DrinkMate 410-02-14Z-SSP Soda Maker: Full Review

The DrinkMate OmniFizz is a compact countertop soda maker that allows you to easily carbonate water and create homemade sodas, sparkling water, and other fizzy drinks at home. DrinkMate aims to provide a convenient and cost-effective alternative to store-bought carbonated beverages.

The OmniFizz features a sleek, modern design with an integrated CO2 carbonator. It carbonates water in seconds and can make up to 40 liters of soda before needing a CO2 cylinder replacement. The OmniFizz comes with everything you need to start making soda and sparkling water at home right out of the box.

Overall, the DrinkMate OmniFizz provides an easy and affordable way to enjoy carbonated beverages without all the added sugars, preservatives, and artificial ingredients found in many store-bought sodas. Its compact size and simple operation also makes it an appealing option for anyone looking to cut down on soda expenses and customize their drink choices.

Sleek and Compact Design

The DrinkMate is designed to be sleek, stylish, and compact, making it easy to store and use. It has a durable stainless steel exterior that comes in a brushed silver finish. Weighing only 2.9 pounds, the DrinkMate won't take up much space on your kitchen counter or in your cabinets.

Its small footprint takes up just 5.5 x 5.5 inches of counter space. The DrinkMate stands about 16 inches tall so it can easily fit under most kitchen cabinets when not in use. Despite its compact size, it can hold up to 1 liter of liquid.

The stainless steel exterior gives it a modern, minimalist look that will blend in nicely with most kitchen decors. The matte brushed finish helps resist fingerprints and smudges. Overall, the DrinkMate has a sleek yet sturdy design perfect for making fizzy drinks at home.

Another excellent choice for home soda makers is the PHILIPS ADD4901BLO. This model offers a user-friendly interface and features an advanced carbonation system for creating a variety of fizzy drinks. It also has a compact design, making it an ideal addition to any kitchen. With high-quality materials and reliable performance, the PHILIPS ADD4901BLO stands out as a top contender in the soda maker market.

Ease of Use

The DrinkMate is designed for convenience and simplicity. Setting it up is straightforward - just insert the CO2 cartridge, attach the carbonating bottle, and connect it to your water supply. The quick connect system makes it easy to swap out bottles or flavors.

Cleaning is also simple. The parts that come in contact with the drink can be handwashed or placed in the dishwasher. The carbonating bottle should be cleaned regularly to prevent buildup. The exterior can be wiped down as needed.

Overall, the DrinkMate requires minimal maintenance. Replace the CO2 cartridges as they empty and clean the parts after each use. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to ensure proper care and operation. The simplicity of the DrinkMate makes it an accessible option for creating homemade carbonated beverages.

The Ninja WC1001 is another excellent option for those looking to make fizzy drinks at home. This innovative soda maker boasts a sleek design and user-friendly interface. It features a high-capacity CO2 cartridge and an easy-to-use carbonating button. The Ninja WC1001 also includes a built-in safety valve to ensure safe operation. Cleaning is a breeze as all removable parts are dishwasher safe. Whether you are into sparkling water, soda, or flavored beverages, the Ninja WC1001 provides an excellent and convenient experience.

Features

The DrinkMate allows you to carbonate a wide variety of beverages to create your own customized sparkling drinks. You can carbonate plain water, juices, coffee, tea, wine, cocktails and more.

It comes with 10 free flavor essences to add different flavors like cola, lemon-lime, orange, grape, and more without artificial sweeteners or preservatives. The flavor essences allow you to customize the taste of any drink. You simply add as many drops of the flavor essence as desired to infuse the drink with flavor.

The DrinkMate also allows you to control the level of carbonation from mild fizz to super carbonated. There are 3 carbonation modes to choose from depending on your preference - soft, medium or max carbonation. So you can customize the carbonation level for any particular drink.

With the freedom to carbonate any liquid and add different flavors, the DrinkMate provides unlimited possibilities for creating your own personalized bubbly beverages.

Carbonation

The DrinkMate has excellent carbonation capabilities. It allows you to control the level of fizziness, with options ranging from lightly bubbly to super carbonated. The carbonation it produces is smooth, consistent, and of high quality.

Many users report being impressed with how the DrinkMate can make their homemade sodas ultra fizzy, with tiny vigorous bubbles reminiscent of store-bought soda. Even at the highest carbonation setting, the bubbles remain fine and smooth instead of aggressive. The carbonation disperses evenly for balanced fizz in every sip.

The consistency of the carbonation is another plus. There are no issues with fluctuating levels of fizziness in different batches. The carbonation quality remains reliably great. This allows you to accurately customize just how bubbly you want your drinks to be.

Overall, the DrinkMate offers carbonation excellence. It's easy to make sparkling drinks as bubbly as you desire, with professional-grade fizziness and steady consistency. The carbonation feature is a highlight of this soda maker.

Flavors

The DrinkMate OmniFizz comes with 12 flavor syrups to start making your favorite sodas and carbonated drinks at home. The included flavors are Cola, Root Beer, Lemon-Lime, Orange, Fruit Punch, Grape, Cream Soda, Energy Drink, Ginger Ale, Green Tea, Iced Tea, and Sour.

Users report the flavor syrups taste very close to the original branded sodas. The cola and root beer flavors are spot on. The lemon-lime has that classic Sprite/7Up citrus taste. The orange syrup nails the Fanta orange flavor. Overall the flavors taste natural without an artificial or chemical aftertaste. The energy drink flavor is described as having a good sweetness and caffeine kick.

The flavor variety allows you to recreate all your favorite store bought sodas at home. Having 12 bottles of syrup included right in the box is a great value as well. The flavors give you plenty of options to carbonate not just sodas but also teas, juices, waters, and more. If you enjoy flavored sparkling drinks, the syrups ensure you can customize the OmniFizz machine to your taste.

Value

For under $100, the DrinkMate 410-02-14Z-SSP offers exceptional value for creating your own sparkling beverages at home. Of all the consumer models of soda makers in this price range, the DrinkMate provides the most accessories and versatility.

The starter kit includes the sparkling water maker, a 1 liter soda bottle, a 60L CO2 carbonator, a flavoring syrup pump, and two BPA-free flavoring syrups to get you started (cola and root beer). With the included syrups and CO2, you can make up to 60 liters of sparkling beverages. The syrup pump ensures consistent flavoring with each drink.

Additional CO2 carbonators and flavoring syrups can be purchased separately, but the starter kit provides everything you need to enjoy an abundance of bubbly beverages. Considering a brand name like SodaStream charges over $80 just for their base model sparkling water maker without any flavors or CO2 included, the DrinkMate 410-02-14Z-SSP is an outstanding value for the money.

Pros

• Makes sparkling water, soda, juice, wine, and cocktails at home
• Uses 60L CO2 cylinders for consistent carbonation
• Customizable carbonation from subtle to very fizzy
• Comes with reusable 1L BPA-free bottles to create drinks
• Produces sodas that taste cleaner and fresher than store-bought
• Simple to use and easy to clean
• Compact size takes up minimal counter space

Cons

• The CO2 canisters tend to be on the expensive side, costing over $1 per liter carbonated. The startup costs are also higher than cheaper models.
• The carbonation level cannot be adjusted, only pre-set to medium. Users looking for very fizzy or less bubbly drinks don't have flexibility.
• It's difficult to know how much CO2 is left in each canister since there is no indicator. You'll only know when it runs out mid-drink.
• Cleaning requires disassembling parts of the machine, which is inconvenient compared to models with detachable bottles that just need a rinse.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the DrinkMate 410-02-14Z-SSP Soda Maker is a convenient and budget-friendly way to make sparkling water and sodas at home. It offers good customization options with 60L carbonator compatibility and the ability to control the amount of fizz. The carbonation works well, and it's easy to swap out CO2 cylinders. Flavor options are decent but limited compared to some competitors.

Overall, the DrinkMate Soda Maker is recommended for anyone looking for an basic home carbonation system on a budget. While it lacks some of the features and versatility of higher-end soda makers, it gets the job done well for the price. Comparable options to consider are the SodaStream Fizzi and Aarke Carbonator III for their sleeker designs, or the SodaStream Terra for a glass carafe option. But the DrinkMate provides solid soda making performance if you don't need a lot of bells and whistles.