Club soda machine?

[Melissa G]

I am remembering a good discussion somewhere on DU that started with Soda Club sodas and Co2 machines. Is there a general consensus that these are worth it? If so, which is best?
I was thinking of buying one for my hubby.
Thanks,
Melissa

[Warpy]

1. I have the Soda Club basic setup

with the big, clunky machine instead of the cute little Penguin.

I've enjoyed it tremendously because I haven't had to lug heavy bottles home from the store and put the empties out for recycling. I've been using a Brita filter for the water and just switched over to a faucet mounted Pur filter from Costco.

The Soda Club sodas aren't quite as gassy as supermarket soda, but that's a good thing once you get used to the ides. The mixes are great but I find myself switching over to seltzer in the summer when it's hot.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd do it all over again.

[Melissa G]

4. Thanks, Warpy!

I use a Big Berkey for my filtered water. http://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/ I've sold water filters and this one is a great value. I used to have the faucet kind, but for my purposes these are much simpler, long lasting and more economical.

Why do you like the bigger version instead of the penguin?

[Warpy]

5. The big one was all they had when I got mine

but I imagine the CO2 cartridges are a bit bigger and last a bit longer. There are several stores here where I can exchange cartridges. I have 3 and take 2 at a time in to exchange.

I found out about them from someone else here at C&B.

[csziggy]

2. I got a Soda Stream a few months ago for hubby

Since he likes fizzy flavored water every day. Overall he likes it. The Soda Stream soda syrups are pretty good imitations of the name brand. The flavored water versions were too bitter for hubby.

In order to give him a bigger selection of flavors, I bought some flavor concentrates from Prairie Moon -http://www.prairiemoon.biz/. They have pre-mixed syrups but their sugar free versions use neotame. Hubby has been experimenting with Splenda and Truvia sweetners for making syrups from the flavor concentrates. He is dissatified with the Splenda versions - apparently once the mixed syrup sits in the fridge for a few days they get bitter. He just made his first syrup with Truvia so he's not sure if it will be better.

He may experiment with diluting the concentrate without a sweetner and adding sweetner as he mixes each bottle of soda. If there is a reaction with the Splenda, this should reduce that.

[Melissa G]

3. Thanks, csziggy, I think you and Warpy were the two principal posters in the elusive thread

I was searching for. Why did you go for Soda Stream over Soda club? Any other good options out there?

We tend to use juice with our fizzy water around this house, but my husband has been drinking the grocery brand generic flavored waters lately.

[csziggy]

6. I could get Soda Stream, the syrups and the carbonators locally

A locally owned shop, Bed Bath & Beyond and a restaurant supply place all carry the Soda Stream line. Now Kohlers also sells some of the Soda Stream line, but they do not take the empty carbonator bottles in trade so they are not the best source.

We signed up for Bed Bath & Beyond emails so we get their coupons almost every week. I bought the Soda Stream with a 40% off coupon and we use them for the carbonators, the only really expensive replacement item.

Warpy had a source for retrofitting the carbonator bottles so they could be refilled locally or for fittings that can be used to attach other CO2 bottles to the Soda Stream. It took hubby three months to use up the first of the Soda Stream carbonators so I doubt we will go to that extent. If you want to look at that check out: http://www.co2doctor.com/index.htm

[Melissa G]

7. Thanks for the excellent link!

I went with the sodastream because I have a Bed Bath and Beyond and Kohl's down the street. Seems like I went the right way! I'll sign up for the coupons. Thanks for the suggestions!

[Warpy]

13. More and more places are exchanging the CO2 bottles

I go to Williams Sonoma for mine mainly because there's a Border's close by where I buy the offbeat magazines I prefer.

[pscot]

8. Has anyone found an alterntive to the polycarbonate

bottles that come with the soda stream? I've heard they can leach bad stuff into the water.

[supernova]

9. Is there something

unusual about the bottle? I would think you could use any litre-sized bottle, glass, metal or BPA free, provided it had the right neck to attach to the atomizer.

edit: We've considered a soda stream because I like flavored water (usually lime or lemon) and he still drinks lots of colas and root beer.

[csziggy]

16. The soda stream bottles have a different neck & thread than standard bottles

Finding alternatives to fit might be a challenge. It would be nice to have stainless steel bottles rather than the plastic ones.

[Melissa G]

10. The more expensive models have glass carafes

The penguin and the crystal as noted on this page.
http://co2doctor.com/soda.htm

[Melissa G]

11. self delete n/t

[Warpy]

12. I don't premake soda so the stuff isn't in them long enough to leach much of anything

Contrast that with the stuff that sits in a warehouse and then on store shelves, often for weeks.

I consider any risk minimal.

[NMDemDist2]

14. we got a SodaStream for christmas and LOVE IT!!! but........

we immediately went to the welding supply store and bought two 5 lb canisters that fit under the cabinet. so instead of going through 2 of those little Sodastream canisters every weekend, we rock on for 6 weeks and the 5lbers only cost us $8.50 to fill

the adapters were easy to install and we got them at http://co2doctor.com/

read the FAQs, there's lots of options to save $$$$ on co2

:hi:

[Melissa G]

15. Sounds great!

If hubby goes through his canisters quickly I will go to CO2 doctor and copy your idea! How many bottles of fizz are you supposed to get out of a soda stream canister? How many do you get from your 5 lb one? :hi:

[Alameda]

17. I got a Liss seltzer maker

and I love love love it. It's stainless steel.
I like this company....here's a break down of all the seltzer makers

http://www.prairiemoon.biz/sodsipandsel.html