Sodastream

I had one, but was not pleased with it personally. I bought it at a kitchen supply outlet store, which normally has all sorts of samples of their products for you to try - and that should have been my first warning sign, that they didn't have any samples of the soda this kit produces. When I asked the sales clerk what he thought of the sodas, he shrugged and gave me a non-answer more or less. I went and bought it anyhow, thinking it couldn't be that bad, and also because I hate lugging cases of pop in from the grocery store.

The biggest issues I had with it were the syrups all tasted bad - they all have artificial sweetener in them, even the non-diet ones. It's some generic form of Splenda and it has an odd taste to it. The other problem was the soda itself never really got as carbonated as the store bought stuff. The two bursts they show in the commercials are not enough to carbonate the whole bottle - which means you will be using more to make bottle and not get as much mileage out of those CO2 cartridges are you may think. The resulting soda doesn't have the same fizz or mouth feel of store bought soda. It also goes flat a lot faster too. The size of the bottles is small, so one bottle is only enough for about two or three drinks max before you're having to start all over again mixing syrup with water and giving it bursts of the gas.

I suppose if you could find another supplier for the syrups, it might not be so bad. But cost wise, it's not much of a money saver and certainly not more convenient as it seems.

 

I agree with ohiotom76, the advertisements are very misleading. My grandmother bought a sodastream from our local Walmart and we tried it out that night. After everything was washed out, we loaded a bottle up just as instructed. The syrup gets everywhere, the carbonation doesn't work very well, and the pop comes out flat from the very first taste. I would much rather carry in cans and bottles of other soda than ever use the sodastream ever again. Even the extra steps of taking the bottles in for recycling is better than using the sodastream. My grandmother only likes her sodastream because she is a smoker so her taste buds are shot. I would not recommend anyone buy it unless you enjoy flat soda.

 

I tried the Sodastream. I took it back and received a refund. I know that is a bad thing to do when nothing was technically wrong with my purchase. If I buy something that is supposed to be a tasty beverage maker, I want a tasty beverage maker. If what I get is a hot mess, I don't think I should keep it.

 

I was about to buy a Sodastream, but decided to WAIT. That is because I learned about the new one coming out my Keurig.
The big news was that COKE signed on with Keurig. The other great part is that you will NOT have to buy CO2 refills.
They will not be needed. This could be out late this fall.

 

That sounds like promising product. Cant wait to see how that pans out because the soda stream is a dud.

 

I wanted to try this, but I heard some things about it not working out for other people. I was thinking it would be great for saving money because I buy quite a bit of drinks for my family. I know these types of things can be misleading so I just decided not to go through with it. It probably won't be long before something similar comes out that's cheaper and makes it better tasting.

 

I guess I'm the dissenting reviewer here! I LOVE my Sodastream! From the day I brought it home and unpacked it I've been using it on a regular basis! My ONLY complaint that was mentioned above, is the sticky drippings that for some reason can't be avoided. Yes, most of the flavours are sweetened with artificial sweetners. This is def not an attractant. I have made it a personal hobby to create my own flavours! Its really not that difficult (although it is messy) . I find the carbonation to be very contolable and with the special bottles sold for them, the carbonation stays for quite some time! Unlike the store bought 2l big brand names. Its stunningly cheaper to use and operate as well. I like that I can control the strength of my soda. Sometimes I like just a subtle flavour and others I want a good solid punch to my beverage. I think its a great investment. I'm not intending to start an arguement here. I just seriously do NOT agree with the reviews here at all. I'm enjoying, in fact, a nice large, icy glass of homeade Maple flavour drink! For roughly about 30 cents (its a litre...I'm Canadian. lol)

 

I don't drink soda personally but even I saw that commercial and was tempted to buy (if I actually drank soda). It looks like a way to save some money and possibly have less sugar but something tells me it may not really be any healthier than getting regular soda. But if some people like it, and feel that they're saving some money then hey... yet I would think it may put traditional soda company's out of business if it were really good. But so far, that appears to not be an issue.

 

How exactly do they plan to carbonate the drinks without a CO2 canister? The only thing I could imagine would be if they were to put some sort of Alka-Seltzer type tablet in the pod or make the syrup react to water or air or something like that, which would probably impart a funny taste to the drink.

Some of the initial reports are speculating that the Keurig style Coke's will actually cost much more than the canned variety, but that remains to be seen.

Speaking of Soda Streams though, I could have sworn that you used to be able to buy simple containers to carbonate water, that came with a little C02 cartridge attached to them. They were metal pitchers with a spout, and a little CO2 cartridge sicking out of the top on one side, at an upright angle. I used to see them with other bar supplies - at least on TV shows and in the movies, but I think I also recalled seeing them in the stores too. Whatever happened to those?

 

Well unfortunately I don't have a great respect for Keurig's idea of chemical management. lol. For example a "frothing agent" in the milk (like product). I will ALWAYS go to my Tassimo for that! Its REAL milk. I have a problem with magic powders that foam on contact with water. BUT, having said that, I DO like Keurigs regular coffee. Its just the idea that one can carbonate a drink from a pod in a Keurig is mildly amusing. But I'll withhold judgement unitl I actually see it. Who knows? Maybe its a true blue good idea! OPEN MINDS!

 

Sodastream sounds very healthy. They should sell it in GNC with all the other junk. Do you really find interest in filling your body up with toxins that make you unhealthy causing you to stock up on products in an attempt to hide the flaws these toxins create?

So a product turns water into soda. Big deal. Another way to assist in poisoning you making you complain more with excuse after excuse. It's junk.

Junk creates junk, you are what you consume.

 

I have a Sodastream and I don't mind it, but I also don't use it to make soda. My biggest problems were the lack of non-diet beverage options, the syrup gets hard and sticky after it is opened, the fact the carbonation fizzed away within a few hours (even when the cap was put on tight) and the soda always tasted slightly off, like there was never enough flavor there. I started using mine to make seltzer and then would squeeze some lemon, lime or orange into it. My CO2 cartridges lasted quite some time, even though I use my Sodastream everyday, and it was only $15 for the refill.

 

This might give you some perspective:

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I actually liked my Soda Stream machine. I used to be a huge soda drinker and had a lot of their version of Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper and those tasted fine. Another family member drank the diet sodas and was happy with them. If anything, I would have preferred a way to make more at once, though I suppose I could have purchased extra bottles. I'm not sure what chemicals another poster was referring to- Soda Stream used real sugar in their mixes when I drank it and they have a natural version now. The only reason I don't use mine anymore is because I gave up soda.

 

Wow, thanks for your honest , and thorough, opinion. I had considered buying one of these Sodastreams this summer. They're too expensive to buy on a whim.

 

I love the sodastreams i got one for christmans last year and i just love it

 

I have always wanted one. After I have seen the reviews on here I have decided I probably wont get one. I had thought it might be a way to save money from going out to get sodas all the time. It also looked a bit fun to go and make your own soda. Now that I think about it. I do remember seeing a lot of the soda stream kits being returned at the Walmart's I used to work for. That another sign that it probably isn't the best product.

 

Soda Stream

I bought one for myself after Christmas last year when I found it on sale at Walmart. It was $69.00, but with the purchase I received a $25.00 gift card that offset the cost. It wasn't the worst product I've ever bought, but I wouldn't purchase a replacement.

The syrups don't taste right. Mine came with 2 sets of sample syrups to "try before you buy". Out of the 15 or so flavors, I only liked maybe 1 or 2 of them. The ginger-ale had an odd taste to it, as did many of the soda flavors. The only bearable soda I actually could deal with was the orange flavor.

The Soda Stream is good for making carbonated water. I had syrups at home that I used to use for flavored coffees, so I just added that to the carbonated water. I'm still on my first canister of carbonation, so that should tell you how much I have used it in a year.

 

I'm glad you brought this up. Ever since this product came on the market my husband has wanted one. He likes to buy everything that he sees and thinks everything is amazing!! He is a kid at heart and I love him but sometimes I have to say... ummm... no honey! The commercials make it seem like the soda you make will be better or at least comparable to the ones you get at the store and I just had a really hard time believing it.

I stuck to my guns and didn't get one. I guess I made the right decision after reading some of these posts. Not just that... I was at Wal Mart the other day and it was on clearance!! Not good sign.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, it's really helpful for those of us are on the fence with buying products like these.

Danyel