Soda Stream - frugal or frivolous?!?

[mentaltodolist]

A little background: I drink waaaaay too many diet cokes.
I need to stop this year. I'm worried it's
a) ruining my health b) stupidly expensive.
Since Jan 1st I've been buying big 2l bottles of fizzy water and popping lemon juice in. It's kind of working, but then I have loads of those big bottles to recycle in a small kitchen and it's not really that much cheaper.

So I got to thinking 'Soda Stream'!!! Bottles are re-used so less clutter and after the initial outlay it 'may' be cheaper. However friends have suggested that the gas canister thingies will be expensive.
So what say you? Frugal or Frivolous??

Why do you think soda stream would be any better for your health?

I remember getting one for christmas about 25 years ago I loved the fart sound but the actual taste of the drinks was quite dire! Very cheap sweetened flavourings. Are the flavours any more authentic these days?

Madmum the flavours are pretty much spot on now. Dr Pete and Highland Fizz (no prizes for guessing what they are dupes of!) are perfect, though the highland fizz is clear rather than orange which is a bit odd.
The coke is good as well and if you mix a small amount of cherry syrup you get cherry coke

Oh and Generation is correct....

Sodastream will be moving its factory from an Israeli settlement in the West Bank to a small Negev town in southern Israel. The company says the move will take place by mid-2015

So they're still in the West Bank at the moment, then.

Carbonated water isn't bad for your teeth.

So they're still in the West Bank at the moment, then

I imagine moving an entire factory is somewhat of a slow process and not done overnight. The move is in progress.

We did the sums, as we get through 12-20L of fizzy water a week.

Only it's about 15p a litre with a Sodastream machine (just for the gas, forgetting outlay) and 9p a litre from the supermarket in 2L bottles of value own-brand.

So for us it seemed frivolous. The environmental impact of making the gadget in the first place and the canisters is hardly wonderful so the comparative saintliness doesn't make a huge difference either.

Carbonated drinks, even water are bad for your teeth

In what way are they?

I love my soda stream and wouldn't be without it. I have the crystal carafe one.

Its not cheaper than buying fizzy water at 17p for a 2L bottle however it is more convenient. I used to buy fizzy water but I'd run out, or find that the bottom 3rd of the bottle wasn't fizzy, and it was a faff to recycle all the bottles.

Its a pain getting the gas canisters replaced but we have 3 on the go so only have to do it every now and then, take all 3 down to Dunelm and job done.

I don't use the syrups - we just drink either plain fizzy water or flavour it with squash. I wasn't worried about "health benefits" though - I have various other worse vices than having a fizzy drink instead of a flat one to concentrate on

We wouldn't be without ours now and whilst its not cheaper than buying your own fizzy water, it is cheaper than buying pre mixed cans of drink.

Research from the University of Birmingham:

Sparkling water can erode your tooth enamel. It’s probably not something you need to worry about though, unless you drink carbonated water several times per day. Our saliva can repair the enamel through a process called re-mineralization as long as your teeth aren’t being bathed in the acid constantly

So basically it follows my thoughts of everything in moderation.

That study was referring to flavoured sparkling water SistersofPercy, which isn't really a surprise as it's basically equivalent to any other flavoured drink and therefore moderation is very much recommended.

Unflavoured water is another matter though and I've never seen anything particularly convincing about plain water's damaging effect on teeth.

My dentist told me that there is no issue with carbonated water. I drink 2 litres of it a day with no adverse effect on my teeth.

An old thread but I’m thinking of getting one or the newer aarke one or anyone got a levivo?
Where do you get the flavours from? I’d want to replace Coke Zero mainly

We have owned Sodastreams in the past. They used to be a great alternative and it probably saved us money. However, it seems that the prices of the actual syrups have gone up a lot in recent years, they're increasingly difficult to get hold of in supermarkets, and they're just not good value any more.
It's a shame because it does save a load of space by not having drinks bottles about the place.
I wouldn't go back to Sodastream unless the drinks came down in price, I'm afraid.

Dammit - apologies for responding to a zombie thread, didn't see the date on the OP because somebody re-opened it! Doh!

We use ours everyday to fizz tap water, and drink the plain fizzy water or add cordial sometimes. The canisters last us for ages & we exchange them at Robert Dyas. Very convenient & reduced our plastic waste. Not tried soda stream syrup though.

I love mine. I add juice to the water rather than using the syrups. I find them too sweet for my taste. I earned the cost back within about half a year. Also, I really like that I am not getting through so many plastic bottles. For me in was a great purchase.

Frivolous. Drink tap water, no one needs fizzy sugared water.

I drink a lot of soda water... My recycled bottles (that was hell and I'll never do it again!) paid for my soda steam. Very happy with reduction in plastic consumption. I only use it for fizzy water. Sometimes add lemon juice.

For what it’s worth, I only drink sparkling water and our soda stream has been in the garage for the last ten years. The gas canisters are not cheap and it works out cheaper to buy the brand of water I prefer anyway.

Our soda stream is fantastic. We use it all the time, but add in our own cordial, lemon juice or frozen fruit like raspberries for flavour. Wouldn’t be without it.

@urinetroubleagain sparkling water has no sugar in it. That’s lemonade. Fuzzy water is just water with fuzz. I hate our tap water, tastes like damp dog.

Also, life would be bloody miserable if we only had what we need.
You don’t need carpets, mobile phones, internet access, Netflix or a car, bet you have at least three of those unnecessary luxuries though dontcha.

Fabulous invention- life changing. Also, cutting back on single-use plastics, cost and sugar. What’s not to love?

Want to see a scientific source for saying lightly carbonated tapwater is bad for ones teeth. Sounds a lot like utter bollocks.

Only downside is hand washing the bottles. I rotate 3-4 bottles and it’s a faff. Best solution I’ve found is keeping only clear fizzy water in the bottles (in the fridge). Buy interesting cordials. Put a small amount in a glass and top with clear fizzy. Bottles don’t get sticky, everyone customises their drink, and you don’t run out of clean filled bottles.

Anyone who thinks you need to buy sodastream additive cordials is crazy. Flavour it how you like, cheaply, with healthier flavours. My mum uses a slice of ginger and one of lemon (both fresh) in a mug, topped with the fizzy water as a breakfast cleanser. No need for sugary stuff at all. Although ginger (syrup) cordial is a winner too!

@PeterPanGoesWrong. . Tastes like damp dog. I must remember that one