Sparkling water is not for everybody — my friends like to say it tastes like drinking TV static — but it is definitely for me. As someone who drinks sparkling water on a daily basis, I go through a lot of cans and bottles, which quickly becomes expensive, not to mention wasteful. So when I was gifted a Philips sparkling water maker, I was pretty thrilled. Making my own sparkling water? This is the solution to all my problems! I’ve been using it for a while now, fizzing up bottle after bottle, and I’m here to give my review. Is a sparkling water machine useful? And more importantly, is it worth it?
What is a sparkling water maker?
A sparkling water maker (or a soda maker or a carbonator, they’re the same thing) is exactly what it sounds like. It takes regular old water and makes it fizzy.
At its core, it’s just pumping carbonation into liquid, so making sparkling water is just one of the uses for these machines. You can make soda, sparkling juices, and even mocktails and cocktails (though it doesn’t work for all cocktails as alcohol can get complicated). As a heads up, some of the non-water options apparently make a large mess, so be prepared to fight some fizz if you start to go all mad sparkling beverage scientist.
What was my experience with my sparkling water machine?
I’ve been using my Philips for over a year now, as I brought it to my college apartment when I moved in for the 2024-2025 school year. I don’t make sparkling water every day, as the machine fills a bottle that I would say is about three servings. But I used it about once a week throughout an entire school year (32 weeks) and then some and I still have yet to replace my first CO2 canister, which is a welcome surprise.
I think it’s pretty easy to use — you just press and hold a button for three to four seconds and repeat as needed to get your ideal carbonation level. Whether your water is lightly carbonated or chalk-full of bubbles is totally in your control. I usually press the button three times for what I would call average carbonation.
It’s great to fill up a bottle and stick it in my fridge for use almost like a sparkling water Brita. I just pour a glass when needed (which for me is pretty much daily). A variety of companies sell flavorings for sparkling water, but I wouldn’t recommend them as the ones I’ve tried, like Bubly’s, taste very strongly of chemicals and honestly ruined my whole batch. Stick to plain, and you’re golden.
Is a sparkling water machine worth the price?
There are a couple of brands out there, but they all are generally in the range of $60 to $100. Some don’t actually include the CO2, and a two pack of those costs roughly $50. It’s not exactly an inexpensive purchase to make, so the question becomes, is a sparkling water machine worth it?
The short answer is that it depends. If you’re a casual enjoyer of sparkling water, I would say no. It doesn’t make sense to drop over $100 for something you use sparingly. This purchase is only worth it for the die-hard drinkers like myself, the ones who are drinking sparkling water on the regular. An eight pack of Pellegrino (my personal favorite) or Perrier costs almost $8 these days. Other brands, like LeCroix, Spindrift, or even Trader Joe’s clock in anywhere from about $4 to over $6 for an eight pack.
Your wallet might sting a little after the initial purchase of the machine and CO2 (they do go on sale, so maybe wait around until you can snag a couple bucks off), but in the end, it’s not that bad since you’re going to save money by not constantly stocking your shelves with store-bought water. Plus, it’s a great way to reduce waste. Buying water, sparkling or not, from the store racks up waste, so these machines give sparkling water lovers a great way to reduce their waste (of materials and money) while still enjoying their beloved sparkling drink.