A REFRESHING fizzy drink is just a button press away with soda making machines.
Sodastream is the best known but there are several other brands on the market giving the original a run for its money.
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Some come with posh designs and others are brightly coloured, and range in price from £69 to £179.
We put them to the test to see which one came top of the (fizzy) pops.
With all of them, you can turn still water from any tap into sparkling – it’s what they are best known for.
But they can also be used to make classic fizzy drinks like lemonade and coca-cola by adding syrups afterwards.
Plus, you can even make tonic and other beverages for adults.
One model – the Omnifizz – even promises to put the fizz back in flat beer or turn your usual wine into sparkling.
But with all other models, any flavouring should always be added after, and you should only ever fizz water – otherwise you risk damaging the machine and will make a very big mess of your kitchen.
The devices all use CO2 cylinders, which can be picked up online or on the high street for around £23 new, and £13 for refills (you swap an old empty one for a new full one).
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Several come with one cylinder when you buy the device to get you started, and all have at least one bottle.
I use mine regularly – at least once a day usually to make a one-litre bottle – and find the gas lasts for over a month. But this can depend on how often you use it of course.
It’s also worth noting none of these soda makers need plugging in, so you can place them anywhere around your kitchen.
Aarke Carbonator 3
- £179 from various retailers, £149 on sale at Lakeland and Amazon
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Swedish company Aarke brings a bit of luxury to the soda maker line-up and the Scandi design is certainly a posh addition to my kitchen counter.
At £179 for the device and a bottle (no gas cylinder), it’s the priciest one I tried.
The sleek handle and round head where you attach the bottle make it look like a posh barrister-style coffee maker.
Where soda makers traditionally have a push down button on top, the Aarke Carbonator 3 has a pull down handle on the side instead – it’s very satisfying to use.
The Aarke will appeal to any design-conscious buyers who enjoy showing off their home on Instagram.
As well as the shape, it comes in a range of appealing materials including steel and copper.
And there are colour options like grey and sand which have a rough-textured powder coat rather than plastic.
But at this price, it’s the look more than anything you’re paying for, as there’s little difference in the end result.
Aarke makes its own gas canisters, but they are compatible with Sodastream’s. The company makes its own flavour drops and drinks mixers, like wild strawberry and bitter orange, with prices starting from around £7 – but the carbonator is compatible with others too.
MySoda Woody
- £69 from finnishdesignshop.com
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Another Scandinavian design, this time from Finland’s My Soda which makes a range of very sleek soda makers including ones that use glass bottles.
The Woody is the cheapest in the range at just £69 and comes with a plastic bottle (no cylinder), but still boasts environmentally friendly credentials – it’s made from wood.
Instead of shiny plastic like some other bargain models, the Woody is made from nearly 100% renewable wood-based composite.
You can pick from five different colours – black, white and two different greys – plus a pleasing millennial pink.
Surprisingly, the material gives the device a nice solid feel, even when pressing the button on top to pump the gas into the water.
It feels much warmer than other shiny plastic models you usually get at this low price point.
The Woody has the best combination of price and design compared to other devices and adds a nice splash of colour if you go for the soft pink.
MySoda doesn’t make its own gas canisters, but they are compatible with Sodastream’s. The company doesn’t currently make its own syrups or flavours, but the Woody is compatible with other makes.
Sodastream Terra
- From £84 from sodastream.co.uk, £55 on sale at Currys
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Sodastream’s Terra is probably what you think of when someone says sparkling drinks maker.
It’s the cheapest model in Sodastream’s range and comes in functional black or white.
You get the device itself, a bottle and a gas cylinder, though there are sets that offer more and these can be better value.
For example, there’s currently an offer direct from the maker with a large and small bottle, plus six syrups including Pepsi and 7up, on top.
This is priced at £84 compared to £110 without when full price (though we spotted the device only on sale for £55).
Sodastream is owned by PepsiCo and launched branded syrups in 2021.
Each one can make nine litres of the fizz, so at around £5 per bottle (though can be cheaper when on offer), that could save a decent amount compared to buying a £1.50 1 litre bottle off the supermarket shelf.
But, these are not just reserved for use with Sodastreams.
You add the flavouring after you’ve fizzed the water, and so they can be used with whichever soda maker you have.
My bugbear with Sodastream is the almond shape of the bottles – full or empty, I’m forever knocking them over.
All the other makes have sturdy flat-bottomed containers that sit nicely on counters and tables. But admittedly that’s a minor personal inconvenience.
If you’re not too fussed about looks and want a device that’s good value for money, Sodastream is a solid bet.
I’d always check for the deals available directly which come with extra flavours and bottles (including smaller bag-sized ones for on the go), which are often cheaper than the device alone in other shops.
Sodastream makes its own gas canisters and a range of syrup flavours.
Sodastream Art
- From £149 from various retailers, £90 on sale at Currys
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Sodastream introduced a new fancier looking device in 2022, the Art model.
It’s far sleeker looking than the basic Terra, with a squarer shape and silver edging as well as a barrister style handle insted of a push button on top.
It’s definitely trying to take on the posher Aarke, and this design would look good on any kitchen counter.
It’s more expensive than the Terra though – £140 versus £110 for the device alone and single gas cylinder when not on sale.
Again, there are sets with extra syrups and bottles that can work out better value for money.
There’s no difference between the two in terms of taste, so you’re paying £30 more for the looks alone.
If that’s what you’re after, it could be worth stretching a bit further for the Aarke, which is as little as £30 more than the Art depending on the deals available.
As the Art is still largely made of plastic and comes in only black and white, I’d fork out the extra if I were primarily after looks, or just go for the cheaper Terra.
As with the Terra, Sodastream makes it’sown gas canisters and a range of syrup flavours.
Drinkmate Omnifizz
- From £90, Amazon and directly
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On first look, the Drinkmake Omnifizz is similar to the Sodastream Terra with its rounded appearance and push button on top.
But there are a few more colour options, including bright blue and red.
What sets the Omnifizz apart – and made it my favourite – is how it works.
With other devices, you fill a bottle with water then twist or turn it into the device before pressing the fizz button, or pulling the lever.
Instead, you have a special nozzle that attaches to the bottle first – then you slot this into the device.
This extra gadget means you can fill your bottle up with anything at all and make it fizzy, not just water.
I tried it with iced tea and apple juice and absolutely loved the results.
Appletiseris one of my favourite drinks, but at between £2 and £3.50 for a 750ml bottle, it’s a pricey (so rare) treat.
You can pick up a standard carton of the fruit juice for just 95p from Aldi though.
Drinkmate which makes the device, promises you can fizz pretty much anything from juices to cocktails, and even make flat soda or beer fizzy again.
While I avoided the suggestion on its website to fizz coffee, I did add sparkle to a glass of wine, and the results were just as good as a shop-bought bottle of fizz.
It’s a little more fiddly to use than others – when you fizz liquids other than water you need to keep a closer eye on it and release the gas via a small valve on the nozzle.
But it’s still straightforward if you read the instructions and totally worth it for the extra drink options it gives you
The £90 price is just for the device and the bottle. Or you can pay £110 or £130 and it comes with one or two cylinders respectively.
It is slightly pricier than the Sodastream when you take into account the price with a cylinder, and compare it to the bundles with the Terra.
For the extra functionality and wider options of what you can use it for, I’d opt for the Omnifizz though.
Drinkmate makes its own gas canisters, but they are compatible with Sodastream’s. The company doesn’t currently make its own syrups or flavours, but the Omnifizz is compatible with other makes and you can fizz more than water.
Philips GoZero Soda maker
- From £99, Amazon
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Who knew Philip’s made it’s own soda maker? I certainly did not.
Its GoZero soda maker is a bit of a cross of designs, shaped more like the Aarke and Woody, but made from plastic like the Sodastreams and Omnifizz.
There’s a slightly raised button on top, where the others sit flush, making it satisfying to press.
It comes with a bottle and gas cylinder and there are a range of colour options including a mint green, red, white and black.
With stiff competition from the other devices on design (MySoda’s Woody), functionality (Drinkmate’s Omnifizz) and price (Sodastream’s Terra bundle), the GoZero just didn’t stand out for me.
While it does the job, I’d pick others over this.
Philips makes its own gas canisters, but they are compatible with Sodastream’s. The company doesn’t currently make its own syrups or flavours, but the GoZero is compatible with other makes.
