SodaStream Art review

Is the SodaStream Art worth buying? 

If you love sparkling water or soda but hate how much waste you produce through plastic bottles, a soda maker such as the SodaStream Art might be for you. SodaStream's high-end Art model is designed to be stylish and functional. 

SodaStream claims the Art can make sparkling water in seconds. It touts its retro design and Quick Connect CO2 canister. The company says it's energy-efficient, cordless and compact. 

The BestReviews Testing Lab wanted to check out all these claims and find out whether the SodaStream Art is worth buying. 

Testing the SodaStream Art

Testing out products in controlled environments has its place, but knowing how they perform in the real world is arguably more important. BestReviews testers try out products in their own homes, as part of their everyday routine, over the course of around 2 weeks. They aim to investigate all the claims laid by product manufacturers. For this article, the tester is a regular sparkling water drinker who has used other SodaStreams in the past. 

What is the SodaStream Art?

The SodaStream Art is a sparkling water maker. It uses a cylinder of carbon dioxide to carbonate water. You can then drink it straight up or mix it with a syrup to make soda. SodaStream makes a wide range of concentrated soda syrups that you can add to its sparkling water, as do third-party brands. 

See how it compares to other products in its space — check out our reviews for the best soda makers.

SodaStream Art price and where to buy

The SodaStream Art costs around $150 and is available from Amazon. 

How to use SodaStream Art

Start by filling the bottle that came with your sparkling water maker with cold water up to the marked fill line. It's important to use cold water, as the carbonation process works better this way. It’s also vital not to go over the marked line or water will leak out of the bottle when you carbonate it. 

Next, you insert the bottle into the sparkling water maker. Make sure the bottle rest is tilted out, then press the bottle up to snap it in place, before pushing back so the bottle rest and bottle are no longer tilted out. Now, add fizz to your water by pulling down on the lever, holding it for 1 second and releasing it. Do this until you’ve reached your desired carbonation level. SodaStream recommends doing it three times for standard fizz or five times for strong fizz. 

Then, all you have to do is release the bottle and either drink your sparkling water as is or add syrups or other flavorings before drinking. 

SodaStream Art benefits

Attractive design

The SodaStream Art has a cool retro design that’s more stylish than the majority of other sparkling water makers on the market. While it looks better than most, there are a handful that are equally design-led or even more so.

Quick Connect CO2 cylinder

The Art uses a Quick Connect cylinder that snaps into place rather than needing to be screwed in. This is quicker and easier than the conventional method used by most models of SodaStream and soda makers from other brands.

Cost-effective

With this sparkling water maker, you can make your own carbonated water and soda at home for a fraction of the cost of buying bottled or canned options. Over time, this can lead to significant savings. Of course, the same can be said for other soda makers.

Small footprint

This soda maker doesn't take up much counter space and fits below wall cabinets. It's of a roughly similar size to most alternatives on the market, although it's slightly slimmer than some. 

Environmentally friendly

The SodaStream Arts reduces the amount of plastic waste generated by bottled water and soda. By making your own sparkling water, you can help reduce your carbon footprint and environmental impact. The bottle it comes with is made from plastic, as are those that come with most sparkling water makers. However, you can find some versions that come with glass bottles, which is a better bet if you want to avoid plastic.

Quick

Once you know what you’re doing, it takes under a minute to fill the bottle, lock it in place and carbonate your water. This is comparable with other sparkling water makers.

Manual

Since the Art is manual, it’s cordless, so you can position it anywhere with no need to think about proximity to an outlet. Some other soda makers are cordless but many have an electric carbonation mechanism. 

SodaStream Art drawbacks

Could have more color options 

It comes in four color options (black, white, tangerine red and misty blue), but it would be nice to have a few more options. A brushed metal exterior would go with the high-end nature of the design. 

Relatively expensive

Although there are one or two more expensive sparkling water makers on the market, the SodaStream Art is up there with the most expensive. If you're looking for a budget option, this one won't be your first choice. 

Not compatible with all cylinders

The Art uses Quick Connect SodaStream cylinders, but that means it's not compatible with the older screw-in cylinder system. This isn't a huge complaint, but it's a pain if you're replacing an old SodaStream and already have a stock of standard cylinders. 

Carbonation bottle is plastic

While you can find some soda makers that come with glass bottles, this one comes with a plastic bottle. Considering the high price tag and high-end design, it would be nice if the included bottle was made of glass.  

Should you get the SodaStream Art?

The Art is a high-quality soda maker. It lives up to SodaStream's claims that it makes sparkling water in seconds, is compact and energy-efficient. It has a retro, cordless design and a Quick Connect canister system that's easy to use. 

Whether or not you should get the SodaStream Art depends on what you want from a sparkling water maker. If you're looking for a high-end model that will look good on your counter, the Art is a fantastic choice. However, there are cheaper options if you don't care about aesthetics.