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Equipment & Gear: Soda-Club (SodaStream)
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Considering this
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:32 am    Post subject: Home made Vs Soda Club Reply with quote

I just read some of the other articles mentioned here and have been thinking about this for a while. Main reason is I drink a lot of club soda as my diabetes reacts to both regular and diet sodas the same in regards to blood sugar and it is getting to be a thing if you consider all the energy that it takes to not only make the bottles but to recycle them as well. Making my own would not only save me money but help the planet. My only question would be as I live in an apartment is this considered an issue having that type of tank in house, even using the tubing that would let go if the regulator failed open?
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elijahmm
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 10:10 pm    Post subject: Brief Rant on Carbonated Juice Reply with quote

I also use industrial CO2 for my home brew and the supplier I use even offers to refill my bottle as opposed to an exchange.

With the concentrated juice I would recommend using a more highly carbonated water because a considerable amount will be lost while stirring / shaking. However, I have found that using carbonated water + juice is a work around for not having a carbonator for your juice. Why not cut out he middle man and carbonate the juice directly?

A note on carbonation: Don't forget that the amount of CO2 you can disolve in a liquid varies with the temperature and that mechanical agitation (stirring, shaking, etc.) accelerates the co2 going into and coming out of solution depending on the partial pressure of co2 in the container vs. the liquid. Carbonation level is an equation dependent on the pressure of co2 and the temperature. I'm always impatient with my beer and force carbonate it in about 10 minutes by shaking 5 gallons of cold beer hooked up to a live, high pressure co2 line. When I'm done I really need some rest and a beer! ;-)
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archangelcat
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:46 pm    Post subject: Soda Club, is it really fizzy? Reply with quote

I really want to do this, we use the little Schweppes bottle that are nice and fizzy for drink mixes, I wouldn't be making flavored soda. But we're tired of spending $4.50 sis pack, and would love it if this would fit our needs. I don't find that most sparkling waters hold up to vodka, my husband thinks the smaller ones that are shown here might not be more like Crystal Geyser than club soda...

Also are the 3 models featured similar in price, I konw the penguiin is more because of it's design, but how about the other 2, would you find one superior for carbonation levels?

Thanks very much for your help.
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:35 am    Post subject: Re: Soda Club, is it really fizzy? Reply with quote

archangelcat wrote:
Also are the 3 models featured similar in price, I konw the penguiin is more because of it's design, but how about the other 2, would you find one superior for carbonation levels?

The carbonating abilities of all three devices are the same. You can get more bubbles into the water by pressing the button a bit more - squirting in more carbon dioxide and then waiting about 20-30 seconds and doing it again. It uses more gas, but you get lots and lots of bubbles.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:48 pm    Post subject: Bottles Reply with quote

We always had a SodaMaker because its so much easier than carrying liters and liters of sodawaterbottles upstairs.
But - as a long time user I have to say that the plastic bottles get shabby and dont look nice after a while, also you can not put them into the dishwasher or use boiling water to clean them.
That´s why we bought the Penguin - the bottles are made of glass, look good on the table and are dishwashersafe.

Susanne
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:30 am    Post subject: The plastic bottles Reply with quote

Having done the math it is still a deal although not quite as good as they state.* Considering my need for the beverage and my requirement for a better way than countless returns I have decided to get this for myself as an early xmas present. While I have found a place nearby that sells the product. So I intend to do the internet starter setup with the 2 bottle of CO2, then do the replacements at the store that is only 4 miles from me. I think the saving as far as recycles is enough for me to do this. I had considered making one but like many it is just easier this way.
*They are selling a product -)
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misobrilliant



Joined: 16 Nov 2007
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 2:05 am    Post subject: I've bought a Soda Club and built my own carbonator as well Reply with quote

I've built my own system which you can find on kk.org by clicking the link to: http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/cat_kitchen.php.
If you scroll down two or three articles, you'll see the one by me with a photo of my home carbonating system. In that photo, you'll also see my Soda Club. The advantages of building your own is significant, particularly if you drink a lot of bubbly watter.

Firstly, my system cost me only $75 bucks (vs the $100 bucks for the Soda Club) including the CO2 cannister, which I got on eBay. You'll want to buy the cheapest CO2 cannister that you can find, as when you get it reloaded, you'll be trading in yours for a filled one (so there's little point in buying a new one, only to lose it to someone else).
Secondly, the CO2 cannister in the Soda Club is a proprietary system that requires you to have them refill it. In addition to having intellectual problems with proprietary systems, the cost is quite high. By Soda Club's own admission, the cost of a liter of soda will range from between 0.23 - 0.27 cents (depending on the cost of the syrup that you buy). Mine, however costs less than 0.02 cents per liter (that's more than ten times cheaper for those of you bad in math).

In any event, I think any system beats buying liter after liter in the supermarket as the bottles themselves are bad for our environment, not to mention all the energy it takes to lug liter after liter from the supermarket to the car, to the house.

Misobrilliant
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Soa Dahclub
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:48 pm    Post subject: The secret of how to refill Soda Club tanks! Reply with quote

soadahclub.vox.com
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Condie



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:17 pm    Post subject: Soda Club Cost Counting Reply with quote

Soda Club puts up a great advertisement, but it does not come without a rub. We do not purchase or own the Soda Club carbonators. The $15 License Agreement for each is not a deposit and is nonrefundable. There is also a $2 return fee when we choose not to refill.
Thus far, I have made an average of 93 liters of carbonated water per carbonator – substantially fewer than the 110 liters that were advertised. If that trend continues for the remaining 2 carbonators my total number of liters for the 6 carbonators will be 558, and costs will be as follows.

149.99 - Edition 1 Starter Kit with 3 carbonators w/ license agreement.
74.97 – 2 carbonator refills and one spare w/ license agreement
14.99 – shipping fee for the refills.
55.80 – 558 liters of bottled water (our tap water tastes even worse when carbonated)
$295.75 – Total
$295.75 / 558 liters = $ .53 per liter

So far this is costing me a bit more than the $.50 per liter the generic seltzer water sells for locally at Hyper Mart.

It is understood that I now own the equipment, and will not need to pay an additional license fee for the use of the carbonators. Exchanging three carbonators at a time instead of two will result in lower shipping per carbonator. If the equipment continues to work indefinitely and the bottles do not wear out the future cost will become approximately $ .36 per liter provided by each additional carbonator.

Is it worth it?
The quality of carbonation with 3 buzzes is a bit less than desirable.
It is most convenient, and sure beats carrying all of those heavy bottles from Hyper Mart.
I never need to worry about running out.

Now that I have it, I will probably use the system as long as it continues working.

My usage: I mix it with fruit juice or a bit of whisky. Cranberry or orange juice is wonderful. Sparkling lemon (sweetened with Crème de Menthe) or limeade hits the spot on a hot summer day. My favorite: A tall glass of seltzer with about two fingers of tomato juice and a squirt of lemon.
Burp! Laughing Out Loud
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wildkatoz
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:24 pm    Post subject: Soda Bottle machine Reply with quote

My sons did not believe me when I told them you could not carbonate fruit juice directly and went ahead and tried it anyway, they used apple juice to start because they buy sparkling apple and grape juice normally, but usually at premium prices, and wanted to get the same result, at a cheaper cost.
So they did the usual 3-5 buzzes and waited for a while did another buzz till it "burped" then went away for about ten minutes, I told him to take it outside to open it because I was worried about the mess it would make, but to my surprise there was no explosive result just a nice sparkling apple juice at less than 1/3 the cost of the local 500ML gourmet bottle! Trials were done with a chilled juice and also with berry and apple blends, next we will try grape, and suspect the result will be the same. Note that all these juices were clear, that is no pulp or sediment for the carbonate to cause possible explosive results, but we will try those as well in the future.
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sodaclubrefill
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:22 am    Post subject: Soda Club Alco2jet Co2 refill Reply with quote

Have trouble or tired of paying TOO much for co2 refills. I have the solution! I can either refill your tanks for cheaper or I can sell you an adapter so you can do it yourself.

Email me at SodaClubRefill@yahoo.com for more details
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Dennis
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:27 pm    Post subject: Soda-Club Reply with quote

Is the world insane? Before anyone buys this, do they think about what they’re getting into, costwise? Since most people can’t just run to their local Wal-Mart and buy CO2 cylinders and syrup, the cost of the CO2 is atrocious considering that you must pay the exhorbitant UPS HAZMAT fee for CO2 refills. Also, keep in mind the special bottles and bottle caps, without which you’re out of business. No thanks, I’ll stick to the locally-available soft drink products in a multitude of flavors, both diet and regular, for 69 cents a 2-liter bottle. I put this gadget in the same category as a home breadmaker - You’ll use it a few times, then put it in your next garage sale for $5.00 or whatever you can get.
POWPYP
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Monica
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 1:28 am    Post subject: Soda Club Reply with quote

I tried the soda club gizmo at the Del Mar Fair. As my husband drinks Double Big Gulps like they're going out of style, it would quickly pay for itself. However we were very unimpressed with the flavors - we tried quite a few. The Dr. Pepper, Cola, and Orange - all had a funky taste. Maybe we'll venture out to the fair one time and see if its improved any. Personally, I prefer tea, but like I said my husband...
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:07 am    Post subject: Re: Soda Club Reply with quote

Monica wrote:
However we were very unimpressed with the flavors - we tried quite a few. The Dr. Pepper, Cola, and Orange - all had a funky taste.

Even their non-diet flavors contain Splenda which provides an odd flavor (when compared against pure sugar or high-fructose corn syrup). I recommend finding out where you can buy the syrup for the sodas that you like locally - there's some supplier providing the syrup to your fountain vendors. (The downside to this is that it's probably a really large bag of syrup that you'll have to buy.)
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sunnyt
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:03 pm    Post subject: sodaclub Reply with quote

I love the sodaclub machine. My husband and I use it several times a week, drinking plain seltzer, mixing it with juice, alcohol, whatever we're in the mood for. I do wish the co2 canisters were easier to refill, we ran out last week and it's a testament to the system to see the sudden uptick in our recycling, now full of the plastic soda bottles we've barely had in the house at all since we purchased the machine last spring. We live in a third floor apartment in Brooklyn. Using sodaclub means less heavy bottles to lug several blocks and then upstairs, less trash produced from said bottles, and lots more soda for us. In some areas the sodaclub uses courier services rather than UPS for exchange and delivery, so the UPS hazmat fee mentioned by a previous commenter is not an issue.
As other's mentioned, the $ savings aren't phenomenal, but the choice in how carbonated the water is, the savings for the environment and the savings for my bad back are all more than worth it for us.
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