Soda Stream fizzy drinks maker - Half price at Argos

shop-to-drop

I can think of advantages. You don't need to lug home from the shops and the biggy for me would be not having to store those large bottles most people do not have lot's of spare storage space in the kitchen. The water stores neatly in the tap ready to be fizzed. The fizzy water would be freshly made too. 2 litres is a lot to use in one go and like others have said the fizz soon goes and so there is a lot of waste.

StumpyPumpy

Doc_N wrote: »

Sodastream sparkling water works out, on these figures, at 16.6p for 1 litre.

Tesco sparkling water is much the same price (17p) for twice that at 2 litres.

Even ignoring the extra cost of buying the Sodastream itself, it does seem a pretty pointless exercise to buy something that will enable you to make fizzy water at twice the price you can already buy it for ready made!

This is also ignoring the fact that the Sodastream lets you make less than 2 litres at a time (you can get 500ml bottles), and that Tesco sparkling water has a very short shelf life once opened. So how much is drunk and how much is thrown away is also a factor.
IIRC Tesco sources its water from Scotland and so this means it is soft, I live in a hard water area but can duplicate this with a water softener in my home. By your logic, I should not have a water softener, but instead buy Tesco still water as it would work out cheaper. In any event, no one on this thread has ever claimed that using a Sodastream is cheaper than buying cheap sparkling water, despite you going on about it, they have only commented on the convenience: something you consistently ignore in your replies.

I think everyone is now aware that you don't like and/or "get" the concept of a Sodastream nor the concept that some people add a cost to inconvenience. My household gets through about 10 litres (5 bottles) of fizzy drinks every week. That is 10 kilos of shopping I could do without having to carry all the time, but - as you have expressed several times in this thread - you have a different view on the matter to me: you would prefer to preach about saving a couple of pennies, I'd prefer not to fear dislocating my shoulder every week.

The OP pointed out - quite correctly - a much reduced price of a product and deserves thanks for this. This thread is supposed to be about alerting people who have an interest in the product mentioned. <hint>Those that don't have an interest in purchasing the product usually choose to ignore it an move on to something they are interested in.</hint>

SP

flea72

Doc_N wrote: »

Sodastream sparkling water works out, on these figures, at 16.6p for 1 litre.

Tesco sparkling water is much the same price (17p) for twice that at 2 litres.

Even ignoring the extra cost of buying the Sodastream itself, it does seem a pretty pointless exercise to buy something that will enable you to make fizzy water at twice the price you can already buy it for ready made!

but you can also buy fizzy water for £1/ltr, so based on that the soda stream is working out cheaper

as already stated, it isnt the cost implications, alot of people base it on storage space

F

Doc_N

StumpyPumpy wrote: »

I think everyone is now aware that you don't like and/or "get" the concept of a Sodastream nor the concept that some people add a cost to inconvenience.

The OP pointed out - quite correctly - a much reduced price of a product and deserves thanks for this. This thread is supposed to be about alerting people who have an interest in the product mentioned.

SP

You're entitled to your view, as I am to mine. That's what discussion forums like this are all about.

I've seen several generations of Sodastream come and go over the years - we've even used them for a while. But each time they come on the scene, with a new generation of owners, they disappear again into the charity shops. I wonder why that is?

I hope you'll be very happy with your Sodastream for a long time to come, but past history suggests that most people will give them up and get rid of them.

I think it's only fair to warn potential customers of the cost of the carbonated water and the likely fate of their new toy. It's a moneysaving site, after all, isn't it?

Armed with that knowledge, customers can buy if they wish - but isn't it fairer that they should know the downside as well as the upside that Sodastream push in their advertising?

StumpyPumpy

Doc_N wrote: »

You're entitled to your view, as I am to mine. That's what discussion forums like this are all about.

I think it's only fair to warn potential customers of the cost of the carbonated water and the likely fate of their new toy. It's a moneysaving site, after all, isn't it?

Of course you are entitled to your view, my point was that as you had made your view clear on per litre costs in posts #41, #79, #89 & #103 - a point acknowledged and not contested by any other comments, so it's not really a discussion, is it? You are just repeating your view to the point of tedium. A point that everyone seemed to be aware of before you made it for the first time, but if not, were certainly aware of it by the second or third time.

Oh, here's a thought for you. Did you know that one of the primary reasons for the decline in popularity of the SodaStream was due to owner Cadbury Schweppes seeing it as direct competition to their soft drinks business so that they reduced advertising support in a (successful) attempt to marginalise the product. They also reduced the collect and return incentives to supermarkets for the gas cylinders and phased out many of the syrup versions. Like a car that only runs on leaded petrol, remove the source of the consumables and the product becomes useless. This does not mean the consumers didn't want to use it, just that they find it increasingly difficult to do so. Sure there was a boom in the late 70's and 80's and like many products (such as the toasted sandwich maker and the fondue set or everything ever shown in an Innovations catalog) some Sodastreams got consigned to dark kitchen cupboards. Sometimes due to children growing up or supplies not available.

Then the new phenomenon of the boot fair takes hold and empty nesters see an opportunity to have a clear out. So the SodaStream , with now difficult to get supplies and primary users - the kids - often gone, goes to the boot fair. This is partly speculation on my part but as I've already mentioned on this thread, I made a handsome profit buying up SodaStreams at early boot fairs and so got to talk with a lot of people selling them. Although it could be attributed to me cornering the market, I also noticed that after 6 months or so the supply of Sodastreams dried up, there was not a continuous top up from people suddenly realising what an appalling product it was and I didn't buy that many. A product needn't be labeled a disaster or a regretted purchase just because it appears at a boot fair.

Am I sure they won't fail this time around? No. If I knew that I'd buy shares and I haven't. But the company that now owns the SodaStream brand has been forecast to enjoy a 75% growth in its user base this year and has a market value at around $870.4 million so it is no fly by night company. It took 20 years for Cadbury to whittle them down to close to nothing last time, if it happens again in 20 years time I doubt many people who have bought one of these bargains will be too concerned about it.
SP

Carriannelouise

Doc_N wrote: »

You're entitled to your view, as I am to mine. That's what discussion forums like this are all about.

I've seen several generations of Sodastream come and go over the years - we've even used them for a while. But each time they come on the scene, with a new generation of owners, they disappear again into the charity shops. I wonder why that is?

I hope you'll be very happy with your Sodastream for a long time to come, but past history suggests that most people will give them up and get rid of them.

I think it's only fair to warn potential customers of the cost of the carbonated water and the likely fate of their new toy. It's a moneysaving site, after all, isn't it?

Armed with that knowledge, customers can buy if they wish - but isn't it fairer that they should know the downside as well as the upside that Sodastream push in their advertising?

My family had one when i was little and i still remember it now. they stopped using it because they could buy 2l bottles of pop and they would get finished and they were cheaper as we got value drinks. so yes in that case they did get rid but because it was better for them as the large bottles got used fast. im a bit of a fizzy addict buy its not good for me to drink 2l in a day (it has to be fresh otherwise its horrible and tastes flat) so i used to buy cans and small bottles which are really expensive. with my soda stream iv saved a few quid allready just by fizzing up leftover bought stuff i used to put it down the sink.
And there are health benefits too fizzy water from the supermarket is usually full of sodium (salt)my midwife told me when i was pregnant and is not good for those on a sodium restricted diet. i have found that in the week and a half i have had it it has been used nearly every day and i have stopped having the shop bought drinks and do my own.
for some people it might make more sense but a small family like mine and as a fussy drinker i have made a lot of use of it and love it. i can understand the syrups not being good as they can be a bit costly if your drinking lots of the stuff but you get 1l of branded vimto cordial for £1 in the pound shop (thats a huge saving on the bought pop and it tastes the same) and fizzed up pure apple is like appletizer but about a quater of the cost if u use aldi juice

mavisangelica

Anyone know where I can buy the 500ml bottles please apart from the Sodastream website. I have just been to Lakeland and bought a pack of the litre bottles at £4.99 but they don't stock the smaller bottles.

Rich44_2

Doc_N wrote: »

Sodastream sparkling water works out, on these figures, at 16.6p for 1 litre.

Tesco sparkling water is much the same price (17p) for twice that at 2 litres.

Even ignoring the extra cost of buying the Sodastream itself, it does seem a pretty pointless exercise to buy something that will enable you to make fizzy water at twice the price you can already buy it for ready made!

Bottled water should be a crime against humanity given the costs to the environment in bottling and transporting it so you could look at it that way AND you don't have to carry and store huge 2 litre bottles at home AND (gas aside) you can never run out - assuming you pay your water bill lol

Sodastream should bring back the kids classic drinks like

Witches Brew
Dracula's Blood

atarisrocks

i been using mine to fizz up juices really nice cold. gonna fizz up some alcohol shots that i made as ending up with 4 litres of the stuff so might be nice fizzy

mavisangelica

mavisangelica wrote: »

Anyone know where I can buy the 500ml bottles please apart from the Sodastream website. I have just been to Lakeland and bought a pack of the litre bottles at £4.99 but they don't stock the smaller bottles.

And can someone tell me if you can make less than a litre in a litre bottle (ie the 'spike' that delivers the gas should that be in the liquid for it to work?)