SodaStream -- Cost Effective or Not?

Hambone23
Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
edited October 7 in Food and Nutrition
My boyfriend has been pushing to get the SodaStream for a while now. His old boss had it, and he got to see how it worked. He was rather impressed. Now, I know the convenience of the product is a big draw -- no more having to haul 7 flavored seltzer water bottles for me and diet seltzer water bottles for him up the stairs from my car. (I have read the thread about how everyone loves their SodaStream because of the convenience.) But is it truly cost effective?

For example, the carbonator and the drink packets seem rather expensive when you factor in the reality that my boyfriend and I both drink at least one 33.8 FL OZ (1 QT 1.8 FL OZ) 1 LITER a day. Because I'm home all day, I could easily go through two of these bottles to get my 8 - 8 OZ glasses of water a day. The SodaStream site says their flavor packets run about $9.99 for around 33 - 8 OZ drinks. Realistically, that's four bottles of carbonated water from the store, which costs around $0.50 here for the plain flavored seltzer waters I drink or $0.79 for the diet seltzers my boyfriend drinks (unless I'm doing the math wrong, which is a strong possibility since I'm a writer and not a mathematician). Then there's the cost of the carbonator canisters, which seems quite high. They even recommend you have three canisters on hand at a time. How often have you had to change these, and how much are the refills you can get at retail stores? I noticed that not all carbonators seem to be refillable as well.

Basically, I'm interested in knowing if the SodaStream has actually saved anyone money? How much do you spend on the SodaStream monthly do you think? Or is it mainly the convenience of having it that everyone loves?
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Replies

  • aims78
    aims78 Posts: 75 Member
    I have never heard of it, so I am not sure on this one sweetie, sorry!
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
    I think it's a gimmick. You are better off buying seltzer in the store, because buying all those refills really adds up, plus it takes more time and effort and you still might reach for the convenient bottle of seltzer in the store when in a rush.

    Though carbonated beverages (yes, even carbonated water like seltzer) are supposedly bad for you... Lots of tests have been conducted on bone health deteriorating, stomach health, etc from the CO2 in carbonated beverages. So my suggestion would be to save even more money and start drinking regular water. :smile:
  • Hambone23
    Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
    /bump For more opinions, purty please. :}
  • carlageek
    carlageek Posts: 32 Member
    I think it's a gimmick. You are better off buying seltzer in the store, because buying all those refills really adds up, plus it takes more time and effort and you still might reach for the convenient bottle of seltzer in the store when in a rush.

    Disagree completely. I spend MUCH less on the gas refills (about $15 every other month or so; I live in a household of two so your mileage may vary) than I did on bottled seltzer.

    It doesn't take considerably more time and effort than stocking bottled seltzer, and it takes a LOT less room.

    And, it's a whole heck of a lot fewer plastic bottles moving through my home.

    I can't speak to using SodaStream for anything other than seltzer - I'm not much into flavored sodas - but for seltzer, it's a very good deal and no more of a strain on my time than bottled seltzer. I love it.
  • Hambone23
    Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
    I think it's a gimmick. You are better off buying seltzer in the store, because buying all those refills really adds up, plus it takes more time and effort and you still might reach for the convenient bottle of seltzer in the store when in a rush.

    Disagree completely. I spend MUCH less on the gas refills (about $15 every other month or so; I live in a household of two so your mileage may vary) than I did on bottled seltzer.

    It doesn't take considerably more time and effort than stocking bottled seltzer, and it takes a LOT less room.

    And, it's a whole heck of a lot fewer plastic bottles moving through my home.

    I can't speak to using SodaStream for anything other than seltzer - I'm not much into flavored sodas - but for seltzer, it's a very good deal and no more of a strain on my time than bottled seltzer. I love it.

    I could see it being really useful for plain seltzer. Thanks for that take on it. I'd only have to worry about my boyfriend's flavor packs then. Hm. $15 every month or so ain't bad.
  • SKastanis
    SKastanis Posts: 11
    My husband and I got one as a wedding present, and we LOVE it. It's great because they carry diet soda as well as regular. I don't drink it as often as my husband, but it's so great to have for when I do have a soda craving. Plus having a variety of soda options is pretty awesome. It's got to be cheaper than regular soda, since you get the syrup for about $5, and it makes a ton of soda.
  • erxkeel
    erxkeel Posts: 553 Member
    I think its VERY cost effective. The only draw back is getting the CO2 refilled/replaced.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    I think it saves money over cans, but not bottles on sale. I have found that Coke and Pepsi switch sales every week, so if you are flexible, it won't save you money.
  • Hambone23
    Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
    Hm. Thanks for all the replies. It helps a lot to get different opinions.
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
    Giving up soda and sticking with water and tea would be even more cost-effective. Just a thought.....
  • shelleylynnb
    shelleylynnb Posts: 11
    I have the Soda stream and I love it. I think it does help the environment by not having to buy all those other plastic bottles afterwards. Plus, buying soda bottles can be heavy. I don't even buy the bottled water any more because of it being so heavy; I have a Brita filter pitcher and love it. But anyway, I buy my Soda Stream soda flavors at Bed Bath and Beyond and the flavors cost me $4.99 each, and I live in expensive southern California. I take the CO2 canister to Bed Bath and Beyond too and I do the canister exchange for $14.95. I like the convenience and the flavor of their sugar free sodas. Between my son and I (He's 20 and loves soda), we go through a canister every 2 weeks and about 2 bottles of syrup. I like the taste of the soda stream better than regular diet sodas plus the Soda Stream flavors that are sugar free have no aspartamine. That's a plus, I think. I bought a Soda Stream for my oldest son and his wife who live in Albuquerque. They also love their Soda Stream and get their soda flavors and CO2 canister exchange at their local Bed Bath and Beyond for about the same price as I pay in southern California.
  • Hambone23
    Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
    Yeah, I'm leaning more toward a Brita attachment. (Our water tastes awful here.) But it definitely sounds like Bed, Bath & Beyond is cheaper than their website.
  • charlottefairbairn
    charlottefairbairn Posts: 19
    Carbonated drinks are usually sugary, not good for your teeth, full of aspartame/phenylalanine (linked to stomach cancer), and the artificial sugars cause your body to crave more real sugars, so you're more likely to go and binge eat to fulfill your craving.

    Also, a SodaStream basic machine is ~$150 - when you add the running costs which people have put above ($5 for one flavour every two weeks, $15 for CO2 every two weeks), that's an upfront expense of $150 and a monthly running cost of at least $40 ($630 a year minimum). That seems a lot to spend on soda, and with the money you save in a year (not to mention the weight you'll lose - trust me), you can buy a treadmill and keep up the good work! http://www.livestrong.com/article/179101-the-best-treadmills-for-under-600/

    One more thing - "no lugging" advertising is silly. If you want to lose weight, hold a 2 litre bottle straight above your head with your arms locked and walk quickly for five minutes, head up, without losing tension in your arms. No more flabby arms and it'll force you to lock in your core. Or you can do some very basic bicep and tricep presses with the shopping bags - just lift them up and relax (and repeat) on your walk back from the store. Lugging suddenly looked attractive :)

    If your water tastes disgusting you could just drink no added sugar squash or fruit juice. It's virtually calorie free and since it is fructose based, your body won't crave sugars afterwards. Failing all of that, a splash of fresh lemon or lime juice can liven up water a bit and the antioxidants will flush your skin out leaving you glowing and fabulous. Hooray! Hope this helps x
  • carlageek
    carlageek Posts: 32 Member
    Also, a SodaStream basic machine is ~$150 - when you add the running costs which people have put above ($5 for one flavour every two weeks, $15 for CO2 every two weeks), that's an upfront expense of $150 and a monthly running cost of at least $40 ($630 a year minimum).

    Or, in my case, $0 for flavor, since I only use it for seltzer, and $15 for CO2 every two MONTHS. That compares very favorably to the $10/week I used to pay for a flat of seltzer. The initial outlay paid for itself in no time.

    As a seltzer-maker, there is nothing terribly gimmicky or newfangled about SodaStream. One or two generations ago this was commonly how people got seltzer in their homes - you took a seltzer bottle equipped with a gas cartridge, filled it with water, and squeezed the trigger to carbonate the water. Some folks still have access to these - I kind of like them, but since I don't have one, the SodaStream is a very good alternative.

    Example of the kind of seltzer bottle I mean: http://www.auntjudysattic.com/seltzers/handh.jpg
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I think it's a gimmick. You are better off buying seltzer in the store, because buying all those refills really adds up, plus it takes more time and effort and you still might reach for the convenient bottle of seltzer in the store when in a rush.

    Though carbonated beverages (yes, even carbonated water like seltzer) are supposedly bad for you... Lots of tests have been conducted on bone health deteriorating, stomach health, etc from the CO2 in carbonated beverages. So my suggestion would be to save even more money and start drinking regular water. :smile:

    Thanks You, very well said.

    Once it is carbondated, it is no longer just water and the carbonation is really bad for us.
  • Hambone23
    Hambone23 Posts: 486 Member
    Oh, goodness. Carbonated water does not hurt you in any way, and it is preferable to coke or diet coke, which does have harmful additives and which I was not asking about. Do a quick google and you'll find newspaper, science, and health articles which all say the same thing: seltzer water is no better or worse for you than regular water.

    Here's one blog that separates fact from myth about carbonated water and which references actual medical studies:

    http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/is-carbonation-bad-for-you.aspx

    I gave up coke over a year ago, and then I gave up diet coke about six months ago. I only drink regular carbonated water--not even the flavored kind--simply because I like the way the carbonation feels inside my mouth. (My boyfriend drinks the diet seltzer water, but that's his business and preferable to the 12 pack of Coke he used to polish off in two days if you ask me.) If I must have a vice, I hardly think this is one to get excited over. I was merely asking if the SodaStream was cost effective.

    Thank you to everyone who gave me numbers and real feedback. I appreciate it. :}
  • ejpoeta
    ejpoeta Posts: 1 Member
    Yes, water is better for you. Yes it is preferable. But sometimes you want something else. Sometimes I like a pop now and then. I tend to not have it around because if it isn't here I don't drink it. Sodastream seems more like a way to do this not that. It is most likely better than commercial carbonated beverages. If you are only having a little here or there it seems like a great way to avoid drinking it because it's there. Like when I make the kids kool-aid one glass at a time so they can't drink 2 quarts in half a day. I have been thinking about it and trying to figure out the cost benefit. I really get annoyed however when you ask about something and people tell you don't do that. It's better not to eat that at all. People are trying to be better and more conscious about things and people trying to make you feel bad about even working your way towards that goal tends to make a person not even ask.
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
    I was going to buy it, then i saw my friends she had one, the soda tasted generic, and the prices of everything were so high it was cheaper to buy my pepsi
  • robinb07
    robinb07 Posts: 33 Member
    We have one, but I don't really think it saves us any money. It was more about having less bottles and cans around the house. Plus, in Massachusetts where we lived when we got it, there was a bottle/can deposit that you had to pay on each can (so an extra .60 for every 12 pack of soda.) Having the Soda Stream was a way to get around having to deal with taking the cans back to the store to get the refund.

    As for the CO2 refils, you can take them to any Bed Bath & Beyond- they give you a discount for swapping out your empty one and you are allowed to use their $5 off or 20% off coupons.
  • kenyonl85
    kenyonl85 Posts: 217 Member
    I love my soda stream. You can make almost any drink you want carbonated. You can get creative and make your own syrup mixes. You know exactly what you are putting into your body. Not really sure how it compares to buying soda from the store cost wise, but it beats lugging home bottles of soda. You can make a fresh batch of soda whenever you like so you never end up with flat soda.

    I've had mine for about 4-5 years now.
  • fadumpt
    fadumpt Posts: 4 Member
    I don't know if someone else mentioned it but the flavor packs are completely optional.
    Once you make the seltzer, add whatever you want to flavor it.
    I'm sure the internet is riddled with ways of making seltzer into something else.
    My parent's just bought one of these and all my dad did was pour a bit of maple syrup in his glass and it was good.
  • brent_loski
    brent_loski Posts: 1
    from sodastreamUSA website february 3, 2014
    "3. What will it cost me to make a bottle of soda or seltzer?

    After your initial purchase of a home soda maker package, you'll enjoy seltzer and sparkling water in reusable 1-liter PET bottle for just $.25 per liter and flavored sodas for about $.25 per can, before any applicable shipping charges. Penguin and Crystal machine users will pay just $.40 per liter of premium sparkling water and as little as $.82 per liter of fresh gourmet soda. (Note to Penguin and Crystal lovers: Each glass carafe holds about 2/3 of a liter.) When applicable -- and depending on location and order size -- shipping... adds $.03 to $.06 per liter. "

    I find this very expensive.. 25 cents a can translates to $3 for a 12-pack, $6 for 24, $9 for 36. brand name soda can be had for less on sale, and the 36-packs are always $9 at the shopping clubs ..

    .82 cents per liter translates to $1.64 for a 2 liter.. you can get brand name soda for less than that even when it isn't on sale (often $1 on sale), and you can always get generic soda for under $1 for a 2-liter..

    on top that "shipping ... adds $.03 to $.06 per liter"

    plus the initial set up costs of $150, plus you are using your water (which adds costs if it is bottled) and doing work.. and the machine and equipment wont last forever.. and you'll have to clean
  • Inc1961
    Inc1961 Posts: 34 Member
    If you are interested. The best deal I have found recently is from WalMart
    You receive a $10 WalMart Card and a $20 rebate

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/SodaStream-Genesis-Home-Soda-Maker-Starter-Kit-with-Bonus-10-Gift-Card-and-20-Mail-in-Rebate/37813903

    If you drink straight seltzer. This makes it much more affordable. Exchange the canisters at Bed Bath and Beyond using a 20% or $5 off coupon. e mailed coupons expire, ones that are in flyers or mailed to you do not. Thus, they are about $15 for an exchanged cylinder.
  • SamLD88
    SamLD88 Posts: 111 Member
    I have one and it's been retired to our gimmick cabinet. Not because it wasn't awesome, but because I realized that most of their products are sweetened with Splenda, which I can't have because of my migraines. It IS an expensive upfront cost, but the "normal" flavorings aren't bad. My problem was that I needed to get the "naturally" sweetened stuff, which was 2x more expensive and had less servings in it. So it fell by the wayside, and we mostly drink water unless there's a great sale on soda (~$.25/can or something).
  • chrissi_k
    chrissi_k Posts: 175 Member
    A bottle of seltzer water cost here between $0.57 and $3.00 depending which one you buy. A gas tank for about 60 bottles costs between $3.00 and $15, first time purchase $29. You can refill the gas tank with dry ice yourself if you feel comfortable and secure enough to do it right (see YouTube). I like my water with a lot of fizz and we get between 55-60 bottles out of one tank. So $15/60 = $0.25/bottle plus cost of water :) add cost of flavor if you want it flavored. You can exchange the tanks almost everywhere and with a coupon (like 20% off from bed bath and beyond) you'll be able to save a little bit on refills too.

    I wouldn't go back to buying bottles because of the plastic we save alone. :)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,962 Member
    In the UK, the gas refills are £10 and do 60 litres, which makes it slightly cheaper than buying carbonated water. I love my soda stream mainly because I don't have to lug bottles of water any more. It's also more environmentally friendly not having to use all those plastic bottles.
  • mizroxy13
    mizroxy13 Posts: 466 Member
    Extremely cost effective! I use mine all of the time for just seltzer water and sometimes muddle fruit in the bottom of my glass and make refreshing drinks with it. I never buy the syrups because I don't like soda, but love bubbly water and it saves lots of money and is super super convenient!

    Also, you're not wasting all of those plastic bottles...
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
    Giving up soda and sticking with water and tea would be even more cost-effective. Just a thought.....

    Bourbon and water is good...but I still like my bourbon with a splash of diet lemon lime or cola
  • greenfirearm
    greenfirearm Posts: 120 Member
    You really don't need to use their flavourings. Make your own. Get some low calorie squash (in the UK we have Vimto, the reduced sugar version I LOVE) and Vimto also *is* an alternative fizzy (soda) drink. I've never owned one, but my parents used to have one for my older brother and sisters when they were little, and I recall them saying they used orange squash.

    The only issue I'd have is the cost of replacing the cartridges, although all that is is carbon monoxide. You could probably make yourself a nifty little DIY soda stream.

    Alternative, try squash (cordial, w/e) alternatives if it's about having a flavoured drink more than a fizzy drink. I'm not sure how common they are in the US.
  • Jelaan
    Jelaan Posts: 815 Member
    We have two 20 yr old sons (and a husband) who drink a lot of pop. I got tired of going to different stores to find a bargain and then carrying home heavy cases. Our Soda Stream cost $99C and the syrup bottles are about $7 from Walmart. New cannisters cost $30 but we get refills about every 2-3 weeks from ECS Coffee tor $17. We have become inventive using syrups and fresh juice to flavour the water. Instead of having 7 cases of different types of pop we now have 7 small bottles and way less to put out for recycling. The interesting and welcome side benefit has been that they actually drink less pop because now they have to think about it instead of just grabbing another can of something and downing it. They are drinking more water and juice and have become more aware of how much they were actually drinking. We are spending less money, have more space in our pantry and less plastic/cans in recycling. The only thing we lost out on was my workout carrying the cases home lol. I would rather use my weights anyway.
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