Whether you care about the environment or you just like to have everything available at your fingertips, or you just need to make some cost saving decisions, the new soda makers that have hit the market are the best solution you could hope for. On the one hand they allow you to make your own soda in the same reusable, easy to wash bottle, so no more plastic bottles need reach endless landfills. The other great thing is that you can use just enough syrup to get the perfect taste you are looking for. Some people complain about how sweet an unhealthy cola is, while others will be completely blown away by just how good a little bit more cola syrup can taste. In either case the one thing that everyone cares about is the quality of their soda maker so these are our top choices. Just below the list you will find our in depth reviews, so make sure to check those out to decide what the best choice for your needs is.
1. SodaStream Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker Starter Kit
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It is our opinion that the best choice you could take today is to buy the SodaStream Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker Starter Kit, and here it is why. For one, it is a very small, stream line soda maker, so it can sit unobtrusively on your kitchen counter. SodaStream are one of the first manufacturers to hit the market and they did so in a grand way, meaning that they have over 60 soda mix variations that you can choose from. With the SodaStream Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker Starter Kit you also get a small carbonator that you can then exchange for a 60 liter unit. In the package you also get a high pressure bottle that you should always use when infusing the water with the CO2 because the pressures involved there can burst a regular bottle. The entire process takes 30 seconds, so it is a very quick process, and the sparkling water thus obtained can be refrigerated and used just like any bottle of sparkling water or soda.
2. Hamilton Beach Fizzini Hand-Held Carbonated Soda Maker
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While we were looking for the best choice for those of us who are facing serious budget restrictions, we came across what may the coolest soda maker on the market, the Hamilton Beach Fizzini. You can think of it as a bottle cap on steroids because that is all it is, and therefore it does not even need to stay on your cook top, and you can easily take it with you on trips. It uses small 8 grams CO2 cartridges that can be recycled and that weigh practically nothing. The only reason that you may also want to buy a bigger unit is that one cartridge will only produce a 1 liter bottle of sparkling water. Still the cartridges themselves are very cheap, and you can buy them in bulk and drive those prices down. So this is the perfect soda maker for someone who likes to go on a lot of trips and also has a big soda maker at home, or for someone trying to cut down on the amount of soda they are drinking but who is not ready to go cold turkey quite yet.
3. Cuisinart SMS-201S Sparkling Beverage Maker
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A cheaper alternative to the SodaStream soda maker, and yet one that can sit comfortably on a table top, is the Cuisinart SMS-201S Sparkling Beverage Maker. It is a lot cheaper but they did not take the time to develop their own syrup range, so you will still need to relay on the SodaStream ones, or to go with local syrups. There is also the fact that the CO2 container is also specifically designed for this soda maker so you cannot buy non brand ones like you could for the Hamilton Beach we have already discussed. Still, the package is complete in that you get the CO2 cartridge, high pressure bottle and the soda maker itself and the price difference is, indeed significant.
4. KitchenAid KSS1121CU Sparkling Beverage Maker
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At the exact opposite end of the range from the Hamilton Beach, you can find the KitchenAid KSS1121CU Sparkling Beverage Maker. This is the most expensive soda maker on the market that still is worth the money. The quality of the soda is the same across the board, so the reason why you might consider paying extra is the fact that the KitchenAid really looks the part, their bottle really does seem sturdier, and you have a pressure dial right on top of the thing. The other thing that impressed us was the fact that, instead of fighting against rising tide of SodaStream success, they went with it and designed their product to work with the SodaStream CO2 container and syrup flavors. So, if you are not happy with the soda makers that SodaStream is coming up with, you can pay a little bit extra and get the KitchenAid KSS1121CU Sparkling Beverage Maker.
5. SodaStream Source Home Soda Maker Starter Kit
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Before you rush out and get the KitchenAid beverage maker, we feel obliged to point out that SodaStream do have a top end soda maker of their own. The SodaStream Source Home Soda Maker Starter Kit has a much sleeker design, a smaller foot print, and, of course, a higher price point. Still, it is not as expensive as the KitchenAid, and we felt that you should take a look at it before making a decision. In our opinion, as long as you are interested in the design factor, KitchenAid is still the best soda maker you could buy, but if you just need something that is that little bit more stylish, but do not want to break the bank just go with the SodaStream. There is also the fact that the manufacturer of a product will always have the best type of fitting, and will always take responsibility if the CO2 tank does not fit perfectly with the soda maker, whereas KitchenAid can always try to put the blame on SodaStream and vice versa, if anything should go wrong.
