Buying guide for best soda makers
If your seltzer or soda habit has you wracked with guilt over the amount of waste you're producing, it might be time to switch to a soda maker. Soda makers add carbon dioxide to water to create carbonated water (also known as seltzer, sparkling water or fizzy water). You can then add syrup to the carbonated water to create flavored soda.
Tap water is the base for seltzer, but you’ll need to buy syrups for flavored soda. Of course, you can also get creative with your sparkling water. Instead of adding syrups, you can infuse it with fruits and herbs for a more subtly flavored drink that foregoes sugar or artificial sweeteners.
The SodaStream Terra is our top choice; it's sleek, compact and simple to use, with just one button to press and no electricity needed. The BestReviews Testing Lab also evaluated the SodaStream Art, which stood out for its ease of use and fun retro design.
Our list: The best soda makers
If you're looking for the best home soda maker, the SodaStream Terra is our number one. We love how compact and streamlined it is, measuring 5 inches wide, 8 inches deep and 17 inches high. It looks good on the countertop and comes in black, white, red or misty blue. You can buy it with one bottle and CO2 canister or in a bundle with three bottles and two canisters.
You carbonate water by simply pressing a button on the top of the machine. It doesn't need power, so you don't have to position it near an outlet. You can easily adjust the level of effervescence by adjusting how many times you press the button. SodaStream recommends three presses for a light sparkle, five presses for medium carbonation and seven presses for extra fizzy water. Each press takes just two seconds.
Although it's different from a standard soda maker machine, this soda siphon is perfect for buyers on a budget. Like all soda makers, it uses CO2 to carbonate water; however, it uses individual iSi soda charger pods instead of a single large canister. To fizz your water, fill the soda siphon, attach the charger pod and shake vigorously. You can then dispense water from the siphon.
This method is quick, but it doesn't let you adjust the carbonation level. It's fully manual, so you don't need access to a power outlet, which makes it great for picnics and al fresco dining.
What's cool about this DrinkMate soda maker is that you can use it to carbonate other beverages, not just water. You can fizz up infused water, homemade beer and flat soda. Want to turn your standard white wine or rose into sparkling wine? The DrinkMate can do that.
There's a button on the top of the machine that, when pressed, makes your drink fizzy, and you can adjust the carbonation level by pressing it more than once. Each press takes just a few seconds and there's no power required in the carbonation process. Measuring 5 inches wide, 8 inches deep and 16 inches high, it's countertop-friendly. A single 1-liter bottle is included or you can buy a package with two bottles.
This affordable soda maker machine is a little bulkier than some at approximately 8 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep and 18.5 inches high. However, it's effective and easy to use, requiring no electricity. It comes with a 1-liter carbonator bottle and is compatible with any standard CO2 canister, but you don't get one included.
You press a button on top of the soda maker to fizz your water, adjusting how effervescent it is by pressing it more or fewer times. You only need to press it for a couple of seconds each time, so it takes around 10 to 30 seconds to carbonate your water.
We tested out the SodaStream Art and found it effective and easy to use. It's fully manual and has a lever on the side that you pull down to inject the water with CO2. We found this process simple and liked how effortless it was to make the water extra fizzy when we wanted to, just by pulling the lever a few more times. We noted that it only takes a couple of seconds for each lever pull, so the whole carbonation process takes well under 30 seconds.
We liked the retro design of the machine and found it fit under our wall cabinets. At around 7 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep and 17 inches high, it isn't the smallest soda maker, but it isn't too bulky, either.
If you're serious about sparkling water, consider this Aarke soda maker. It's made from metal, rather than plastic like most soda-making machines, so it looks attractive and is built to last. It's manual and has a lever that you pull down to add carbonation. This lets you easily adjust how fizzy your water is by changing the number of times you pull the lever.
It measures roughly 6 inches wide, 10 inches deep and 16 inches high, so it fits neatly on most counters — and it looks so good you'll want to leave it out all the time.
Thanks to its two-stage pressure release valve, you can carbonate more than just water in this soda maker without creating a mess. You can add fizz to beer, flat soda, wine, cocktails and infused water as well.
It's manual with a press-button mechanism that you can press multiple times to adjust the level of sparkle. You only need to press it for a couple of seconds each time, so it's extremely quick. It measures around 5 inches wide, 11 inches deep and 18 inches high. It comes with a single 1-liter bottle but no CO2 cylinder, so you'll need to buy that separately.
How we tested
In addition to thoroughly researching soda makers in general, we tested the SodaStream Art. Here's what we examined.
Ease of use
- Setup: We looked at how quick it was to set the machine up and connect the CO2 canister.
- Attaching the bottle: It should be seamless to connect the bottle and fix it securely to avoid leaks, so this was an area we paid particular attention to.
Design
- Appearance: Looks aren't everything, but it's nice to have attractive kitchen appliances, so we considered how happy we'd be to display the soda maker on our counters.
- Size: We determined the dimensions and how much counter space the machine took up.
Adding the fizz
- Carbonating: A top-notch soda maker lets you quickly add fizz to your water, so we examined the carbonation process.
- Carbonation level: We examined the level of carbonation and how easy it was to get very fizzy water.
What to know before buying a soda maker
Drink types
All fizzy drinks are not created equal. Of the different types that are available, most can be created with a soda-making machine.
- To create club soda, you’ll usually be adding potassium bicarbonate to tap water. This process is not something most soda makers can do. You can also add other ingredients, like sodium citrate, to create different flavors of club soda.
- Both seltzer and sparkling water consist of carbon dioxide mixed with water. No flavoring or other minerals are added to this type of water. Soda makers can create this beverage.
- If you want to create soda varieties including orange soda, cola or fizzy water of another flavor, you must first create carbonated water with your soda maker. Then, you must add sweet, flavored syrup to the drink.
- To create tonic water, you must first create sparkling water with your soda maker. Then, you must add a tonic mix to the sparkling water.
Adding carbonation
Many soda makers require these basic steps to create carbonated water:
- Install a carbon dioxide cartridge in the machine.
- Insert the water bottle.
- Push a button (or flip a lever) to begin the carbonation process.
Depending on its size, a single carbon dioxide cartridge can create anywhere from 1 quart to 15 gallons of sparkling water. You may suppose a larger cartridge would be more convenient because you wouldn’t have to replace it as often. However, some soda makers only accept one specific cartridge size.
A few soda makers use dissolvable tablets instead of a cartridge. Others use a pod system similar to that of a single-serve coffee maker. If you select a soda maker that uses a tablet or pod system, understand that you won’t be able to control the concentration of carbonation in your final product.
Amount of carbonation
The more carbon dioxide you use, the more bite you’ll get in your sparkling water. Best case, you should be able to adjust how fizzy your water is. When it comes to electric machines, there may be an on-screen menu or several buttons, each one representing a specific level of carbonation.
With manual machines, there's only one level of carbonation available, but you can hit the button or pull the lever multiple times to make your water more fizzy. In this case, you'll usually find information in the instruction manual telling you how many times to hit the carbonation button or pull the lever for your desired level of sparkle.
Time to complete carbonation
The time required to complete the carbonation process varies depending on the machine. However, it's usually just a matter of seconds. Almost all machines make sparkling water in under 30 seconds, but many take less than 10 seconds. However, this doesn't factor in the time taken to fill the bottle, fit it in place in the machine and remove it. The whole process might take a minute or two.
Machine size
Some soda makers require more counter space than others, and some stand taller than others. Before choosing a machine, make sure its dimensions fit your available space.
Power
Some soda makers require electrical power to inject carbon dioxide into the water. These machines must be plugged into a wall outlet. Other units don’t need electricity; pressure from the carbon dioxide cartridge mixes the sparkling water.
Ease of use
Some soda makers are easier to use than others. For example, the water bottle might snap smoothly into place — or you may find yourself awkwardly trying to screw the bottle into place with a bit of elbow grease. Some carbon dioxide cartridges are easier to replace than others, too.
Bottles and accessories
All soda makers come with at least one carbonation bottle. However, if you want to make different types of soda or get through a lot of sparkling water, you might find it useful to have more than one bottle. In this case, you may save money by purchasing a package with several bottles. Some models also come with extras such as soda syrups and multiple CO2 cartridges.
Cost of operation
Although a soda maker can be a fun appliance to have in your kitchen, don’t automatically assume you’re going to save a bunch of money by using it. Your costs will include the purchase of the machine, replacement cartridges and syrups. If you think you’re going to be able to save money by making your own soda at home (versus getting bottles of soda at the store), you could be disappointed.
Machine costs
You could pay anywhere from $50 to $300 for a soda maker. Machines that allow you to control the level of carbonation cost more, as do some name-brand appliances.
Operational costs
A cheap soda maker may appeal to your wallet initially, but in the long run, it may carry higher operational costs. We advise potential buyers to keep these tips in mind:
- It pays to be prepared. Research the cost of replacement cartridges or tablets for a specific model before purchase.
- Some manufacturers provide a “cost per liter” estimate in their marketing materials. This is helpful information to have.
- As a general rule, systems that require smaller cartridges cost more to operate than a system that uses larger cartridges.
- Some manufacturers may try to make their machines appear more desirable price-wise by including extra cartridges or soda syrups with the initial purchase. Whether this represents true savings depends on how often you'll use the machine.
Other costs
- Injecting a higher concentration of carbonation into the water will cost more in the long run. If you prefer your sparkling water to have more bite, it follows that you’ll need to change cartridges more often.
- A soda maker that requires electrical power will cost a little more to operate than one that doesn’t. For many consumers, however, the additional expense is negligible.
Tips for making your own soda
- Use cold water for best results. Most soda maker manufacturers recommend the use of cold tap or filtered water, as carbon dioxide gas mixes better with cold water than room temperature water. Cold water also requires less carbon dioxide to achieve the same level of fizziness as room temperature water. So, using cold water will save you money on cartridge replacement in the long run.
- Have fun experimenting. Playing around with carbonation levels and syrup mixtures may lead to the discovery of a delicious new beverage. It may also lead to an awful-tasting flop, but you’ll never know until you try. Our advice: Don’t be afraid to experiment with your soda maker.
- Refrigerate your fizzy water. Carbonated water made with a soda machine won’t remain fizzy for quite as long as soda or seltzer purchased from a store. If you store it in the refrigerator, the water should maintain its level of carbonation for three to five days before starting to go flat.
FAQ
Q. What’s the most important feature of a quality soda maker?
A. Having the ability to choose and adjust the level of carbonation in your beverage is perhaps the most useful feature in a soda-making machine. This is important because the concentration of carbonation in the water greatly affects the way the sparkling water tastes. However, a machine with this capability tends to cost more. Notably, you cannot control the degree of carbonation with a machine that uses tablets or pods.
Q. Is a soda siphon the same as a soda maker?
A. No, these are different devices. Two types of soda siphons are available for purchase. One type is a bottle that contains pre-carbonated water. (Some people call it a seltzer bottle). Another type of soda siphon is a bottle of tap water with a plastic top screwed onto it. The plastic part contains a small carbon dioxide cartridge that carbonates the water as you expel it from the plastic siphon.
A soda maker is a machine that adds carbon dioxide to tap water to create carbonated water. The carbon dioxide cartridge fits inside the machine. Most soda makers can create far more carbonated water at a time than a soda siphon.
Q. How long does a soda maker last?
A. As long as you keep the parts of the machine cleaned properly, a soda maker should last several years. Most manufacturers recommend a cleaning schedule for you.
That said, a machine that’s made of metal will probably last longer than one made of plastic. Metal options include aluminum and stainless steel. Metal versions cost more than plastic ones, but if you’re really into making your own soda, this could be the right option for you.
Q. Can I use any bottle with my soda maker?
A. Unfortunately, no. The bottle needs to be able to fit inside the machine. If it doesn’t fit properly or is loose in the machine, the process of adding carbonation may knock the bottle out of place. This could result in water leakage and a significant mess.
Some bottles must be screwed into place. If you buy a product like this, the bottle shipped with the machine should have the correct threads. Other types of machines use a snapping mechanism to fit the bottle into place. You should be able to buy spare bottles that fit your machine.
