Spärkel Beverage System (Metallic Red) - Sparkling Water and Soda Maker - A New Way of Sparkling - Use Fresh & Natural Ingredients - No CO2 Tank Needed

I love my Sparkel sparkling water maker. I am finally able to give up my purchase of cheap canned seltzer. No more heavy 12-packs, no more recycling of all of the metal cans, and no more drinking arsenic as recently revealed by having a sample of the canned seltzer analyzed by a water laboratory. (I tried a friend's SodaStream a few years ago and it did not make the water sufficiently bubby for my taste.)Sparkel instructions are not perfect, but customer support is perfect. So all problems that I had as I learned to use the device were explained by customer support and from a scanning of other helpful reviews.If you are a new user, note that you must empty the little drawer in the front. It collects the water that is used to generate the carbon dioxide gas. If it gets full then no gas will be generated but you will get a flood of water around the device. That's why there is a little label that says "Empty Before Full." Similarly, you should check the back water reservoir before starting a batch. If it is empty then no gas can be generated.If you have ANY trouble do not hesitate to contact customer support. They will coach you through your problem and supply any parts you might need. I ordered a set of extra bottles and, unlike the bottle that comes with the device, they come with the bottoms separate from the bottles. After I had a flood, and before I knew it was due to the water drawer being full, I used all my strength to tighten the two bottle bottoms , thinking I had put them on too loosely and water was getting out the bottom. It turns out that I made them so tight that I damaged the gaskets, causing a real leak. Support sent me a new bottom because I could not remove the gasket. from the one I tried to work on. I figured out how to get the gasket out of the bottom of the second one and support sent me a gasket for that one. All this could have been avoided if I had emptied the water drawer, but I didn't understand the Empty Before Full label and there was nothing in the instructions to alert me to that step. So - user error - but also product documentation deficiency. I have suggested that they modify the instructions to include that step.

WOW, am I glad that I opted for a non-c02 system, for my first time purchase of a carbonator!!!!It took me a long time, deciding what kind of seltzer machine I wanted to purchase.. I didn't like the idea of being confined to only water, as the Sodaology carbonator and such would , at least if I didn't want to risk voiding the warranty... I also didn't like the idea of having to finds a place that I could participate in a carbon canister exchange program, as I live in the middle of nowhere, and highly doubted such a place would be within feasible distance.. I was reluctant to try Sparkel, as it was the only one of its kind amidst the various product lines I had to choose from.I'm beyond satisfied I took this risk.The machine is a lovely, low-thumbprint addition to my kitchen... The machine doesn't make the mess I see in many of the other carbonation machine review videos. The price to make my drinks is exceptionally low, and the company's customer service is remarkably agreeable , in the instance you need to reach out for support. I feel extra safe with the 1 year warranty that further made this purchase well worth it.I highly recommend Sparkel, and this product, to any other sparkling water fanatic, trying to save a buck & gas for weekly seltzer runs.. This device quickly became my most utilized appliance, within less than a month of purchase. :)

I really liked the ease of sodastream, but had three of them that all failed very quickly. The canister was also a bit pricey. Now I found this product and I am very satisfied. It is solid and reliable and I have the feeling it will last. The packets are a bit expensive but there is a workaround that others have mentioned that works just fine. You can also carbonate beverages which is a really cool feature. The one small drawback is that the bottle design allows carbonation to leak slowly, so a half consumed container cannot be stored for more than a couple of hours. It is also slightly more complicated to use than the other and it takes a few minutes for the water to carbonate.

I have purchased two Sparkel machines and trust me, there will not be a third. It works great for about two months, then the many problems start. It leaks out of the bottom, it stops carbonating. It will do you no good to contact their customer service. If you are lucky enough to get a reply, it is the standard cookie-cutter reply, "Did you check the seals, Is there water in the tank, are you using only our carbonation packets?" ect, ect. That is their only response if the reply and that is a big IF. On top of all the operating problems, mold WILL appear in the parts of the machine, it is unavoidable. I am disgusted with this product and ashamed that I bought a second one within a year thinking I got a lemon. It is just a fundamentally bad product. Please, learn from my experiences with this, do not buy.

Overall, I much prefer the Sparkel to other systems which take CO2 tanks. The build quality is reasonable, though the handle feels a little bendy, but is fine overall. You will also need to take the time to read the instructions (imagine that), but overall it is easy to use.One note of caution: the friend to whom I gifted this accidentally dropped a bit of the CO2 mix wrapper into the mix chamber. After unsuccessful attempts to fish it out, he simply ran the machine which caused the bit of wrapper to get stuck in the bottom vent on the bottle and making it leak everywhere. It also seemed to ruin the seal on that bottle. So, be careful with bits of debris getting into the CO2 chamber. The machine seemed no worse for the wear, though, and we continue to use it.In a future iteration of this design, it would be nice if:- the handle felt sturdier;- it were easier to access that chamber to clean it;- there were separate chambers for the baking soda and citric acid so you could more easily use your own sources.