SodaStream Fountain Jet Sparkling Water Maker Starter Kit, Red

I gave this 5 stars because it does what it's supposed to do – it carbonates water and has reasonably decent build quality. Before you buy a sodastream I think you need to know why you're buying it. Cost savings and ease of use will vary.Some things to consider:-what do you plan on drinkingHere's how I'd rate sodastreams syrups to the name brand counterpart:Fountain Mist FMountain Dew B+Fountain Mist is AWFUL it has a super nasty aftertaste and isn't sweet at all.Diet Fountain Mist D-Diet Mountain Dew C-Again sodastream's version has an awful aftertaste.Root Beer D+A&W Root Beer AThe root beer had the same problem as fountain mist it just wasn't sweet enough and had a very obvious bad aftertaste.Diet Orange CDiet Orange Crush C+I found these to be pretty close, sodasstream's version wasn't as sweet but still pretty good.Diet Pink Grapefruit C+I've never had this flavor in any other brand. Tastes pretty darn good for diet.Diet Cola FDiet Pepsi C-Again just an awful aftertaste.Energy Drink C-Monster CI didn't notice much difference between the 2Crystal Light Kiwi Strawberry Energy Drink C+I don't have anything to compare this to except regular energy drinks and I'd take this over a regular monster any day.As you can see in my experience the regular pop flavors are awful, if you look at the ingredients they have sweeteners in them instead of having a load of high fructose corn syrup you find in a regular pop which accounts for the awful aftertaste and lack of sweetness.So I write all this to say if you plan on substituting your mountain dew addiction for sodastream's equivalent you'll have another thing coming. I'll stop here and suggest that if you plan on buying a sodastream buy this somewhere local and try out the flavors. You can't return the sodastream to amazon because the sodastream's carbonation tank is hazardous or something. If you find a flavor you like then you might be on the right track where you might want to buy this thing.Also if you want decent regular pop flavoring you can buy 1 and 5 gallon boxes of off brand syrups which will most likely taste better than sodastream crap. You can find these on amazon and sams club. The downside is your price per syrup box will vary and may or not make it cost effective to go the sodastream route, not to mention the space a box will take up or the ease of using a big box of syrup vs buying premade store bought pop.-how much money if any the sodastream will save you, this might be the main reason you might consider the sodastreamIn my situation I'm an ahole that doesn't recycle pop cans. I also don't go shopping around for deals or buy off brands. So basically I spend about $4 for a 12 pack of diet pepsi. That works out to about 40 cents a can after tax and recycle deposit. One can of pop works out to about 22 cents for me on the sodastream. That's a pretty big savings. Where this might not come out the same for you is if you can't recycle your co2 tanks at a local store. If that's the case it gets really close since you'll be paying for shipping. Thankfully I have local walmart and bed, bath, and beyond stores I can trade in a 60L canisters for $15.If you don't have a local place to trade in a canister, you're diligent in recycling, and you buy off brand/or get great deals on pop you may or may not save money.-how easy you think it is to make the drinks you wantFor the sodastream flavors I liked it's a matter of connecting a bottle to the sodastream, pumping a button, pouring the syrup into the bottle, cleaning the bottle when I'm done, filling w/water, and putting the bottle in the fridge for the next day. It's quite a bit more work than grabbing a can of pop out of the fridge. If you get a box of syrup you have the added task of figuring the best way to get a box of syrup into your bottle.In conclusion if you're someone who likes diet drinks and you don't shop around for the absolute cheapest deals at your local grocers and you don't return pop cans/bottles the sodastream is most likely for you if you have a local retailer that will swap canisters for $15..If you're someone who likes drinking lots of regular pop and thinks they'll just buy a sodastream and some sodastream syrup and hallelujah you now can make all the pop you want w/out trips to the grocery store you might want to hold off buying a sodastream.Whatever you drink you can always find knock off brands or good sales and end up coming about even or a little ahead when compared to drinking sodastream soda.

I've had the SodaStream for about a month now. I bought it due to a corn allergy and the expense of buying sugar only sodas. I will say I'm quite happy with it and would happily recommend the SodaStream to anyone (and have!).When I first got the machine, I was slightly worried because the plastic felt light and somewhat breakable. However, the trial canister that comes with the machine is what gives it it's weight. The directions to put everything together and use the machine were clear and easy to follow. The trial canister lasted for roughly two weeks - since the bottle that comes with the machine holds about 2 1/2 normal sized drinks of sparkling water- the trial canister is probably good for about 3 12 packs of what you would normally buy.Pros:Slim design makes it easy to storeEasy to use - just press the button until you hear a loud buzzCons:The water doesn't "keep" well. Unlike with more traditional sodas, the sparkling water will lose it's fizz within 24 hours sometimes. It doesn't matter how tightly you cap the bottle either.The bottle only holds about 2 1/2 drinking cups of liquid (ie, not measuring cups but what you actually drink out of) Not a big deal for me but it might be a big deal for someone with a family.Overall, I do like the machine. I've found that many grocery stores sell sugar based syrups that are really good but that it's also easy to make your own. It's also easy to turn in the canisters as well and get a new one - you might have to inquire at customer service about it if you don't see any canisters on the shelf.

Important things to note when purchasing a SodaStream;The initial cost will be high:- The canister it comes with only serves a few bottles of soda. If you're a heavy soda drinker it won't last you a week. The canister comes with a mail-in rebate coupon for up to $15. You are able to exchange the little bottle for a bigger bottle but you still have to pay the refill cost for the new bottle ($15 for the small bottle which will last anywhere from a week to a month depending on usage, or $30 for a larger canister which will last you considerably longer). Regardless which canister you chose the rebate will only return $15.- The sample kit contains a wide selection of basic flavors. Each of these is a single use item. They have a twist off cap, so even if you don't want to use the full dose of syrup you can't close it again without using a little ingenuity. Full bottles of the flavoring cost anywhere from $5 to $15 apiece. The lower cost is for your basic flavors like coke or sprite. The higher cost items are for more complex or healthier flavors.- All told you can expect to pay around $150 for the startup cost on a SodaStream. This can be stretched out over as long a period as you want, but essentially you can expect the first month to be fairly expensive.- When your canister is empty you do not buy a whole new one. You exchange the empty for a full replacement. $15 for the smaller canister (which is larger than the sample canister they provide), $30 for the large canister (which thankfully does fit inside this model). A new small canister costs $30 and a new large canister costs $50. Having a spare on hand wouldn’t hurt if you’ve got the money.- Prices vary on spare soda bottles. It’s worth it to have at least one spare on hand.The flavors do not directly compare to brand names:- Cola does not taste exactly like Coke or Pepsi.- Root Beer does not taste like a brand name root beer.- Etc.The taste can be adjusted to suit:- Through the simple act of adjusting the quantity of syrup added to the bottle (after carbonating, that’s important!) you can adjust the flavor. Example: My wife tried the basic diet cola flavoring. She complained it tasted too much like black licorice. On the next batch she added additional syrup and found that while sweeter the black licorice taste faded.- If you like less sweet drinks your syrup supply will last longer and you’ll spend less money.- Don’t be afraid to experiment with different flavors.- Don’t be afraid to add things to your glass. I’ve found a slice of lime can add a bit of zip to the Country Time Lemonade/Iced Tea blend. It also zips up the lemon lime flavoring.Cleaning is pretty simple:- Once you’ve used a bottle and emptied it (Pouring glasses or however you intend to dispense the beverage) be sure to clean the bottle right away. Rinse thoroughly before re-using.- Unless something has gone horribly wrong there should be little to no clean-up necessary with the SodaStream itself.Customer Service:- When my kit arrived the canister was stuck and would not operate properly. Contacting the provided customer service number brought me to a live person who then walked me through set-up. They were considerate, friendly, knowledgeable about the product, and I was able to correct the problem without spraying CO2 everywhere. (There was a little CO2 spray, but that’s inevitable)It’s simple and looks good:- This is a pretty basic model. No frills, no bells and whistles. It’s plastic and I’m sure eventually those parts will wear out and it will need to be replaced. On the other hand when that time comes I’ll only need to replace the actual housing.- The SodaStream itself is nice looking aesthetically. The coloring is just as advertised and I find it looks good in my kitchen.Long term savings:- My household was going through anywhere from $80 to $120 a month on soft drinks. The cost of using this device (not counting initial setup) averages me $45 every month or two (new syrup and canister refills).- The process of making soda is fun and a nice novelty. I found myself making a bottle every day (sometimes two or three bottles a day) for the first week. This tapered off to about a bottle a day by the second week and then a bottle every other day by the third week. This means soda consumption has gone down in my household. Being able to mix your drink exactly how you want it seems to help (at least in my home) the beverages to last longer. This means you’ll drink less which in turn means you’ll use less CO2 and less syrup.- The device will eventually pay for itself, but the initial investment will be higher than expected.Pets:- The device is, in general, pretty quiet. One exception is a sputtering buzz sound that occurs when you’ve added enough CO2. The directions suggest holding down the charge button three separate times until you hear the buzzing (press and hold, buzz, release, press and hold, buzz, release, press and hold, buzz, release). The fill sound doesn’t seem to bother pets, but the buzzing startles mine pretty good. The dog leaves the room and waits by the door looking around the corner.Suggestions:- I’ve found mason jars to be extremely valuable. Thanks to the lids designed for pressure sealing you can fill a small mason jar with the mixed drink (adding any ice and fruit slices or whatever you want beforehand). Seal the jar and place in the fridge. The soda will be fresh and refreshing (without losing carbonation) when you open it later. This is a great way to mix drinks in the morning and ration them out through the day. It also lets you use one SodaStream bottle to mix multiple flavors.- The rind on the lime, don’t leave it on the lime slice if you’re going to store them. It turns the drink bitter, just like the peel. Cut that bit off if you’re planning to store a drink with a slice of lime or lemon or whatever your preference is.Final Recommendation:- This product is well worth the money. Don’t worry about it if you don’t like the sample pack; just keep looking until you find a flavor you enjoy. I couldn’t be happier with my selection and the monthly savings are nice too. Five stars.