial sweetener I've ever used. I talked to a coke rep who told me those machines use the same technology as dialysis machines to inject the syrup because it's so concentrated even a drop too much will ruin a drink. Those tiny ass carts make as much as the 5 gallon bags that normal fountain machines use.

I've been unable to find out what they use in place of sugar, nobody seems to know, or is willing to spill the beans.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Had one for a couple years now. Used it a bunch for a while. But now it sits in the cabinet unused. Makes decent seltzer, but the soda flavors are awful IMO.

 

[QueBert]

Had one for a couple years now. Used it a bunch for a while. But now it sits in the cabinet unused. Makes decent seltzer, but the soda flavors are awful IMO.

Carbonated Kool-Aid FTW. I don't like their Soda flavors much, but the ice tea, lemonade & Koolaids are uber.

 

[Tommy2000GT]

they price CO2 canisters like ink cartridges

 

[Puppies04]

I had one about 15 years ago, you don't really see them in the UK anymore. I'm sure you can get them but they are never advertised.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Coke Fusion machine! Best thing ever, what's impressive is the Coke tastes exactly like Coke, but it can't be regular coke. The carts are tiny and make a ton of soda. So they can't be using real sugar, but it doesn't taste like any artificial sweetener I've ever used. I talked to a coke rep who told me those machines use the same technology as dialysis machines to inject the syrup because it's so concentrated even a drop too much will ruin a drink. Those tiny ass carts make as much as the 5 gallon bags that normal fountain machines use.

I've been unable to find out what they use in place of sugar, nobody seems to know, or is willing to spill the beans.

i think the cartridges are JUST for the flavoring, i think the sugar is added separately. what i found cool was that all the components are RFIDed.

 

[Williz]

I've only known one person with one of these and it was years ago, they really don't seem to have picked up as much in the UK as they have in the US. It always seemed like too much effort to me anyway.

 

[HumblePie]

As mentioned earlier, some of the soda flavors are retched. Rootbeer, their version of diet coke (although their version of coke zero isn't bad), and a couple of the energy style drinks are just awful.

As far as the CO2, that to me was the reason that I just don't use it that much. Cartridges are like $40 a pop or something. If you like having a decent amount of fizz in your drink, then you aren't going to get 40 bottles full with that tiny cartridge they use for the soda stream. More like 20, which is what was typical for my wife and me.

Paintball fields do "sometimes" fill them up for a charge. Some fields won't because it is not a "paintball" item. As far as taking them back to stores to exchange, I haven't had a store do that for me yet. At least not any of the walmarts I've tried. Then again most walmart employees wouldn't know how to find their own assholes with both hands, a map, gps device, and bear grylls.

So it's cool in a way, and has a novelty appeal, but the CO2 cartridges are a bit of a pain.

 

[slag]

As mentioned earlier, some of the soda flavors are retched. Rootbeer, their version of diet coke (although their version of coke zero isn't bad), and a couple of the energy style drinks are just awful.

As far as the CO2, that to me was the reason that I just don't use it that much. Cartridges are like $40 a pop or something. If you like having a decent amount of fizz in your drink, then you aren't going to get 40 bottles full with that tiny cartridge they use for the soda stream. More like 20, which is what was typical for my wife and me.

Paintball fields do "sometimes" fill them up for a charge. Some fields won't because it is not a "paintball" item. As far as taking them back to stores to exchange, I haven't had a store do that for me yet. At least not any of the walmarts I've tried. Then again most walmart employees wouldn't know how to find their own assholes with both hands, a map, gps device, and bear grylls.

So it's cool in a way, and has a novelty appeal, but the CO2 cartridges are a bit of a pain.

I still don't see how they are a pain. I live in a a relatively medium sized town. Both hyvee grocery stores, about 5-8 minutes apart, carry the refills for $15.00. I buy these 2-3 times a year. We also have two walmart stores in this town, both of which carry the cartridges. We also have a bed bath and beyond which carries the cartridges. I'm sure dillons grocery stores probably carry them also, and we have 4 of those stores. All of these businesses are within a 10-20 minute drive anywhere in town.

As for wretched flavors, this occurs with "normal" soda also. i don't see how people can drink half of the soda that is bottled and stored on the shelves, but to each their own. Try the diet orange. It'll make you pucker.

 

[TeeJay1952]

I use health food stores fruit extracts and good ole lemon and lime juice to make a myriad of sodas. I don't like all the sugar they put in pop.

 

[HumblePie]

I still don't see how they are a pain. I live in a a relatively medium sized town. Both hyvee grocery stores, about 5-8 minutes apart, carry the refills for $15.00. I buy these 2-3 times a year. We also have two walmart stores in this town, both of which carry the cartridges. We also have a bed bath and beyond which carries the cartridges. I'm sure dillons grocery stores probably carry them also, and we have 4 of those stores. All of these businesses are within a 10-20 minute drive anywhere in town.

As for wretched flavors, this occurs with "normal" soda also. i don't see how people can drink half of the soda that is bottled and stored on the shelves, but to each their own. Try the diet orange. It'll make you pucker.

Yah. but if you are buying $15 per cartridge (at stores that do the trade in or it's more), $8 for a syrup bottle, and get about 20 bottles filled which are a liter each per bottle... it's not really cost effective.

1 liter = a little over 28 ounces. So 2.5 cans of soda per bottle. 20 bottles is 50 cans of soda. So it's about $23 for 50 "cans" of soda through the soda stream if you want fully carbonated drinks that equal retail drinks. Of course you can stretch the carbonation with less carbonation used per bottle and less syrup, but I'm trying to do an apples to apples comparison as close as possible.

50 "cans" of soda for $23. That is 46 cents a can.
Or I can buy a 12 pack of an off brand on sale for $2 each or $3 for a normal brand of soda on sale. That's 17 cents a can for an off brand or 25 cents for a normal brand. Hell, lets not use sale prices, so $3 for off brand soda or $4 for normal brand. That's 25 cents and 33 cents per can respectively.

So you are still talking a massive saving buying 12 packs at NORMAL prices than making your own soda stream. That doesn't even include the initial investment. Unless you get the syrup on sale, and make relatively flat sodas, you aren't going to be saving any money on soda stream sodas.

You can make it more economical by going to a paintball place. Last place re-filled my CO2 cartridges for about $4. In which case that is much cheaper to do if you have a paintball place nearby that is willing to refill them. Not everyone has that though.

Again that is assuming the $15 trade in price for spare cartridges. If not, you are buying a new one for $50 or so on average. Which is pretty expensive for a small little CO2 tank. Hell, comparable CO2 tanks for tippman paintball guns are cheaper than that.

 

[Ns1]

I have a sodastream and I love it. The sodastream syrup is good but you can also just buy coke brand syrup if you want the real thing. (it's cheaper too since you buy it in bulk).

you mean I buy something like this?

Coca-Cola Bag-In-Box Syrup 5 gal
Item # 69544
$70.58

link

what the hell do I do with the syrup bag? cut it, pour it out into a container, and then pour out as much as desired?

 

[drebo]

Yah. but if you are buying $15 per cartridge (at stores that do the trade in or it's more), $8 for a syrup bottle, and get about 20 bottles filled which are a liter each per bottle... it's not really cost effective.

1 liter = a little over 28 ounces. So 2.5 cans of soda per bottle. 20 bottles is 50 cans of soda. So it's about $23 for 50 "cans" of soda through the soda stream if you want fully carbonated drinks that equal retail drinks. Of course you can stretch the carbonation with less carbonation used per bottle and less syrup, but I'm trying to do an apples to apples comparison as close as possible.

50 "cans" of soda for $23. That is 46 cents a can.
Or I can buy a 12 pack of an off brand on sale for $2 each or $3 for a normal brand of soda on sale. That's 17 cents a can for an off brand or 25 cents for a normal brand. Hell, lets not use sale prices, so $3 for off brand soda or $4 for normal brand. That's 25 cents and 33 cents per can respectively.

So you are still talking a massive saving buying 12 packs at NORMAL prices than making your own soda stream. That doesn't even include the initial investment. Unless you get the syrup on sale, and make relatively flat sodas, you aren't going to be saving any money on soda stream sodas.

You can make it more economical by going to a paintball place. Last place re-filled my CO2 cartridges for about $4. In which case that is much cheaper to do if you have a paintball place nearby that is willing to refill them. Not everyone has that though.

Again that is assuming the $15 trade in price for spare cartridges. If not, you are buying a new one for $50 or so on average. Which is pretty expensive for a small little CO2 tank. Hell, comparable CO2 tanks for tippman paintball guns are cheaper than that.

Your math is still off. I get closer to 40 liters out of one CO2 cartridge (and that's a low estimate) and 12 liters out of each $5 bottle of syrup.

That means that for 12 liters of soda, I'm paying $0.38/liter for CO2 and $0.42/liter for syrup. So, we're looking at about $0.80/liter or $1.60 for a 2-liter. That's right about there for name-brand soda when it's on sale. At 33.8 oz to a liter, we're talking $0.02/oz for soda. That's $0.24 per 12 oz can. The cheapest I've seen a 12-pack in recent years has been $2.75. That's almost exactly the same price as the same amount of soda from a Soda Stream.

The difference is that I don't have a bunch of trash left over.

Oh, and if I add CRV into the equation, the Soda Stream comes out cheaper.

 

[Sea Moose]

My wife has one, as she loves soda water... Uses it every day... Its difficult at first to use but she has got it nailed!

 

[Sea Moose]

Oh and the first time you use it ... pump the gas three times... then take the bottle.... Pumping it more, thinking that it isnt working... well you your gonna have a bad time

 

[Mark R]

They work fine. The CO2 gas is expensive, though.

I worked out that it is about 1/3 the price to just buy carbonated water than it is to pay for soda stream gas refills.