Thank you so much for all the info!!...I will be going out later I'm going to look at one. It never occurred to me about being able to contd how much the carbonation the drink can have.....It does sound economical too! Thank again!

Oh, the carbonation control was the biggie in buying it for me. Make those super fizzy drinks with lots of cola syrup!!!! MMMMMMMM.

I think the Walmart started kit with the machine, a bottle or two of syrup and one or two carbonators is only $79.00, but that might be just the machine itself. Just can't recall. But it is a good system and if you don't like the syrups for some reason, you can buy others or fancy it up by adding things of your own.

I actually really want one of these! I have co-owernship (long story hehe) of a big fountain soda machine, like the kind they have at restaurants and gas stations. Granted I probably initiated the onset of diabetes with it... ^_^ But I do love fountain soda.

I have a really old "Soda Jerk" too with little canisters to carbonate. That said it's probably time I upgrade, haha. Do they have a good "version" of cherry coke?? Wild Cherry Pepsi is my weakness. I have seen the Sodastreams around and they always catch my eye but I wasn't sure if it was all it was cracked up to be!

I do think they have Cherry Cola syrup but if you buy the Cola Syrup(very thick) and add some maraschino cherry juice (and cherries) to it, that could work, too! Add extra sugar to anything to fizz up more and add sweetness. Mix cola syrups - we do that a bit. They have root beer, their good version of Dr. Pepper and lots of others. Some grocery stores sell syrups and there are quite a few receipes for syrups on the net. With sugar and fructose syrup and flavors, you can readily make your own syrups. Chocolate syrups to put in the selter drinks, things like that. I love mine - and think their charges are very reasonable to put a soda fountain machine in one's own home! I make chocolate soda's all the time using the seltzer water, chocolate syrup and ice cream. I make a mean frozen yogurt soda and orange or lime sherbet soda. Adding Equal or fake sweeteners to drinks fizz them up, too.

Where do you get your big soda fountain CO2 tanks refilled?

Is there such thing as "restaurant grade" CO2?

I don't refill them myself; it is at my ex's actually. He lives in a big city where they have a few big warehouse stores and one of them tailors just to restaurant supplies. He got them refilled at the same place he would buy the syrup. He recently moved too- we're on good terms, he's still like family to me and did promise that I could come get free refills every day once it's hooked up again lol. But no, honestly I don't think there is such a thing as restaurant grade CO2. I saw their FAQ answer claiming they had 'beverage grade c02'. I would probably just call any of the local places that offer refills; and ask them straight up if they meet the "exacting FDA standards for food and beverage safety." I assume most do; in which case it would just be a problem if they somehow damaged the tank in the process. It does look like they won't guarantee or repair the tank if you refill it elsewhere, but the fact that they even mention that implies that people have been, lol! I also found this place online, that seems reasonable in comparison! CO2 Doctor

Thanks for the info and that link. I'm confused by that starter kit but if I'm understanding it correctly there are 2 adapters for using the a regular CO2 large tank that I would purchase or another one for refilling a paintball tank.

If that is right, where does one get those tanks? Do sports shops have regular CO2 tanks? Or do you have to find a local restaurant supply house? I don't imagine there are a ready supply of restaurant supply houses dotted about but maybe I'd be surprised.

I think I read sports shops have CO2 tanks used for paintball games! I had no idea paintball used CO2 in the game but guess it goes in their paintball "guns"? Would a place like Academy Sports have a paintball CO2 tank I could use with a modifier thingy on my Sodastream, do you think? I usually get 3 Sodastream carbonator tanks exchanged at a time and that is $45.00, cheap to me for the overall convenience and good use I get out of the Sodastream home system but I'd go cheater with NOOOOOOO problem, if I could! I guess if I got all that adapter thing and a big tank, I could just keep my Sodastream machine in the hobby room where I keep all my hobby stuff plus old exercise machines, things like that. I wouldn't mind going back there to fill my carbonating bottles if it were lots cheaper to use the different tanks and adapter.