Does anyone have a soda stream just for water?

[ChipButtyNotABap]

Does it save money in the long run, or is it just a bit better for the environment?

DH and I only drink sparking water at home. We tend to buy cheaper ones for everyday so it's 50p-£1 for a 2 litre bottle. We drink at least one of these a day. We recycle the plastic bottles.

If I were to get a soda stream, which one would anyone recommend? Lakeland only have one review each so it's not that helpful 😆

Yes we do - got sick of the amount of empty plastic bottles. Don’t think
It’s any cheaper but definitely feels more eco friendly!

Just watching because we're thinking this too! We had a soda stream when I was a kid and I thought it was a cheap way of getting pop but when I last looked a soda stream was nearly £100!!

Thank you, @PetraDelphiki I am trying to cut down on plastic, even recyclable stuff. It's proving more tricky that I thought though!

Do you know which model you have? There are two main ones it looks like in Lakeland:

www.lakeland.co.uk/72370/SodaStream-Spirit-Sparkling-Water-Maker-with-60L-Gas-Cylinder

www.lakeland.co.uk/73366/Sodastream-Crystal-Sparkling-Water-Maker-Black-with-60L-Gas-Cylinder

We'd be using it at least twice a day if that makes any difference.

We do. It costs us more, but so much better not having the empty bottles. We used 10x2ltrs a week (17p from aldi/lidl) - a gas bottle costs about 13 and lasts three weeks. I buy two at a time.

It also saves me filling the car with bottles of water at the supermarket!

Yes! We use ours all the time. I think cost per use it probably works out the same as buying bottled water but it's SO much better for the environment.

Ours cost £60 from the range.

@InDubiousBattle we didn't have one when I was little but I was in AWE of those families that did. Much envy!

Maybe I am just trying to make up for my childhood and I should buy a cheap Mr Frostie instead 😆 something else I never had

I like the look of the glass bottles that go with them. It would look much nicer than the plastic ones I have now.

I use a sodastream just for sparkling water. I have the one with the glass bottles, which is much nicer and more eco friendly than having plastic bottles.

@actiongirl1978 that's what Dh said, it would cost more...

What does it taste like compared to the Aldi versions? I love expensive sparkling mineral water but it's out of my price range day to day. We have okay-ish tasting tap water. Not London anymore thank goodness!

It's the crystal one you have linked below that I have. I got it much cheaper than that though on an amazon deal.

Yes we do. Have had one for about ten years now (although on my second one) for just that purpose. I upgraded when the plastic bottles reached end of life and bought a glass one. Once you've had it enough time to factor in the cost of the machine, I'd say we save money (and plastic which is my main motivator). We probably replace the gas bottle once a month and use at least two bottles of fizzy water every day with dinner.

I do. When you take into account the cost of the machine and the gas it doesn't really save money, but I'm probably sending 200 fewer plastic bottles to landfill each year, so I'm happy with that.

Ours tastes fine, though if you leave it sitting in the bottle for too long, it tastes like gone off tap water.

My mum does - she claims still water sits badly on her stomach (?!) and she uses the soda stream to make very slightly carbonated water. Bottled sparkling water is apparently too gassy.

Yep, got one for my birthday. I’m addicted! Had it since November and on my third canister, DH told me you can get them refilled but I took the empty ones to a stockist and it seems not. So £25ish for 2 canisters/2 months.

This is such a good idea! I see Boots have a fairly basic one on offer for £40 - might be worth a try?

The Lakeland website has tonic water concentrates, amongst other things, which would help us to reduce our packaging waste by an embarrassing amount further - can they be used in conjunction with any SodaStream machine, like the cheap one from Boots, or only certain models?

My parents do. Though they find they have to use water that's been standing in a jug for a while rather than direct from the tap, otherwise it tastes weird. Must just be something to do with their local water.

Also, making Ecobricks might ease your conscience a bit. Although of course better to reduce your use of plastic bottles in the first place.

We do, we use filtered water in it. Not sure it's cheaper but we use loads less plastic.

Yes, we use ours for just fizzy water. It's definitely not cheaper, but not filling the recycling bins with all the bottles is good.

Lakeland sell the cheapest canisters, Argos are expensive.

@BendyDickCuminsnatch (brilliant name BTW), they don't refill the canister there and then, but you're swapping the empties rather than buying new, yes?

@BendydickCuminsnatch We are doing that!!!

We are on our sixth bottle so far and we only started at the beginning of last week 🙈 That is what is making me think about reducing plastic full stop.

I don't know what the DC's school is going to do with them, but they had as assembly about it and have had loss handed in so far. I didn't realise it had a name or a website. Thank you 😊

*lots handed in

Yes
Life changing
Was on quite expensive bottled mineral water
Far prefer the taste
Has assuaged my plastic guilt

We’ve got one as I got sick of the plastic bottles as I hate our tap water. I love it! One of our better kitchen gadgets we bought! It’s deifnitely better for the environment as or recycling bin has halved since we got it, it use to always be full. Money wise it’s probably slightly cheaper for us but I don’t like it super carbonated so don’t use as much as the recommended.

bendydick You can exchange empty metal canisters for full ones for about half the price of a new canister. Lakeland are the cheapest I have found but Argos also do them (ours in is our local Sainsburys)