Soda Club Penguin model works as advertised
Written: Feb 08 '09 (Updated Feb 08 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 10-year-old child can use; glass storage carafes; no cans to carry and recycle
Cons: No nearby retailer carries soda flavors; unit just a bit too tall for our counters
The Bottom Line: Do the math on your carbonated drink consumption and compare to 7-10 cents a "can" for Soda Club fizzy soda/water and watch how fast you'll start saving money.
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| paul0709's Full Review: Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker by Soda Club |
We purchased the Soda Club's "Penguin" model from a nearby William Sonoma store in Lexington, Kentucky, which came with two glass carafes (not plastic bottles) and two canisters of CO2. Our 10-year-old daughter loves its resemblance to a real penguin -- beak and all -- and our first attempts to produce carbonated water were as easy as advertised. We decided on the Penguin model because: (1) that's the only model the WS store sells, (2) it's made of metal and should last longer than the less-expensive plastic models, and (3) we wanted to store our beverages in glass instead of the plastic bottles the other models need to use. Also, we can exchange our empty CO2 canisters at the store and not have to rely on having them picked up/dropped off/shipped. Note that WS stores only carry the larger 60-liter canisters, which may not fit other Soda Club models.
We did the math based on the cost of the soda and La Croix canned carbonated water we were buying. It worked out that La Croix was costing about 36 cents a can, while the same amount of carbonated water -- without flavoring -- was only 7 cents each. (Purchasing the Soda Club flavorings adds a penny or two per serving, but you can also use your own fresh limes and lemons or concentrated lime or lemon juice.) We should recover the $200 cost of the starter kit in just over 5 months, based on our past consumption rate of two 12-packs of soda or La Croix per week at $4.50 per 12-pack.
One of the best parts is that we will no longer be lugging home case after case of heavy cans and then having to carry the empties down to the curb in recycling bins!
The only downer was that the Soda Club website showed the Lexington, KY, Sam's Club carries refills of the soda flavorings, but we discovered the store no longer does so. But as long as we order at least $40 at a time from the Soda Club's online store (soda flavoring refills), the shipping is free -- so that works even better.
All in all, we are please with the Soda Club products and recommend them.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID: paul0709
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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