SodaSparkle - Twin Kit product reviews

I have a sodastream and are always surprised when I run out gas and have grumpy kids when we can't make our favorite drink so when I saw this was available for review I knew I had to try.

My first thought was that it was nice and small and I liked that it was premeasured so the kids can't over carbonate the drink because they like making the machine make the farting noises. I read the instructions and thought it sounded easy enough but found a slight problem when I slide the gas into the activation chamber, I didn't know if it was inserted correctly and the instructions didn't say so I tried and nothing happened so I tried again and quite by accident I heard it click and when I tried it again it worked.

I waited the 30 seconds and looked at the bottle and thought it hadn't worked as there were no bubbles and when I shook it I was gentle (my parents were always telling me not to shake things too vigorously growing up ) but when I opened the bottle to pour there were heaps of bubbles.

Through trial and error I have found l prefer the light carbonation. I am definitely going to be buying some of the flavors and more of the gas as this is so much easier than the sodastream.

Having done a review of the Sodastream machine,, I have something to make a good comparison of, the key thing: whether or not this machine is actually easier to use than the sodastream. Now, that may seem like a simple yes/no question, but the answer is a bit trickier than you think. Functionally, this machine was a lot easier to use than the Sodastream, which was designed to be kept in a kitchen for stationary use, while this one was designed for a more portable use.

The box contained two bottles, 5 gas canisters, 1 CO2 gas nozzle, and 1 canister activation unit. Setting up the system for use wasn't that hard, I just needed to screw the nozzle onto the bottle, load and lock a gas canister into the activator, then screw the activator firmly onto the nozzle, opening the canister and releasing the gas into the water, and the process also feels cool too, for some reason. The big pro: the method of using small gas canisters to fizz up the water worked great when it came to storage and use, because the whole kit took up a small amount of space, surely enough to fit in a bag to take on a camping trip.

Also, there was the added bonus of having each "Fizz" deposited from the canisters in pre-measured amounts, so you don't have to worry about waiting for that loud fart noise! The big cons: first of all, having the gas in pre-measured amounts work great... for 1 litre bottles. Sodastream also sells 0.5 litre bottles, in which the gas would build up and the bottle and/or the assembly could "explode". Also, the gas canisters are far more portable, I mean you can fit a box of 5 of them in your pocket! The only thing is, constant use is quite costly on canisters, there are only 5 in the kit, so that means only 5 uses, unless you can get more. In this instance the Sodastream works better because the gas lasts longer due to larger, multi-use canisters.

So, all in all, the system is not very good for the same usage as the Sodastream, but is very good for small camping trips, which is what this product is primarily designed for. In other words, the product fulfils it's designated purpose well, but it's usefulness doesn't go very far outside that. I am impressed with this product, it was fun to use, and if I can get my hands on some more gas canisters, I now have a product that's still useful! YAY!

My partner enjoys a good fizzy drink and we're both big fans of home Soda makers because of their affordability and wide range of flavours, including sugar free.

Soda sparkle takes soda making to the next level by making it portable and easy to store so it doesn't take up valuable bench space (a big plus in my book). It uses one shot recyclable cartridges (soda chargers) and comes with two different sized bottles - a 1.3L bottle for light sparkle and a 1L bottle for extra sparkle. The instructions are nice and clear making it extremely easy to use.

I don't like my drinks super fizzy and I usually have to wait a while for some of the fizz to disperse but not with the Soda Sparkle. The 1.3L bottle gives me the perfect amount of fizz so I can enjoy my beverage straight away.

There are a few negatives to be considered as well. The user manual advises the use of chilled water for best results so unless you keep water in the fridge ready to be used then you will need to wait a bit. Extra 'soda chargers' can be ordered via the Soda Sparkle website but being one shot chargers I'm not sure how economical it is as opposed to other Soda makers that use a gas bottle. This product didn't include any flavour sachets so I have yet to try any but from what I can see they are available as individual flavour sticks, 1 stick = 1 glass.

It's definitely a useful product more for its portability than anything else - it'll be good to take away with us on holiday that's for sure.

My flatmates and I were recently debating whether to purchase a Soda Stream for the property, to try reduce our spending on fizzy drinks, so I was delighted to be given the opportunity to review this competing product; the SodaSparkle!

Directions for use were straight forward, but I was a little disappointed to see that the water had to be chilled beforehand, which meant I had to wait several hours before I could use the product. I don't usually keep water in my fridge, so using this product just requires that little bit of extra forethought before use.

I initially tried the larger 1.3L bottle, and following the instructions found it to be much like an old kettle, bubbling the water away while whistling rather loudly. The water itself ended up being very lightly carbonated which did confuse me for a moment before I noticed the writing on the side of the bottle; "Light" on the 1.3L, and "Extra" on the 1L. It suddenly occurred to me that that referred to the level of carbonation (or "Sparkle Strength" as they call it), as the gas bottles are obviously the same, so the bottle with more water will have less fizz. I was surprised to not have seen the difference in bottles mentioned anywhere in the instructions or on the box.

But the product did as advertised. It created carbonated water. The extra strength bottle definitely created a great amount of fizz, and while I had no flavouring to add, I just mixed in some cordial, and I had a lovely bubbly sweet navel orange drink.

The main difference between the Soda Sparkle and the Soda Stream, is that this product does not require a machine on the bench to work. Just a small attachment to the top of the bottle, which is great for those with limited space. Also the gas cylinders and flavours appear to come in single use portions. Doing a bit of math, it adds up to around the same, with the CO2 bottles costing around $1.60-1.70 per bottle with Soda Sparkle, and Soda Stream bottles averaging $1.20-1.30 per bottle. Soda Sparkle does have the cheaper flavourings however charging around 40-50c per drink, compared to 83c with Soda Stream.

I was initially concerned with the single use chargers, as it seemed to be a lot of wastage, but the packaging mentions that they are in fact recyclable. I don't know whether they can go in with the domestic recycling, but I am hoping that they can.

The Starter pack itself I found to be lacking in a couple of areas. Mainly the limited number of chargers and the lack of any flavours. The product would have been much more appealing if perhaps it had 10 chargers, and one of each flavour, to allow the consumer to truly be able to test out the product and try a selection of available flavours before being forced to purchase additional supplies online. 5 chargers just seems far too few.

But I like the product, and the chargers are sold at an affordable price, so I will definitely be looking at continuing to use this product in the long run.