KitchenAid Sparkling Beverage Maker, Empire Red

First the Cons: I ordered this model Ships by/ Sold by Amazon.com. The machine came in good condition, however the "kit" that comes with it was a tinly starter Co2 bottle and a 1L bottle for water. The machine was supposed to come with a 60L Co2 bottle and a flavor sampler. Amazon did the right thing and gave me a partial refund.While the Machine is allegedly "all metal." In reality, there is quite a bit of plastic. It seems that the back housing as well as all the internal mechanics of the device are made of plastic.Pros: The machine is a perfect match for our KitchenAid Mixer and looks right at home on the kitchen counter. The "All metal" construction is mostly cosmetic, but the machine has a very solid sturdy feel to it. No idea if this will translate to a longer life. Using the machine and its heavy-duty lever is as easy as can be.Word to the wise: Before I even ordered this machine, I ordered two 12 oz paintball tanks plus an adapter so I could use them with the SodaStream. Refilling these tanks is $3.50 at Dicks sporting goods vs the ~15 that Bed Bath and Beyond wants to refill.Overall: Overall I'm happy with the purchase. In our first few days we've made about 10 liters of soda water...saving us tons of recycling, schlepping and finally a few cents per bottle. The best part is, we don't need to worry about running out of soda water (90% of what we drink) anymore.

After reading a bunch of somewhat scary negative reviews of this product, I purchased the refurbished model anyway, and have had zero issues with it.It seems like most of the negative reviews are from people that aren't using it properly. If you are adding flavor before carbonating, or are trying to carbonate things besides water, you are probably in for a bit of a mess. Don't try to over-carbonate the water. If you cap it right after carbonating, and wait a few minutes, it will be very well carbonated. Don't fill the container above the fill line, and add the flavoring after, and this unit works beautifully. And it is super easy to use, with the swivel lock for the bottle!The other pleasant surprise, after reading some of the reviews, was that the refurbished unit came with a full-sized CO2 bottle. Apparently, the new units came with a sample bottle, and a voucher for trading that in for a full-sized bottle. But mine came with the regular bottle (and I ordered a couple extra, so that I never run out).The one comment that I have is that you should check the dimensions of where you want to place the unit. It is taller than you might think. I've included a photo of it sitting next to my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, for comparison. But we've been super happy with this unit since we bought it a month ago!

My husband had a fit one day about the number of San Pelegrino bottles we were racking up in the recycle. The little people visiting our house became famous for leaving bottles laying around with two sips consumed. So I went online and found this fun looking unit. The little grandkids LOVE making their "fuzzy" water. We are not into sugary drinks so I don't use the flavoring, but I do give them a little shot of lemonade to flavor up their water and give them a treat. It's become a happy ritual at our family gatherings. The kids fight each other to see who gets to make the water for everyone.We ran out of CO2 in what I would call a reasonable amount of time so I just replaced the cartridge....Pricey!...but worth it to not have to deal with bottles and have all the water you want on demand. I like this unit because it is fun looking and the red goes with my kitchen colors.It is easy to use, the cartridge installs in a flash and is not complicated. I do recommend extra bottles as our family consumes a lot. I read that the bottles eventually warp out, presumably because of the pressure. I just bought a couple of metal bottom bottles but won't know for a while whether they hold up over the long haul.A word of caution. I took my liter bottle with a shot of lemonade to the beach. I guess the walking and jogging of the bottle caused pressure and when I opened it, the cap went flying. If you have jogged the bottle, open the cap slowly and release a little pressure before removing the lid.