SodaStream One Touch Sparkling Water Maker (White) with CO2 and BPA free Bottle

I received this item for the purpose of review. This is our first experiment with a Sodastream. They've been on the market for a while and we've always been curious. So glad we were given this opportunity to try. 1. It's TALL. Almost 17 inches. So make sure the space you choose to store it FITS. It does not fit on our 60s kitchen counter so it sits on the table. 2. Instructions are just OK. It took me a minute to figure out that I needed to screw in the C02 bottle. But I'm new to this game. 3. Also need to make sure that the drinking bottle is secured into the front. It is lifted off the pad in front. When I read about people say it leaks, this could be part of it. 4. We tried it with just fresh wedges of lemon. I did actually add the chunks of lemon right into the bottle, then added cold bottled water. For the purpose of experiment, we used about 18 oz and did not take the water all the way up to the full line. We figure if we're going to only want 12 oz of water at a time, that is what we will try it with the first time. 5. Push the buttons on top once. They light up. Press the amount of C02 you want - there are 3 levels. I tried the middle one and it gave me about 4 puffs of C02. 6. The machine makes a hissing noise when pumping. When finished, it sort of makes another hiss and stops. I carefully lifted out the bottle. I say CAREFUL because there is one last blast of C02 when the bottle is discharged from that station. So be CAREFUL. 7. Much to our surprise, it was really very tasty. It gave us each a full glass of FRESH sparkling water with fresh fruit lemon flavor. While you can purchase the flavorings, we are old school and will stick to what we like best which will be lemon and lime. However, we're excited to try other fresh fruit flavors like sliced strawberry, apple, orange, and maybe even a lemonade powder mix. I think it will get both of us to stop drinking so much Diet soda and maybe have more refreshing fruit flavored water in a flash. If we don't use fresh sliced fruit, an alternative is to add a few drops of fresh juice. The replacement cartridges will be pricey but we'll see how much we use it and like it. In comparison to the cost of bottled or canned water, this is a great alternative. It's also better for the planet. It will be an interesting thing to try at the Christmas gathering. Fresh sparkling water in pretty glasses. Who doesn't want to try that? I'm impressed with it but I will say that the instructions could have had a few words with them instead of the little cryptic drawings. That was my only CON to the whole thing. There is also a short video on the company's website that tells exactly how to do it. I would highly recommend it for families who want kids to make healthier choices. You can get that kick of carbonation without the calories or sugar. I'm not sure I would let small children work this thing but older kids would be OK. It's fun to watch it working so it will be fun for grandkids too. Thanks Walmart!!

I love this gadget! This nifty gadget lets me add carbonation to almost anything I want to drink. It was super easy to get out and set up. Making the soda takes some trial and error if you're working with things other than water. Some liquids are more easily agitated and will make a mess. Thankfully this machine is designed to shut off if you hit the carbonation button on it again. I used Hawaiian Punch my first time, and it made a great soda. It also made a mess at first because I used too much carbonation, but the cleanup was extremely simple - this machine is designed with messes in mind.