Author Topic: Soda Stream ... worth it?  (Read 10131 times)

CheapScholar

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Soda Stream ... worth it?
« on: August 07, 2017, 05:36:37 PM »
Anyone have a Soda Stream?  Is it worth the cost?  Is it a good reliable product that will last a while?

I probably drink a can of Pop (soda to you non Midwestern folk) or LaCroix water everyday.  Maybe 2 or 3 on the weekends.

mm1970

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2017, 05:51:03 PM »
Yes.

Love mine.  Have had it for several years.

Drink a glass or two of bubble water a day.

GizmoTX

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2017, 07:58:12 PM »
Yes.

Love mine.  Have had it for several years.

Drink a glass or two of bubble water a day.

Me too.

Dicey

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2017, 08:02:11 PM »
I can't do it for you right now or in would, sorry. Just Google Frugalwoods Soda Stream Hack to learn a lot more on this topic. There's also an old thread around here which covers the topic in-depth and has the link.

Igelfreundin

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2017, 08:36:04 PM »
My first Soda Stream just broke - I used it five years, carbonating 2-3 quarts per day. Definitely worth it. I made back the purchase price in the first two months.

Poeirenta

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2017, 10:30:30 PM »
We did the Frugalwoods hack, but unfortunately the guy they ordered from decided to charge us without actually sending the equipment. 😒 Luckily PayPal refunded us. I found something similar on Amazon and we are bubbling away with a bigger co2 tank. Love our sodastream.

sdt1890

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2017, 10:42:33 PM »
Also curious about this. My primary application would be to just make sparkling water.

There are some many variations out there now, hard to tell which would be good for a newbie, single user.

DoubleDown

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2017, 12:24:25 PM »
If the intent is to make soda and not just carbonated water, I'd say not only is it not worth it, it's a super bad idea, even if it costs $1.00. Better to just kick the soda drinking habit, period. To me it's like asking if a machine to roll your own cigarettes is "worth it." Yeah I know people are going to do what they're going to do, but I'm still going to be the downer who rains on the soda-drinking parade.

HipGnosis

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2017, 12:45:54 PM »
If the intent is to make soda and not just carbonated water, I'd say not only is it not worth it, it's a super bad idea, even if it costs $1.00. Better to just kick the soda drinking habit, period. To me it's like asking if a machine to roll your own cigarettes is "worth it." Yeah I know people are going to do what they're going to do, but I'm still going to be the downer who rains on the soda-drinking parade.
Sodastream, and it's consumables, as sold, is not an MMM 'value' unless you drink a LOT of soda.
There are multiple ways to do it cheaper.
The cheapest price per glass is from buying (and refilling) a HUGE CO2 tank.  But that has consequences

I am in the process of assembling a home-built water carbonation system.
I got paintball CO2 tanks off craigslist.  I will fill them myself by buying dry ice and using a digital scale.
I got the valve for the tanks from eBay.
I'm doing this because diet coke is my only vice, and only source of caffeine.
Making my own will allow me to control which and amount of; sweetener, flavorings, caffeine and no coloring(s), etc.

I concede the well intent of your post, but I fail to see any constructive content.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2017, 12:50:02 PM by HipGnosis »

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #9 on: August 08, 2017, 12:56:09 PM »
If the intent is to make soda and not just carbonated water, I'd say not only is it not worth it, it's a super bad idea, even if it costs $1.00. Better to just kick the soda drinking habit, period. To me it's like asking if a machine to roll your own cigarettes is "worth it." Yeah I know people are going to do what they're going to do, but I'm still going to be the downer who rains on the soda-drinking parade.
I am in the process of assembling a home-built water carbonation system.
I got paintball CO2 tanks off craigslist.  I will fill them myself by buying dry ice and using a digital scale.
I got the valve for the tanks from eBay.
I'm doing this because diet coke is my only vice, and only source of caffeine.
Making my own will allow me to control which and amount of; sweetener, flavorings, caffeine and no coloring(s), etc.

I concede the well intent of your post, but I fail to see any constructive content.

I definitely see constructive content. Diet sodas are definitely not great:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-013-0523-9
https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-016-0129-3

Regardless of cost, you pay highly for diet sodas in health risks. You can get caffeine many other places, like tea or coffee. And it is fine to say, "I choose not to make this physically and financially healthy choice", but don't dismiss it out of hand as not being valuable content. A huge goal of this forum is to go into choices with our eyes open, aware of the consequences of our actions.

Spork

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #10 on: August 08, 2017, 01:07:52 PM »
I drink at least a quart of just plain sparkling water every day...  I've had a Sodastream for at least 6 years.  I have it attached to a 20lb CO2 cannister and it costs me about $20 every 18 months to refill.

There are several clever hacks out there to ditch buying the stupid, tiny, expensive Sodastream CO2 cannisters.  I went with this one (because at the time it was the only one I could find): http://co2doctor.com/freedomoonespec.htm   It is basically just a brass adapter that hooks up to the non-standard Sodastream threads and converts it to something standard. 

Spork

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #11 on: August 08, 2017, 01:09:54 PM »

I am in the process of assembling a home-built water carbonation system.
I got paintball CO2 tanks off craigslist.  I will fill them myself by buying dry ice and using a digital scale.
I got the valve for the tanks from eBay.
I'm doing this because diet coke is my only vice, and only source of caffeine.
Making my own will allow me to control which and amount of; sweetener, flavorings, caffeine and no coloring(s), etc.


I'm not sure what you're paying for dry ice.... but I suspect buying straight CO2 from a welding supply company is going to be a lot cheaper.

shawndoggy

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #12 on: August 08, 2017, 01:19:33 PM »
I never even considered that there would be a way to hook up a bigger tank!  This is awesome!

I'm a "plain" bubbly water (no flavor, just water and bubbles) and I love the soda stream, except the fact that I have to buy refills.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2017, 02:33:26 PM »
For anyone who likes fizzy mineral water, rather than just seltzer:

what my husband and I do is add drops of this: https://www.amazon.com/ConcenTrace-Trace-Mineral-Minerals-Liquid/dp/B004I8RBKM/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_121_lp_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8SRM9TD9RVVHHCCYNZJ6

I think we do about 8 drops per soda stream bottle, which is a quart or something. Anyway, gives a nice full mineral water flavor, and it's a pretty cheap addition.

Spork

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #14 on: August 08, 2017, 03:44:53 PM »
I never even considered that there would be a way to hook up a bigger tank!  This is awesome!

I'm a "plain" bubbly water (no flavor, just water and bubbles) and I love the soda stream, except the fact that I have to buy refills.

Mine has a special little shelf in the pantry


Dicey

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #15 on: August 08, 2017, 06:45:54 PM »
I can't do it for you right now or in would, sorry. Just Google Frugalwoods Soda Stream Hack to learn a lot more on this topic. There's also an old thread around here which covers the topic in-depth and has the link.

We did the Frugalwoods hack, but unfortunately the guy they ordered from decided to charge us without actually sending the equipment. 😒 Luckily PayPal refunded us. I found something similar on Amazon and we are bubbling away with a bigger co2 tank. Love our sodastream.
I was referring to the HOW, not the WHO, but since I live on the opposite Coast, I thought that was obvious, hee! I will admit that I assumed everyone is drinking it plain, not with a bunch of sweeteners added.  Any thoughts on the long-term health effects of all that CO2? (Full disclosure: I do not have a sodastream thingy, nor do I drink soda.)

http://www.frugalwoods.com/2014/08/11/how-to-cheap-homemade-seltzer-with-a-modified-sodastream/

Poundwise

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #16 on: August 09, 2017, 02:25:06 PM »
My husband drinks soda constantly so we enjoy having a Soda stream. That said, I think it's expensive.  We are looking into getting CO2 in food-grade tanks from a brewing store, and an adapter.

mm1970

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #17 on: August 09, 2017, 02:28:58 PM »
I drink at least a quart of just plain sparkling water every day...  I've had a Sodastream for at least 6 years.  I have it attached to a 20lb CO2 cannister and it costs me about $20 every 18 months to refill.

There are several clever hacks out there to ditch buying the stupid, tiny, expensive Sodastream CO2 cannisters.  I went with this one (because at the time it was the only one I could find): http://co2doctor.com/freedomoonespec.htm   It is basically just a brass adapter that hooks up to the non-standard Sodastream threads and converts it to something standard.
Hm.  I've done the math, and buying the sodastream canisters is at least cheaper (and better for the environment) than buying the bottled soda water.  We buy them at Bed Bath & Beyond, get a refund for returning the old one, and use a 20% off coupon.

A larger CO2 tank would be cheaper but we have no place to put it.

jeninco

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #18 on: August 09, 2017, 03:15:32 PM »
I drink at least a quart of just plain sparkling water every day...  I've had a Sodastream for at least 6 years.  I have it attached to a 20lb CO2 cannister and it costs me about $20 every 18 months to refill.

There are several clever hacks out there to ditch buying the stupid, tiny, expensive Sodastream CO2 cannisters.  I went with this one (because at the time it was the only one I could find): http://co2doctor.com/freedomoonespec.htm   It is basically just a brass adapter that hooks up to the non-standard Sodastream threads and converts it to something standard.
Hm.  I've done the math, and buying the sodastream canisters is at least cheaper (and better for the environment) than buying the bottled soda water.  We buy them at Bed Bath & Beyond, get a refund for returning the old one, and use a 20% off coupon.

A larger CO2 tank would be cheaper but we have no place to put it.

Ours fits under the sink with the regulator and hose attached. (And there's still room for the garbage disposal and miscellaneous cleaning stuff.) Additional advantage -- we can make a half-gallon bottle of bubbly water at a time, enough for a pack of folks at dinner.

Also, I suggest getting "food grade" CO2 tank from a homebrew supply store, rather than whatever comes from a welding place.

Case

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #19 on: August 09, 2017, 05:33:48 PM »
Anyone have a Soda Stream?  Is it worth the cost?  Is it a good reliable product that will last a while?

I probably drink a can of Pop (soda to you non Midwestern folk) or LaCroix water everyday.  Maybe 2 or 3 on the weekends.

Easy way without building your own device is to just refill your own soda stream bottles.  Very easy to do, takes a little time to grind up the dry ice.  Just amke sure not to overpresureize the cyclinder... eg weight the mass of the dry ice and you put in.

Spork

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #20 on: August 09, 2017, 07:53:22 PM »
I drink at least a quart of just plain sparkling water every day...  I've had a Sodastream for at least 6 years.  I have it attached to a 20lb CO2 cannister and it costs me about $20 every 18 months to refill.

There are several clever hacks out there to ditch buying the stupid, tiny, expensive Sodastream CO2 cannisters.  I went with this one (because at the time it was the only one I could find): http://co2doctor.com/freedomoonespec.htm   It is basically just a brass adapter that hooks up to the non-standard Sodastream threads and converts it to something standard.
Hm.  I've done the math, and buying the sodastream canisters is at least cheaper (and better for the environment) than buying the bottled soda water.  We buy them at Bed Bath & Beyond, get a refund for returning the old one, and use a 20% off coupon.

A larger CO2 tank would be cheaper but we have no place to put it.

Ours fits under the sink with the regulator and hose attached. (And there's still room for the garbage disposal and miscellaneous cleaning stuff.) Additional advantage -- we can make a half-gallon bottle of bubbly water at a time, enough for a pack of folks at dinner.

Also, I suggest getting "food grade" CO2 tank from a homebrew supply store, rather than whatever comes from a welding place.

Ever ask where the homebrew supply houses or restaurants get it?   Maybe this is regional, but I have and around here it's from the welding supply houses.  They also supply medical grade oxygen to the hospitals. 

It turns out that manufacturing/bottling gases is just "their thing".

I suspect you're just paying markup.  I could very well be wrong though.

jeninco

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #21 on: August 10, 2017, 04:13:12 PM »
<snip>
Also, I suggest getting "food grade" CO2 tank from a homebrew supply store, rather than whatever comes from a welding place.

Ever ask where the homebrew supply houses or restaurants get it?   Maybe this is regional, but I have and around here it's from the welding supply houses.  They also supply medical grade oxygen to the hospitals. 

It turns out that manufacturing/bottling gases is just "their thing".

I suspect you're just paying markup.  I could very well be wrong though.

Ha! I bet you're right,  and I'll ask the next time we need to fill up our tank! (It lasts about 2 years, though, so it may be a while.)

I'm glad you asked, and thanks for passing along the info!

Optimiser

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #22 on: August 10, 2017, 04:46:53 PM »
I came to this thread to say yes. My wife was drinking so much La Croix that I insisted she refill the soda stream containers instead.

I was very pleasantly surprised to see discussion of using larger tanks. Thanks MMM forum!

GuitarStv

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #23 on: August 10, 2017, 05:24:40 PM »
I'm going to say "Hell No!", you don't need a constant source of fizzy drinks because you don't need fizzy drinks at all.  :P

CheapScholar

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #24 on: August 10, 2017, 05:32:03 PM »
La Croix is addictive.  What makes me mad is the cost of sparkling water.  I get that La Croix is a small bottler compared to the big boys and for them $3.99 a case is probably a fair profit margin.  I still can't figure out why Coke or Pepsi don't sell sparkling water cheaper.  I find coke or pepsi's water is almost always more money than soda, but there's no sugar which has to be a significant cost when they make soda.

You'd think the big bottlers could dump cheap sparkling water in the market and kill La Croix and still make good money.

shawndoggy

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #25 on: August 10, 2017, 05:35:30 PM »
side note, I do find that restaurants almost never charge for soda water with a lime.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #26 on: August 10, 2017, 07:48:05 PM »
side note, I do find that restaurants almost never charge for soda water with a lime.

Mustachians don't go to restaurants ;) Kidding, it's a good tip.

Other things I've found-
Fast food places that have seltzer on tap don't care when you get that instead of water (I always ask, and I've never been told no).
Bar are usually happy to give you fizzy water with lemon and lime for free, especially if you're DD.

Dicey

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Re: Soda Stream ... worth it?
« Reply #27 on: August 11, 2017, 01:42:22 AM »
side note, I do find that restaurants almost never charge for soda water with a lime.
In the Bay Area, they generally do charge, particularly if you want it in a glass ;-)

side note, I do find that restaurants almost never charge for soda water with a lime.

Mustachians don't go to restaurants ;) Kidding, it's a good tip.

Other things I've found-
Fast food places that have seltzer on tap don't care when you get that instead of water (I always ask, and I've never been told no).
Bar are usually happy to give you fizzy water with lemon and lime for free, especially if you're DD.
I've noticed this at Costco and specifically asked the Warehouse Manager. The response was a smile, a shrug, and "It doesn't matter."