DrinkMate 410-02-3z Soda Maker: Full Review

The DrinkMate sparkling water maker is a countertop appliance that allows you to easily carbonate water and make flavored sparkling beverages at home. It's designed to be an affordable alternative to buying canned or bottled carbonated drinks, while also giving you total control over the carbonation level and flavors you add.

The DrinkMate uses 60L CO2 cylinders to carbonate tap or filtered water, then allows you to flavor the sparkling water with syrups or juice concentrates. It's simple to operate, requiring just the push of a button to start the carbonation process once the canister is connected. The appliance has received positive feedback for its ease of use, versatility with different flavors, and ability to produce fizzy water and soda on demand.

Overall, the DrinkMate provides a convenient way to enjoy sparkling water, Italian soda, diet sodas, and other bubbly beverages you would normally buy pre-made. With the ability to control ingredients and carbonation, it offers a customizable experience that makes it a handy appliance for sparkling water lovers.

Design

The DrinkMate is compact and stylish, with a contemporary silver and black color scheme. At just 12 inches tall and 7 inches wide, it has a small footprint that takes up minimal counter space. The main carbonation unit has a cylindrical shape with ergonomic curves, accented by the cylindrical CO2 canister that attaches to the back.

Three interchangeable liquor towers in black, copper, and stainless steel tones allow you to customize the look. The towers have thin spouts for precise pouring and are easy to swap out. LED lights circle the base of the tower, illuminating your drink with a glow.

Overall, the DrinkMate has an elegant, modern design perfect for any kitchen. It combines stainless steel and plastic nicely without looking clunky or cheap. The simplicity of the controls and the multiple finish options give it an appealing versatility.

The SodaStream 1012811011 is another acclaimed product in the soda maker market. It boasts a sleek design, featuring a slim profile that fits easily in any kitchen. Its user-friendly interface makes it simple to carbonate water with just the push of a button. Additionally, it includes a snap-lock bottle mechanism, ensuring a secure fit every time you use it. The SodaStream 1012811011 emphasizes eco-friendliness, as it helps reduce single-use plastic bottles. Check out the link for more details on this innovative product.

Ease of Use

The DrinkMate is designed to be very easy to set up and use. Once unpacked, you simply need to attach the carbonator, fill the 1 liter carbonating bottle with water, insert a CO2 cylinder, and connect it. The whole setup takes just a couple of minutes with no tools required.

Operating the DrinkMate is straightforward as well. There are just two buttons - one for carbonation and one for flavor. Add the flavoring to the bottle, press the carbonation button to add fizz, and press the flavor button to mix everything together. There's an LED light that lets you know when the carbonation and mixing is complete.

The intuitive controls, lack of complex settings, and quick setup allows anyone to start making their own carbonated beverages with ease. Even first-time users should have no trouble using the DrinkMate right out of the box. Its simplicity makes it accessible for the whole family.

Another great option to consider is the SodaStream 1103024010. This soda maker also offers an efficient and user-friendly experience, allowing you to easily carbonate water at home. Featuring a sleek design, it is compact enough to fit in any kitchen space. Similar to the DrinkMate, it requires minimal setup and provides a straightforward way to enjoy sparkling water and flavored beverages. Its simplicity and efficiency make it a popular choice among users.

Features

• The DrinkMate system allows you to carbonate plain water and add natural flavors on demand. It comes with everything you need to make sparkling water and flavored sodas at home.

• To carbonate, you simply attach a CO2 cylinder to the carbonator cap. The DrinkMate uses standard 60L CO2 cylinders that are easy to swap out when empty.

• The carbonation level is adjustable, so you can make lightly bubbly or very fizzy water. The CO2 cylinder provides up to 60 liters of carbonated water.

• For flavoring, DrinkMate uses drink mixes in twist-lock bottles. It comes with a sample pack of 10 flavors like cola, lemon-lime, and root beer. Additional flavor packs can be purchased separately.

• The flavors are unsweetened, letting you control the amount of sugar. The flavors have no preservatives, no artificial sweeteners or colors. This allows you to create natural tasting sodas and sparking juices.

• To use, you carbonate water in the 1 liter BPA-free bottle, then add the drink mix, shake and enjoy. Everything on the DrinkMate is dishwasher safe, making cleanup easy.

Carbonation

The DrinkMate produces very good carbonation for home sparkling water. The carbonator uses a 60L CO2 cylinder to inject bubbles into water, allowing you to customize the level of fizziness. The carbonation effect is quite strong, giving water a satisfying bubbly texture similar to store-bought seltzer.

You can adjust carbonation from low to very high by twisting the knob on the carbonator. At the highest setting, the water becomes extremely effervescent, with a prickly sensation. Lower settings produce a moderate level of carbonation that most closely resembles mainstream sparkling water brands. The carbonation feels smooth, lively, and crisp without being overly aggressive on the palate.

Overall, the DrinkMate carbonates effectively, providing excellent control over the intensity of fizziness. The results are on par with professional SodaStream machines costing much more. You can recreate that bottled sparkling water experience at home with this appliance.

Flavoring

The DrinkMate allows you to easily create a variety of flavored sparkling waters. It comes with six syrup flavors included: cola, lemon-lime, orange, cherry, grape, and root beer. The flavors are concentrated and designed to be mixed with carbonated water.

Just add about 1-2 tablespoons of syrup per 16oz serving of carbonated water. The flavors mix in quickly and easily. The cola flavor is quite crisp, while the cherry and grape have a nice sweetness. The lemon-lime and orange flavors taste fresh and refreshing. The root beer syrup makes a tasty old-fashioned style root beer.

You can also experiment with adding different syrups or juices to create your own custom flavored carbonated beverages. The DrinkMate accommodates a wide variety of flavor options beyond the included syrups. Just avoid using anything with pulp or chunks that could potentially clog the system. Overall the flavors are high quality and mix well with the carbonated water.

Maintenance

The DrinkMate requires some maintenance but is relatively easy to take care of. Here are the key maintenance requirements:

Cleaning - The soda maker should be cleaned regularly, especially the parts that come in contact with liquids like the carbonating bottle and flavor syrup containers. Clean with mild dish soap and rinse thoroughly. Deep clean the parts that touch soda every few weeks.

Changing CO2 - The CO2 cylinder will need to be replaced periodically when it runs out of carbonation. The cylinder is easy to switch out by twisting off the empty one and replacing it with a full cylinder. CO2 cylinders can be exchanged at retailers or refilled at beverage supply stores.

General Care - Keep the soda maker clean and store flavor syrups in a cool, dry place to maintain freshness. Rinse flavor containers after each use. Visually inspect parts before each use and replace any worn gaskets, tubing or damaged components. Follow all manufacturer instructions for maintenance and care.

With just a little regular cleaning and CO2 cylinder replacement, the DrinkMate soda maker should provide reliable performance and great tasting homemade soda. Proper care will keep the unit working optimally.

Value

The DrinkMate Sparkling Water Carbonator offers good value for money in the soda maker category. Most soda makers range from around $50 to $150 dollars, putting the DrinkMate around the lower end of the price spectrum at $99.

For under $100 you get a compact, easy to use soda maker that can carbonate still water and add customized flavors. The 60L CO2 cylinder included provides enough carbonation for making up to 60 liters of sparkling water, which is on par with other brands. Each CO2 cylinder can make approximately the same amount of seltzer.

Replacement CO2 cylinders cost around $15, which is comparable to Sodastream cylinders. The overall cylinder costs end up being low considering you can carbonate a lot of water with each one.

The DrinkMate also comes with a BPA-free 1 liter flavoring carafe for adding your preferred flavors, fruits, and juices. You don't have to purchase any additional accessories or bottles to get started making flavored sodas.

Considering the carbonator, CO2 cylinder, and flavoring carafe are all included at a price under $100, the DrinkMate SodaMaker provides good value compared to other more expensive models. You get everything you need to make sparkling water and flavored sodas at home with a relatively low initial investment.

Pros

• Extremely fast and easy carbonation - simply attach the small CO2 cannister, push a button, and your water is carbonated in seconds. Much faster and more convenient than manual soda makers.

• Flavor variety - able to create a huge range of drinks by adding different flavored syrups. Comes with cola syrup, but you can buy additional syrups to make all kinds of sodas, sparkling juices, and more.

• Highly portable - the soda maker itself is small and lightweight, making it easy to take with you anywhere. The CO2 cannisters are also very portable.

• Saves money - much cheaper over the long run than buying canned or bottled soda. One CO2 cannister can make up to 60 liters of soda.

• Simple to clean - few parts need cleaning, and everything is dishwasher safe. Very little effort required to maintain the soda maker.

Cons

• The DrinkMate requires proprietary CO2 cylinders, which can only be purchased directly from the manufacturer. This may be inconvenient compared to sodastreams that use more widely available cylinders.

• Carbonation is inconsistent at times, with some users reporting very fizzy results while others find the carbonation underwhelming. The quality of carbonation seems to depend on getting the perfect seal with the bottle.

• While DrinkMate advertises compatibility with 1 liter bottles, some users report difficulty getting larger bottles to properly seal and carbonate. The product seems optimized for smaller 12-16 oz bottles.

• There are some safety concerns, as the bottles can blow their caps if over-carbonated. Users need to be very careful to slowly carbonate and frequently "burp" the bottles.

• The flavor mixes can be hit or miss in terms of taste. Some users feel the flavor is very artificial tasting compared to adding real fruit or juice. Finding good flavor combinations takes some experimentation.