SodaKing is a Sodastream clone, that uses the same gas bottles and drink bottles as the SodaStream. These used to be $79 and have slowly been coming down in price as they are cleared out.
SodaStream users will know that an extra gas cylinder alone costs $35. Refills $19.
Related Reading: This previous deal (albeit one who's discount price has expired) discusses the economics of using a larger "external" co2 tanks with the Sodastream. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/387883
Anyone aware of any issues exchanging a SodaKing cylinder for a refilled SodaStream cylinder ? Just thinking that an observant shop attendant may not allow the exchange if they realise the cylinder is not genuine SodaStream…
It'd depend on the person at the time.
Of course you can find a Sodaking swap & go outlet. My local newsagents does it.
https://www.sodaking.com.au/apps/store-locator/
the bottles have shrink wrap that says sofa king or soda stream , and small metal imprint of brand ..take the shrink wrap off and an attendant wouldn’t know the difference.
That's sofa king smart
That price is soda-mn good.
From my understanding it is around the same price to buy sparkling water from Aldis, online reports say it costs $0.40 per litre to make your own and around $0.70 to buy sparkling/soda water from Aldis which is 1.25l. Also subtract $0.10 for bottle refund. The savings seem too small to bother with. Certainly a good deal for people who are interested thou, thank you OP.
I'm not sure about Aldi but the ones from Coles and Woolies are loaded with salt and you can taste it.
Also you're paying for the convenience here. I don't have to make my house look trashy with excess bottles everywhere. I don't have to waste time buying more either.
It's not just about cost. Store bought water, which is what this is, just adds to the waste cycle. Even with recyclables you have to exert energy (carbon footprint) to make the plastic reusable and that's without considering how much of the plastic can actually be recycled, nor if it's being recycled or just dumped into landfill. Single use plastic bottles are an environmental disaster.
Yes I agree, I think all disposable containers including glass (people smash them and animals get hurt by walking over them) should be banned. That is a good reason thou to consider for making your own sparkling water.
Well, you better not vote either Liberal or Labour in that case since they are run by the food and beverage industries who would never allow that because of lost profits.
What are the practical alternatives you propose?
@KMeister: People need to change their lifestyle from having the immature impulsive consumer desires most people suffer. A cheaper way for the home to make sparkling water may be to reuse plastic bottles and use a little yeast and sugar with tap water and wait a few days, similar to how home brewers prime their beer bottles. It wouldn't taste as nice but may it be acceptable to some people.
I'd say this is making your own. It's not as cost effective as some other methods but the gas cycliders are recycled (reused as is) and you can use that one plastic bottle for years.
@freemoneyhunter: Well, still there are no practical alternatives to plastic and glass in your comment. I'm talking about the larger picture here, not just about soda water. What can be replaced with, as an alternative to plastic and glass containers?
And I don't think to change people's behaviour on a global scale will be an achievable practical measure due to a multitude of constraints.
It is easy for us to preach from the comfort of our homes, but plastics and glass have served us for a long time to build a sanitary, safe society. Now I'm not discounting their attributes and how they affect our world negatively. Plastics are catching up at a rapid pace to disrupt everything we know and how they will exist or cease to exist into the future, that's not a good thing either.
What we need to focus our energy on practical alternatives while raising awareness rather than banning everything around us.
@KMeister: I agree with all of what you said, I speak more of what I like to see happen than what is possible, an alternative to ending disposable container usage may be to greatly increase the tax the companies/businesses who produce and benefit from these products and the taxed money goes towards cleaning the land, rivers and oceans of plastics starting with the great plastic patch in the ocean. Also sanction many countries that allow a large amount of plastic waste to flow out into the oceans.
It's hard to see anything like that happening when considering the VISY/Pratt funeral, politicians including PM Howard all went to the funeral, they wouldn't think to do anything like I suggested.
@KMeister: the deposit scheme seems to work for bottles ….problem is you go into coles or woolies and buy a slab of water bottles for $6 ….add 10c per bottles and it becomes $8.40 ….maybe then people use tap water, glass bottles when i was a kid were 20c for large drink bottles ….20c deposit per bottles would be a game changer both for consumers and people,that collect and cash in.
get supermarkets to take the bottles back and offer the refund, your kids would collect them for next shopping trip ….coles and woolies would hate dealing with the waste though.
stops buying those plastic bottles that then need to go into recycle bin and be recycled, and Australia is having a problem with recycling, and lugging the bottles home.
I'm happy with the soda stream just because it's always ready to go and I don't waste the little space I have storing water bottles.
If you are worried are about cylinder exchange, just also but a genuine soda stream one so you always have a spare full, the new cyclinders aren't expensive.
Be aware that some cyclinders come as "starter" …they are 1/2 empty compared to an exchange or new cylinder, wavier between models.
60L cylinder? Litres is a measure of physical size - to put it in perspective, the large gas bottles for a BBQ are only 9L.
Yes, I wonder how people are able to fit it in their cars…..
Under a higher pressure, therefore smaller sized container required..
Quick Google says about 90psi for your 9kg LPG gas bottle v about 1000psi for your c02 soda stream bottle
Well the link doesn't mention whether its 60L measured at normal pressure or measured at high pressure. 60L is 0.06m^3 or 60,000 cm^3 doesn't matter the pressure.
Don't own a SodaStream but looking it up the cylinder (whatever size it is) produces up to 60L of "sparkling" water, not actually 60L in size
Pretty standard that gas volume like these are given at atmospheric pressure.
@SBOB: Doing the maths (there is 400g of co2 in one cylinder), assuming that the pressure is 1000psi as you said, density of co2 at that pressure is around 150 kg/m^3 which ends up in one cylinder being around 2.5L in size. Which explains its size relative to a gas cylinder.
Yep. It's also one reason most things like co2 bottles are advertised as weight not litres. (eg 2.6 kg and 6kg cylinders are common for home setups)
Even most small portable cylinders show weight instead (like portable welding cylinders)
Less confusion about contents than we shown as a volume, as weight is independant of pressure whereas volume is dependant on pressure (when it's being depressurised for usage)
No idea why I got a neg for a pretty valid answer from someone though.
@pretz92: had same idea and its very cheap, problem for some people is space … and hiding the cylinder, other option is to decent from 60L cylinder into smaller cylinder and do your own refills,
@pretz92: yep says on the box, makes up to 60l of water …if you make it lighter fizz it’s actually more …from experience.
@pretz92: Spot on. Although we're hard pressed to get 50L let alone 60L and we only go up to two bars (out of three).
Are you sure they're 9L not 9kg?
There is a big difference between liquid volume and gas volume so you wont need a truck DON'T use the bbq bottle size as a reference ,the gas bottle for soda is about the size of 1.25 coke as a guide .
Volume is a measure of size not anything else. 1m^3 of water is the same as 1m^3 of carbon dioxide. Is a kilogram of steel also heavier than a kilogram of feathers?. Anyway both BBQ cylinders and this cylinder are gases.
It's not a measure a volume - it's an approximation of litres of carbonated water it will allow you to make. Also the gas bottles are rated in kg not volume.
yes but thats not what the title or the op of this comment thread said
1 x Cylinder (Makes up to 60 Litres)
I went to kmart last night fyi a replacement bottle is $19
They've done this price before (also Google for a $10 off with $50 purchase from Spotlight floating around out there somewhere if ordering online). My only complaint with this (and SodaStream) is that the comparatively low pressure of the carbonation process means that the bubbles are not as big as the ones you get with commercially manufactured drinks.
It's more of a light fizz, which suits me just fine, but for anyone thinking that they can just buy the Coke-label syrups and make exactly the same at home, you'll probably end up disappointed.
My Sodastream on the 2nd and 3rd options have significantly more bubbles than say Coca-Cola.
yep, and make sure water is cold from fridge before you carbonate …cold water holds more co2.
More, yes, but I'm talking more about the… coarseness… of the bubbles.
I just do plain water and add some lemon or lime, if you want coke, wait till it's 50% off and stock up, our normal drink with the kid (11 yrs) is plain soda water and squeeze of citrus…. coke is a treat if we eat out or on weekends …, was encouraged that way at school, now it's a habit,
I know the cylinders are interchangeable, but does anyone know if the bottles are interchangeable with sodastream ones?
Yes they're supposed to be compatible.
Just bought and confirm they are compatible.
yes, the bottles work with my soda stream source,
Does this actually come with a gas cylinder? The spotlight page doesn't mention it.
Country Of Origin
Made In China.
Composition
Plastic
Contents
Sparkling machine
1L Reusable Bottle x2
Operations Manual
Cooler Bag
The title says it is included, just wondering who has bought this exact thing, and did it include the bottle? There are not many couriers that ship compressed gas….
Just bought one. Yes it does.
Does the 400g bottle (seen the battle about this above) have a thread at the top? I Like the idea of refilling with dry ice. At least 400g of solid will definitely equal 400g of gas once it thaws.
i went into spotlight and bought some ……have soda stream buy wanted extra cyclinder and water bottle so this seemed cheap,
was $29 reduced from $69, they did sunday clearance on clearances with extra discount over the PA of orange clearance stickers for the sunday.
$22 for the red soda king (inc cyclinder and bottle),
spare cylinders $12.50 …cheaper than refill, cleared their shelf….something wasnt scanning right or they just wanted the items gone.
same bottles as soda stream, difference is with soda king the bottles screw into the unit (like older gen soda stream) with soda stream now you push the bottle in and forward , no need to screw in, same bottle though.
for $29 they are great value if you find stock to see if you like the idea of making your own soda water, 50c per litre for first batch of 60 litres and you still have the unit for free effectively if you decide to get exchange cyclinder and keep going and next batch is 35c litre ..and no need to lug 60 litres of bottles from supermarket to home.
Wow, 12.50 for a spare cylinder!
do they taste as good as coke? and is it easy to make the sodas?
Taste is determined by the syrups that you use. In theory you can buy the actual Coke syrup that they use for the postmix at bars and restaurants, and other than the mouthfeel of the bubbles it is literally the same taste.
You can also just buy regular cordial from the supermarket and use that to make whatever flavour you like into your own soft drink. Personally I like Ribena/Blackcurrent.
In theory you can buy the actual Coke syrup that they use for the postmix at bars and restaurants
Never saw it available for sale.
It's not available via general retail. People usually hit up mates who work at Maccas or pubs and clubs, or you can easily find it on eBay US but shipping usually kills it.
I buy cordials like the diet lemon lime bitters, we also keep the 250ml for $1 lime juice in the fridge from coles, etc, or orange cordial that is 50% juice, etc.
Only thing it doesn't do better than off the shelf soda is coca cola, better than what you get on tap at maccas or a pub, but not as good as if bought in a bottle or can.
I drink water. Money saved, waste problem solved.
you sound like a fun guy to be around at parties…
I'll never know. I don't party.
hard to impress women when visiting if all I can offer is a glass of water. Soda water, squeeze of lime or lemon and a slice of lime and some ice cubes is more hospitable.
Ah I see. For me it's either water, or something beyond water. No half measures.
Soda Stream is made in factories on occupied Palestinian land. So I Boycott the products. The country of origin for these are China correct?
Yes, but the box says they are working in peace and harmony……who are we doubt that!
https://assets.forwardcdn.com/images/cropped/sodastream-1521…
Not sure about the sodaking.
It is misleading. There are many Arab Jews just as there are European Jews. The only Palestinian involvement in Soda Stream is the illegally occupied land. They could have bought the land and used it, but then why buy when you can steal with government support. This is why Soda stream is being boycotted around the world.
Well indeed, I didn't know sodastream were actually made in Israel until I bought my first unit earlier this year. Before that, I thought the only thing Israel produced was gratuitous aggression.
Is that why mine blew up when I pushed its buttons? this comment is similar to the coke product with poor taste!
Plus delivery.