Does anyone still have a soda stream? Is it worth it?

Posted by Born-Necessary9533@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 23 comments

I'm interested in it more for making fizzy water than for pop really. I love fizzy water but don't like buying a lot of it for environmental reasons, if you buy large bottles it loses the fizz so you have to buy small bottles but then that's so much plastic. Never had a Sodastream so just wondered if anyone has one and if it's just a gimmick or a well-used gadget?

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23 Comments

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watsee@reddit

I got one during Covid and I think its great. The new 'licensed' syrups (Pepsi and 7UP) are bloody brilliant. I personally prefer coke/pepsi when its not quite so fizzy, so being able to fizz up the water to my preference is great. There's also sites online ([https://www.roberthosoda.co.uk](https://www.roberthosoda.co.uk) being one of them) where you can buy a lot more flavours that you can't buy in this country, I haven't tried any yet but I'm definitely considering getting some Fanta, Mountain Dew and the 'red bull' offering. The gas lasts quite a while & is pretty cheap and easy to replace. The first gas bottle is a few quid more expensive, as you're effectively putting a deposit on the bottle itself (same principal as anyone who uses patio/calor gas) and the 'refills' are cheaper. You just take the cannister to one of the participating places, such as Argos or The Range, and swap the empty for a full. I'd recommend keeping a jug of water, such as a BRITA or something, in the fridge - so you can make it extra chilled on-demand. Out of a tap is fine, but its much nicer colder.

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Miserable_Mix_6253@reddit

Sodastreams are great - We used to but now have a Quooker (boiling water/sparking out of the tap). If you’re worried about the cost of gas get a regulator and use the 3.5kg or 7.2kg bottles. We use 3.5kg bottles with the Quooker and it’s cheap as chips (from memory it’s something like £25 for 700l of water) Never bother with the syrups tho - just use cheap supermarket diluting juice.

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pinkurpledino@reddit

> just use cheap supermarket diluting juice. Long winded way to say "squash" or "cordial" :D

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Miserable_Mix_6253@reddit

Don’t use squash or cordial (isn’t that a sugar syrup) - use fizzy juice, fruit juice, juice and juice here.

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Moggy-Man@reddit

I used one in the 80s, like a lot of kids who grew up then I imagine. My memory is probably lying to me, but I always thought they were pretty good, in terms of flavour. I always remember that bottles had a twisty design and the white caps. But you can actually get modern day Sodastreams now. I spotted some randomly in a store a number of years back and always meant to look into them again. I also remember Heston Blumenthal in one of his shows using a Sodastream to turn cheap Blue Nun wine into a champagne knock-off, and various city trader types in the street who he stopped to get them to taste it, couldn't tell the difference.

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pinkurpledino@reddit

Will it carbonate? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJeFMIeIPhM&list=PLRZ2v9TdaT8MsCYkKQgwC\_JmJcS0FVAhj

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Roger_Tchouttabouffa@reddit

Mm...fizzy cough medicine

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Miserable-Parsley@reddit

I do like mine and I go through phases of using it, several times a day for a week and then not for a month and then lots again. I do find the taste is kind of different to bottled fizzy water, so I add frozen lime slices or something to give it some flavour. I also find the water loses its fizz relatively quickly

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seventyeightist@reddit

We have one and use it a couple of times a day. As well as the environmental benefits, the big benefit is being able to choose for fizzy the water is from just a little bit fizzy (mine) to 'seems like it might explode' (partner's). I use the squash/cordial to flavour it, Robinson type.

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Low-Total9121@reddit

I have one and make fizzy lemon with squash. Very nice.

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trucksandtrains@reddit

Yes and it’s been fantastic so far. Always have cool sparkling water in the fridge now and the syrup bottles are small so you can have lots of choice in your cupboard ready to go. Also it’s way better on the environment. I use co2you for the gas. DPD comes and swaps out the cylinders each quarter for £10 a bottle.

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moremeaty@reddit

Morrisons Savers Sparkling Spring Water 2L costs 38p Assuming you already have a soda stream, what cost is 2L of tapwater in gas?

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Subject-Coat4569@reddit

It's £15 a swap so your sums are out somewhat

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emdotstu@reddit

£12 in Lakeland!

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trucksandtrains@reddit

And £10 via online services like co2you!

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Born-Necessary9533@reddit (OP)

The problem too though is unless you drink a ton of it, you can't buy 2 litre bottles of fizzy water because they rapidly lose fizz (and the cheap stuff isn't that fizzy to start with)

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Unfair_Original_2536@reddit

Yes. No.

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Subject-Coat4569@reddit

We have one, used everyday for at least 2 litres of sparking water to which cordial is added.

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HotLyps@reddit

I looked at it a few times as the number of plastic bottles I was getting through seemed excessive - particularly just for fizzy water. However, the cost and hassle simply weren't in favour of the Sodastream. Bottled fizzy water was cheaper (sometimes considerably cheaper) than what was achievable with the Sodastream with vastly less effort. Sad really.

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ShirleyUJest25@reddit

Saves having to remember to buy fizzy water. Saves plastic bottles.

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hp0@reddit

We recently purchased one. My brother and I have a little narrowboat 25ft. We use most of the summer. (Swapping over as we travel the network) We are also both T1 diabetics. So often cola is the only thing we can buy when travelling. Cost wise. It's deff cheaper then buying tins or small bottles. Only a little cheaper as buying 2l bottles. But the fact that we can have several options in less space then a 12 pack of cans. Makes it real worth it foe our situation. And more often then not we would be required to by cans or 2l bottles from small local stores. So it saves a fortune.

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Rubberfootman@reddit

Yes. We have one for the same reason - too many plastic bottles. I don’t think there is a cost saving though.

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