I have thought of purchasing a Soda Stream or equivalent for years, but kept putting it off. With the cost of sodas skyrocketing, I finally got one. Amazon had a sale during Prime Days, which made this bundle quite affordable. You get the streaming device, 2 bottles of CO2, 2 extra bottles to use, giving you 3 total. And you get 2 bottles of the Bubly flavorings. I also ordered a variety pack of soda syrups made by Soda Stream. The package arrive the next unmolested. I opened the package and while I was pulling the box out that contained the soda stream system, the box slipped and sliced my finger. So be careful unpackaging things so you don't get cut like I did. Fortunately, the cut was minor and I continued on. Once everything was upacked, I quickly read the instructions and inserted a CO2 cannister in the pump. I filled the included 1Liter bottle with COLD water, as recommended, and put it in the fill position in the CO2 dispenser. PLease do not overfill the bottle. There is a line and do not fill above that line before you charge the bottle with CO2. Once the bottle was in place to be carbonated, I pressed the button to discharge CO2 into the water. You need to press the button at least 3 times (up to 5 times for more carbonation) and I didn't wait long enough or wait at all between charges and water spurted out of the bottle, and spilling all over the counter. Lesson learned. WAIT between CHARGES for the water to calm down. I've not had a problem of spillage since. That was fun. Once the bottle had been charged, I added some soda syrup to the bottle. Again, disaster. With the water being COLD and CARBONATED, it was like dumping ice cream into cold rootbeer and the bottle bubbled over. So the trick is to pour the syrup in slowly or in stages so as not to cause Vesuvius to erupt. Also, please pour the syrup in while holding the bottle over her sink, just in case it does overflow. BTW, the syrup was called Dr Pete, which is supposed to be like Dr Pepper. It's close, but not exactly the same. Once the syrup is in the bottle, you need to put the cap on and GENTLY shake the bottle for the syrup to dissolve properly in the bottle. Also, DO NOT PUT THE SYRUP IN BEFORE CARBONATING THE WATER or you will have a mess. The syrup dissovles quickly so I then poured the soda into my ice filled glass. Remember to open the bottle slowly if you just shook the bottle or you will make a mess. With the glass full, I tried the soda and yes, I had a carbonated beverage that I made at home. SUCCESS. The carbonation wasn't as strong as you'd get in sodas from the store, but it was good enough. Since I had 3 bottles, I made another soda, this time with the cola flavor. I did 4 CO2 injections this time instead of 3. The carbonation was better. The taste was that of a generic cola, not COKE or PEPSI and definitely not RC. I also have the root beer syrup and tried that and it tastes like rootbeer, imagine. The last flavor I tried was the citrus Bubly extract. I think I used 5 CO2 injections instead of 3 to make it extra bubbly. It tastes like soda water with citrus oil in it and no sweetner. You are not limited to using only the products offered by Soda Stream, you can use your own syrups and flavorings too. Once I emptied a bottle, I rinsed it out and filled it with water and carbonated it. Then I put the bottle in the fridge to keep chill. Sometimes I would put the syrup in before putting the bottle in the refridgerator; other times, I would just carbonate the water and put the bottle in the fridge. That way, I can decide later which flavor I want. If you don't plan to use the device much, you're better off buying soda water in bottles from the store. The initial cost is steep. I think I payed over $100 to start, which is the equilvalent in price to 25 2 liter bottles. Also, the CO2 cannisters are not cheap, but refilling them can cost from $2-$17 per cannister. I've not had to refill a cannister yet, but while on the Soda Stream website, I learned that you can do a bottle exchange at the larger stores like WalMart, Target and Best Buy. Or, you can request bottles from Soda Stream and send in the empties. One could go to a local business to get the bottles refilled. My recommendation is that one go through Soda Stream (and authorized dealers) and do it right. I did a bit of research and found that one can refill the cannister just by filling it with dry ice, which is frozen CO2. Overall, the Soda Stream delivers and is easy to use. Just be sure to be patient in carbonating the water and in pouring in the syrup. Also, since you're only using water with the Soda Stream, clean up is non existent, just wipe it down when it gets wet.
