MonTen Soda MW-SW Maker Soda Maker: Full Review

Soda makers, also known as soda siphons, carbonators or sparkling water makers, have been growing in popularity in recent years as more people look to reduce their sugar and make their own flavored sparkling beverages at home. The benefits of making your own soda at home include:

• Control over ingredients - you can avoid unwanted sugars, preservatives and artificial flavors found in store-bought sodas
• Customize flavors - tailor drinks to your taste preferences with different fruits, herbs or natural flavorings
• Reduce plastic waste - no more buying single-use plastic bottles or cans
• Save money - homemade sodas cost a fraction of branded carbonated beverages
• Fun activity - kids can get involved in making their own flavor creations

With the right soda maker, it’s easy and enjoyable to produce sparkling water and soda that’s just as bubbly and tasty as what you’d buy in stores. In this review, we’ll take a close look at the MonTen Soda Maker to see how it performs when making homemade carbonated drinks.

Overview of the MonTen Soda Maker

The MonTen Soda Maker is a countertop soda maker that allows you to create sparkling water and flavored carbonated beverages at home. This soda maker features a stylish and compact design with an easy-to-use interface.

The MonTen Soda Maker uses a 60L CO2 carbonator and can make up to 60 liters of soda before needing a CO2 cylinder replacement. It carbonates water in just 2-5 minutes by adding bubbles to plain water. The maximum pressure is 4-5 bars.

This soda making machine includes a 1 liter BPA-free plastic bottle and a 350 ml carbonation bottle. It has an LED touch screen with buttons for choosing carbonation level, an add button for flavoring, and a start/stop button. The MonTen Soda Maker has an automatic shut-off function after 4 minutes of inactivity.

Some key features and specs:

• Makes 60L before CO2 cylinder replacement
• Carbonates in 2-5 minutes
• Maximum 4-5 bar pressure
• LED touch screen
• Automatic shut-off
• Includes 1L and 350ml BPA-free bottles
• Compact 15” x 5.5” x 12.5” size
• Weighs 9.3 lbs

Overall, the MonTen Soda Maker provides a quick and easy way to make sparkling water and soda at home. With its fast carbonation, LED interface, and bundled bottles, it offers solid performance for the price point.

In addition to the MonTen, the SodaBuddy SBWJS18CO2 is another excellent option. It features a user-friendly design and allows for precise carbonation control. The SodaBuddy model is compatible with standard CO2 cylinders and can produce a similar volume of sparkling beverages, making it a great choice for those who enjoy making drinks at home.

Set Up and First Use

Setting up the MonTen Soda Maker is quick and easy straight out of the box. It comes with the carbonating device, a 60L CO2 cylinder, and a 1L BPA-free plastic bottle.

To get started, remove all the parts from the packaging and wash the bottle thoroughly with warm soapy water. Make sure no residue remains before the first use.

Attach the bottle to the top of the device by sliding it into place and twisting slightly to secure it. Ensure the bottle is firmly connected before carbonation.

Next, connect the CO2 cylinder to the back of the soda maker. It easily screws into place. Give it a gentle turn until it is fully connected.

Now add cold water to the fill line in the bottle, around 1L. Avoid using warm water as this will affect carbonation.

Finally, press the carbonation button on top of the device. Hold for 2-3 seconds until the gas flow starts with a hissing noise. The water will quickly carbonate before your eyes.

Once it stops, the soda is ready. Give the bottle a gentle shake and unscrew it to enjoy your first glass of freshly carbonated sparkling water! The initial set up takes less than 5 minutes for bubbly water in seconds.

If you're interested in an alternative option, consider the DrinkMate 410-01-00. This soda maker has the unique ability to carbonate any beverage, not just water, allowing for endless flavor combinations. Its user-friendly design and compact size make it a great addition to any kitchen. Experience versatile carbonation like never before with DrinkMate!

Carbonation

The MonTen Soda MW-SW Maker offers very effective and customizable carbonation capabilities. The carbonator produces a satisfying fizz to rival store-bought soda. There are options to control the level of carbonation, allowing you to make lightly effervescent seltzer water or very bubbly soda pop.

The carbonation process is easy to manage. Simply fill the BPA-free plastic bottle with water, add the desired flavorings, screw on the carbonation cap, and press the button to inject CO2. You can watch the bubbles form right before your eyes. The carbonation takes just seconds to complete.

One of the best aspects of the MonTen is the ability to precisely control the carbonation level. Many soda makers only offer options for standard or maximum carbonation, but the MonTen has 5 settings ranging from low fizz to very high. This allows you to customize the texture and sensation of each drink you make. Whether you prefer a gentle fizz or an intense bubbly kick, the MonTen has you covered.

The carbonator mechanism is efficient and effective. It reliably produces bubbly water and sodas. The CO2 cartridges are easy to replace, affordable, and each one carbonates up to 60 liters of drink. With the MonTen Soda Maker, you can avoid buying carbonated drinks and instead create your own effervescent beverages tailored to your taste.

Ease of Use

The MonTen Soda Maker is designed to be easy and convenient to use. It has simple button controls on the top panel, including buttons for carbonation level selection and start/stop. The large buttons give good tactile feedback and are intuitive to understand and use.

Cleaning the MonTen is straightforward thanks to its dishwasher safe parts. The bottles, lids, and carbonation canisters can all be washed safely on the top shelf of a dishwasher. For hand washing, the bottles have wide openings that allow easy access for cleaning. There are few parts or nooks and crannies that are hard to reach.

Maintenance of the MonTen Soda Maker is minimal. The key component that may need occasional replacement is the CO2 canister. The canisters last for up to 60 liters of sparkling water. Replacement canisters are readily available from MonTen and other retailers. Aside from replacing canisters, there is little required for upkeep of the soda maker.

Flavor Options

The MonTen soda maker comes with 6 flavor syrups to start - cola, lemon-lime, orange, root beer, cherry, and grape. This gives you a good selection of basic soda flavors to begin experimenting with right away. The flavors are concentrated and made to mix with carbonated water. Just add about 1 tablespoon per 8 oz serving.

While the included flavors offer a nice variety, you'll likely want to expand your options over time. Adding custom flavors is easy with the MonTen. You can use ready-made soda syrups and drink mixes. For more customization, you can try mixing juices, purees, herbs, spices, extracts, and more into simple syrup. Get creative and make your own unique flavor combinations. The carbonated water serves as a bubbly neutral base for the flavors you add.

One tip is to avoid flavors with a lot of pulp or particles, as this can clog the soda maker over time. Stick to clear juices or add a straining step if needed. With some experimenting, you can dial in flavors that suit your tastes. The MonTen soda maker gives you the flexibility to create a diverse menu of sparkling drinks.

Design and Build Quality

The MonTen Soda Maker has a sleek and modern design that looks great on any countertop. It is made from BPA-free plastic that is durable and easy to clean.

The plastic parts have a polished finish and metallic accents that give it a premium look and feel. The sodamaker itself is compact in size but substantial enough to stay put during use.

In terms of durability, the MonTen Soda Maker is built to last. The plastic does not feel flimsy or cheap. All parts fit together snugly without any wiggle or creaking noises. Users mention that it handles frequent use without any signs of wear.

The sodamaker comes with a 1L BPA-free plastic carbonating bottle. The bottle feels sturdy with a secure screw-on cap. It does not leak even under pressure. The plastic withstands the carbonation process without warping or cracking over time.

Overall, the MonTen Soda Maker has excellent build quality with premium materials that make it look good and work well. The plastic parts are durable enough for daily use. And the sodamaker has a compact yet sturdy body that stays put on the countertop.

Value

The MonTen Soda Maker provides very good value for the price. At around $100, it is affordably priced compared to many other soda makers which can cost $150 or more.

Included with the soda maker is a 60L CO2 carbonator, which is sufficient to make plenty of sparkling water and soda. The package also includes a BPA-free 1L carbonating bottle and two 500mL flavor essences, so you have everything you need to start making soda and flavored sparkling water right away.

Additional bottles and flavors can be purchased separately, keeping the initial purchase cost down. Replacement CO2 cylinders are also reasonably priced.

Considering the sturdy stainless steel construction, easy to use design, and included accessories, the MonTen Soda Maker is a great value purchase for anyone looking to make their own soda and sparkling water at home.

Downsides

While the MonTen Soda Maker has many positives, it does have some drawbacks to consider.

• The carbonation can be inconsistent at times, with some batches coming out less fizzy than expected. This seems to happen most when making smaller batches. It takes some trial and error to get the carbonation right each time.

• The flavor syrups that come with the starter kit are lower quality and quite artificial tasting. To get better flavors, you need to purchase MonTen's premium syrups separately or experiment with making your own.

• Cleaning can be a bit tricky due to the design. Getting into some of the nooks and crannies to thoroughly clean them requires some effort. The bottles in particular need diligent cleaning to avoid mold growth.

• While generally well built, some customers have reported issues with carbonation leaking and a hissing sound coming from the unit after several months of use. The lifespan may be shorter than expected.

• It's not as ideal for making large batches or continuous use throughout the day since the carbonation chamber only holds 1 liter at a time. You'd need to stop and re-carbonate often when serving soda to a group.

• Some users find the button controls a little confusing at first and take some getting used to. The instruction manual could also be more detailed.

Overall the downsides are relatively minor, but worth being aware of if considering this soda maker model. The pros seem to outweigh the cons for most owners, but the drawbacks impact the experience enough that the MonTen doesn't quite earn a perfect score.

Conclusions

The MonTen Soda Maker offers a fun, easy way to make sparkling water and soda at home. Its slim, sleek design takes up minimal counter space yet can carbonate up to 1 liter of water in just a few minutes. The unit is very easy to use - simply add water and press a button for perfect carbonation every time. Making flavored soda is also easy with the included syrups.

The carbonation level is adjustable, allowing you to customize fizziness to taste. The carbonating bottles feel sturdy and well-made. Overall build quality seems good for the price. However, the bottles only hold 1 liter, so you'll need to make multiple batches for a group.

In summary, the MonTen Soda Maker produces solid results for homemade soda and seltzer with great convenience. It's simple to operate and easy to clean. The unit provides good value given the competitive price point. The main downsides are the smaller bottle size and lack of flavor variety compared to some models. But if you're looking for an affordable, no-frills soda maker that gets the job done, the MonTen is an excellent choice. For the budget-conscious consumer who wants tasty homemade bubbly water and soda, this unit delivers satisfaction.