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I have used only SodaStreams to make our seltzer at home and thought they were the only soda maker.  They certainly have dominated the field.  Wirecutter, the review blog for anything you might want to buy, tested fourteen models and the result was that SodaStream is still the best. However, there are other brands that offer appealing features that SodaStream does not, so we thought we’d consider those in this survey.

Making seltzer at home became a thing in the 2010s with SodaStream’s emergence.  Its primary appeal for me was that I didn’t have to drag those cumbersome seltzer bottles home from the grocery store, and the reusable bottles were easy and environmentally appropriate.  We are not seltzer water connoisseurs, however, and many consumers claim the at-home seltzers are not as bubbly as store-bought.

After 200 hours of testing many soda makers, Wirecutter chose SodaStream’s Fizzi One Touch model.  They found it easy to use and that it produced the fizziest and tastiest sparkling water out of the fourteen brands they tested. It has a simple mechanism that offers a wide range of bubble choices, from lightly carbonated to super bubbly. It comes in black for $198.00 or white for $170.00.  Included in your purchase is one 60L CO2 cylinder and one liter BPA-free reusable carbonating bottle.  The seltzer maker is 6” W x 10.83” D x 17.32” H.

The SodaSense Sensei machine is a dark grey matte, and it has a steel plate at the bottom to catch drips.  SodaSense uses a patented ‘fizz infuser’ that is on top of the bottle and uses a two-stage pressure-release fizz control to carbonate your water.  The Sensei machine comes with a one-liter beverage bottle and cap, one CO2 refill box, 1 prepaid USPS return label and three cannisters. What sets SodaSense apart from other brands is their ‘on demand CO2 exchange”.  Mail back your used cannisters in the refill box with the USPS mailing label that came with your machine, and you will receive new cannisters by mail.  These cannisters are compatible with SodaStream machines so if you struggle to find replacement cannisters for your SodaStream, here is your solution.

The machine and three new cannisters is $119.00.

If you only want replacement cannisters and already have either the Soda Sense or a compatible SodaStream machine, two cannisters is $61.99 for your first order, and then $25.09 per cannister for subsequent orders.

If you care about the design of your kitchen gadgets, Aarke, a Swedish design company, describes its sparkling water maker as “the world’s most beautiful”. It is stainless steel and measures 6” W x 10.16” D x 16.34” H. It also comes in white.

It is $250.00 with one cylinder of CO2 and a glass bottle. There is a price for beauty.

The Phillips Sparkling Water maker is stainless steel, and it comes in black, white and pink.  It is compatible with any standard screw-in 60L CO2 carbonator cartridge like Soda Sense or SodaStream.  Included with the machine is one BPA-free non-toxic carbonating bottle. It is 5.51” W x 16.54” H x 9.45” D.  $55.99.

The Sparkel seltzer maker is unique because it does not need a CO2 cylinder.  It uses sachets that contain citric acid and sodium bicarbonate to create the fizz.  It does require electricity to run, however, which none of the other makers do.  It can also take longer than other machines to carbonate the water.  Unlike other brands, you can carbonate other beverages besides water. It comes in black, grey and white and is 5.6” W x 10” D x 15” H $149.99.

Most sparkling water makers on the market say explicitly not to use them for carbonating any other beverage than water.  This Drinkmate Omnifizz Sparkling Water & Soda Maker will carbonate any drink.  It uses the same “fizz infuser” that the SodaSense machine uses.  Wirecutter reported that this countertop soda maker was the only one they tested that was “up to the task” of carbonating beverages other than water.  It comes in red, black, arctic blue, and white.  It is 5” W x 8” D x 16” H.  it is $142.99 and comes with two CO2 cylinders, one carbonation bottle and the fizz infuser.

Try your homemade soda while making these delicious Palomas from an earlier ASE article.