SodaStream Fountain Jet Sparkling Water Maker, Bundle with bubly drops, Black

I have been wanting one of these so I opted for the Jet model. It works differently than a previous model I had used that belonged to a friend. You do have to tip the nozzle out and screw the bottle onto the soda stream in order to get it to work properly which is a little awkward to do in my opinion. I could see where it might be difficult for someone who is older. To me, this is a design flaw and something that will most likely break so if I purchase again I would purchase a different model for sure. The only bonus of registering the device with SodaStream is that you get an additional 2-year warranty, so that's a plus. There are zero directions on how to use it, if I hadn't used one previously I wouldn't have had a clue. Overall a good buy for the money, I opted for this model so I'm not forced to purchase their quick connect CO2 canisters for replacement as any are supposed to fit it.

First, do not listen to bad reviews. This machine works as described. The plastic materials could be better, but other than that, it works great. The setup is fast if you have half a brain, and they could not have made it any easier. If you like carbonated beverages, then use more CO2. And use the standard 5 to 1 ratio on the syrup. If you like sweet, use a 4-to-1 ratio or even a 3 to 1. Don't complain about the machine if you bought inferior flavoring, didn't use enough flavoring, or like more carbonation because you control the mixtures.

We love bubbly water and this was a way to control the sweetness, flavors, and availability of soda water. But most of the parts are plastic and it wasn't long until the water was not fully carbonating. The relief valve opens way too early, so we just waste our canister of CO2 into the atmosphere (not great for global warming!) and not great for making soda water. It's a great idea, but for this price a bit of metal would seem to be appropriate.My son is an engineer and he found the valve at fault. We took it apart and could find nothing specific to fix, put it back together, and now it works fine. I guess we re-booted it.

Overall satisfaction. The SodaStream “Jet Sparkling Water Maker” with screw-in CO2 cylinder has been used daily during a trial test period over the past 3 months to make extra-fizzy carbonated water. It has performed better than expected and I am very satisfied. As a minor issue, the hard plastic base edge slips easily on kitchen counters and sounds like dragging fingernails across a blackboard, ouch! To prevent slipping and increase stability, a strip of soft Neoprene Rubber Trim was installed along the base edge for about $2 (available at McMaster-Carr.com, part No. 8507K16)..Fizz. Compared to today’s low-fizz store-bought sparkling water, the SodaStream system makes carbonated water to any degree of fizz desired. I prefer a high level of fizz like in sodas sold until 1980 in glass bottles that contained higher CO2 pressure compared to the low-pressure low-fizz plastic bottles today..CO2 Cylinders. Note that there are 2 models of SodaStream CO2 cylinders that fit specific soda makers: 1) Screw-in valve fitting and 2) Quick Connect valve fitting. Now that the US Patent for the screw-in valve fitting has expired, the cylinders can be refilled at any local CO2 fire extinguisher or restaurant carbonic service company. However, the Quick Connect cylinder patent is still active and only exchangeable/refillable at a SodaStream dealer at a higher “royalty” price..Alternative CO2 Cylinder & Costs. To get around the high retail priced SodaStream brand CO2 cylinders, I purchased a 20 lb generic restaurant grade refillable CO2 cylinder with high pressure hose that attaches directly to the SodaStream (see Amazon “20 lb Aluminum CO2 Cylinder with 6 ft soda maker adapter hose”). The cost generating sparkling water with the original 14.5 oz (0.91 lb) SodaStream CO2 cylinders is around 25 cents per liter compared to around 80 cents minimum at the grocery store, whereas, the cost using the restaurant grade refillable CO2 cylinder dropped to less than 2 cents per liter. Although, after including the extra upfront cost of the full 20 lb cylinder and hose, the amortized cost increased the overall cost to about 3 cents per liter. Using a generic CO2 cylinder and hose with the SodaStream adds-up to a huge sparkling water annual savings!

I weaned myself off of flavored sodas and had switched to seltzer/club soda instead. Best pricing I could find was $0.79 per liter. And, I'd drink two a day.I always played with the idea of getting a sodastream to make my own - but the expense of the cylinders just didn't make it worth while.However, after enough research and videos I learned about CO2 and how I could buy a larger 20 lb pressure tank and an adapter so that I could easily refill the OEM sodastream cylinder. PLUS, I learned how I can simply buy dry ice (solid CO2) and refill my 20 lb tank for pennies.I use filtered water to get the chlorine and other "additive contaminants" out of the water and figure, after buying everything that I'll have recovered my expenses in about six months - then, each liter will cost me about $0.10...I like this manual sodastream because it has fewer parts, is transportable and works great in our RV while on the road (we full time in the motorhome at present). I also have an adapter hose that will allow me to hook up to the sodastream directly from the 20 lb tank when we finally decide to buy another house... Easy.