iSi North America Soda Siphon Classic Mesh Sodamaker for Making Carbonating Beverages, 1 Quart, Stainless Steel,Silver

I have had a soda stream for years, but it never performed as well as this product. It makes the most incredible sparkling water that I have been using for my soda, homemade lemonade & with mixed drinks. I use distilled water to ensure that nothing gets clogged up from mineral buildup. It stores easily in the refrigerator door & the carbonation will last for days if not used. I leave the charger attached to the unit to ensure there is no loss of gas. I do the same thing with my ISI whipper. With the whipper, you need to store it on its side to avoid loss of gas. With this item, you have to store it upright because water will actually freeze on the twisted lid & occlude dispension. If you want to dispense without lots of froth, fill your glass or container in the same manner as you do when pouring beer into a glass. Sure it looks cool to hold the syphon up high while filling but you end up waiting for all the carbonation to settle down. The syphon is pretty weighty, as well as beautiful, & I would have never guessed the container was plastic and not glass. What a great buy!!!

I had an iSi stainless steel soda charger for 12-15 years. It finally started having leaking problems from worn parts. Got this one and I love it. Looks really classy, has a large fill opening (bigger than my old one) and is easy to handle. The soda stays, well, bubbly all the way to the last bit. Oh, it is more stable with a wider base, as in I keep it in the fridge door and it doesn't fall over when the door closes. If you're torn between one like this and the ones that fill a plastic bottle: they both use the cartridges, but this is stand alone, no other "appliance" taking up kitchen space, and the ones using bottles? Every time you open that bottle, carbonation is lost, leaving the last bit flat. And it's spout is perfectly curved for dispensing into a glass. You can also take out the insert, tool included, to give ease of cleaning. Yep, I am very happy with this product. I definitely recommend.

This bottle worked great the first couple of times! Looks stunning and gave the old timey soda jerk feel this was purchased to achieve. However, I opened it this morning and noticed it has begun to rust after just 3 uses RIGHT INSIDE THE NOZZLE. It’s on the seal inside as pictured. I couldn’t believe it for something that seemed so well made and beautiful. Very disappointed as I will have to go back to the drawing board on what to do for my friend’s party. In using the co2 chargers as well, I noticed that the water didn’t hold bubbles once syrup of any kind was added. The bubbles were very weak already (more like an artisanal soda) but once flavor is added, it immediately goes flat. I also tried to see if batches could be made up ahead of time and bottled (so many different flavors could be stored simultaneously). Everything went flat. I followed all instructions and nothing worked. Also capsules have to be recycled at a scrap yard (not a problem for us) which may not be convenient for most people. There is no way to clean inside the bottle so you can only use water in it as it can’t be taken apart aside from the nozzle. Not worth it regardless of the price but to be so expensive, it was a HUGE FLOP! Don’t waste your money or time on this product.

So its not cheap for what it is. Seltzer at the store is basically 50cents to a buck. However it goes flat and you dont always have it on hand, while cartridges last forever. In bulk this thing will let you make a bottle of seltzer for a buck each. Had a lot of issues and being that its plastic on peoples reviews i was skeptical. However its a sturdy grade plastic and not an issue. Additionally there's no real instruction to use it properly. 1. remove neck plug with tongs. remove metal tube. 2. add 2-3 inches of ice cubes to empty bottle. This is really a must. They dont tell you that... frozen water doesnt work. Not well. Ice does it perfect. 3. fill all the way to neck of bottle. 4. insert neck tube. push to secure flush with top of bottle, this will push the water up a little. 5. insert metal tube. this will push the water to the top flush, and may spill just a bit... (but not like they instructed, when filling to the top.) its less mess. 6. secure tightly the top. the top has a lever on it that dispenses....DO NOT grab that thing when tightening... common sense. You're going to screw up your seals. Instead place index finger at nozzle, and thumb at c02 peg. turn it secure like that. its firm. not bending anything. particularly you're moving parts. 7. insrt your co2 into adapter, unscrew cap, and place into c02 peg. Tight it all the way. 8. bubbles will pass quickly like a fish tank airator...if it slows down...shake it... leave it...shake it... you can use the thing with the c02 still plugged in. 9. continue this process until the bubbles stop coming from metal tube at bottom. at that point you can replace co2 cap with regular metal stub cap. 10. First spritz is gonna blow air. Either shoot in sink, or empty glass. Don't shoot into mixed drink. After that you're golden. and bubbles will be on par with store bought.. You'll actually be happy with the product. Their instructions really stink. When done right. Great little toy.

This soda water maker has an elegant, old-fashioned feel. Unlike the soda makers of yesteryear, this one is made of clear, hard plastic rather than glass. (My guess is polycarbonate). I consider that a plus, as the plastic cannot shatter into dangerous shards. (I believe that the traditional mesh in old-fashioned soda makers may have been there to collect the shards in the event of breakage.) The mesh is not the chain mail of yesteryear, but it gives both a good grip on the bottle and has "the look". Mechanically, it has worked well in the 2 days that I've had it. It is more exciting than pouring soda water from a store-bought bottle, or from a "sodastream" bottle. Not only is it more exciting to see the soda water jet out when the lever is pressed, it has the significant advantage that the water near the finish of the bottle will not go flat as does sodastream and store-bought soda! The CO2 cartridges that charge the cold water that you place into the Soda Siphon are not very expensive, and they give a really quick, strong charge. They never run-down or need refilled....if you have a box of them, you know that each cartridge will give you a zippy charge of soda water. These cartridges never leak, unlike the CO2 bottles of the sodastream soda-making system that I mentioned above. These recent sodastream-type "innovations" in soda water makers, have problems. I had one, and I tired of the fussing. One must buy refills of an aluminum cylinder containing the CO2, which are supposed to charge 60 liters of water. They do not. After 45-50 charges they become sluggish, as you try to make a liter of soda water from a cylinder that is almost out of gas. I've also used the opaque iSi soda makers, which work on the same manner as this Soda Siphon Classic Mesh Sodamaker. The opaque aluminum ones work. But I prefer this transparent one because I can see how much soda water remains, and I enjoy the traditional flair that it imparts. If you are entertaining, you could dully poor some soda water out of a bottle, or you can prepare the drink with a snappy jet of energetic soda water! For me the only choice is this soda maker.... or the opaque iSi soda maker, if you want to save money. The sodastream is very expensive, and they recently discontinued the blue CO2 cylinders with a screw-on connection, in favor of a pink CO2 cylinder with some kind of clip-on connection. Note: all sodastream customers must buy brand-new equipment, as the blue and pink cylinders are not interchangeable. (There are no adapters, to my knowledge.) I have only one negative comment, which is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5: I ordered this 3 times in a period of 2 weeks. The first one I never received, and it was returned to Amazon with an indication that it was damaged and undeliverable. Amazon issued a credit without my intervention (I sure like that.) I immediately re-ordered. The same thing happened! I called Amazon to report it. The agent was concerned and put in a request that the stock be checked....the agent seemed genuinely concerned that defective stock might be being shipped. I ordered a third time, and the iSi North America Soda Siphon Classic Mesh Sodamaker was delivered without a hitch. I'll never know what happened with those first two Soda Siphons, but I'm glad that i persisted! Hope you find this counsel helpful!

This thing is great, it has saved me a ton on club soda. So far I have made a couple hundred bottles. We use them for cocktails, and sparkling water a S*** load. The trick is using the dispenser right…not correctly as defined by the instructions, but right. It’s absolutely perfect if you do the following: 1. Fill about 6/7ths full of cold water. Fridge disp is prob fine but we use distilled out of a 5gal dispenser @41f so no residue. -You can use room temp water, it’s not quite as good but still not bad. -Distilled is best or you risk damaging seals which causes leaks and a short lifespan. -room temp distilled or R.O. Is better than cold unfiltered tap -trust me! -Make sure the water is about 1” from the top of the container!!! 2. Twist on a CO2 cartrage slowly - we use the mr fizz ones. (Been through several hundred) -You do not want to hear a thunk but you also don’t want to let gas out of the holder before it makes a good seal. (Don’t worry, it won’t explode…) -A small very very small amount of CO2 escaping is not a big deal, and if a lot escapes, *read further. 3. Shake violently for a second or two…wait a couple seconds…again (violently)…again…again (4-6 times within about 20 secs) -You might feel some small thunks at the beginning of each shake. (Fast CO2 in to water from cartridge, don’t worry) 4. Wait. A couple minutes is all you need, so most of the bubbles are gone from end tip. Then dispense some fizzy water. -Don’t remove CO2 cartridge. (You can, but better if you don’t) -Not necessary but reduces super gas out the dispenser line when lever is squeezed. -You WILL GET GAS the first time you dispense seltzer. (Don’t worry, totally normal for all human beings) -The dispenser will burp small bits of air at this time. (Don’t worry totally normal) 5. MOST IMPORTANT PART. After the first drink has been dispensed (approximately 6-10 oz) LOAD ANOTHER CO2 CARTRIDGE!!! -Your bottle should be about 5/6 - 3/4 full at this point. -Twist the new cartridge in slowly just like step 2, but no real need to shake so violently or much. -You may hear the release seal on container open a bit - don’t worry. -It will spit a bit at the beginning of first dispense just like before. 6. Enjoy. Comments: This will yield super fizzy seltzer like a fresh opened bottle through the entire container. I have left one sit for 2 months and it was still exactly the same. The water temp is not a huge deal but colder is better. This seems like a long complicated process but once you get it, takes less that 1 minute. I have tried making seltzer every way imaginable including the other guides here in reviews, this is the best if extra-fizzy-new-bottle is what you want through the entire dispenser. TLDR: You need two CO2 cartridges for a bottle but not back-to-back. Cheers!

Looks great on bar. Easy to use as long as one shakes before use. FYI. Any 8g cartridge will work.

My husband drinks club soda constantly, we thought this would be a great gift. It looks cool and it was easy to set up the cartridge but the amount of fizzy water/juice ... you can get from one cartridge will not really be a cost savings over the price of bottled water. It's not as fizzy as bottled club soda. The only upside is the potential reduction to the single use plastic bottles, but my guess is that once he's used up the box of cartridges he will be back to buying the bottles.