Soda-Club Penguin

[natasha1270]

Came across this today: Soda-Club Penguin. Interesting item but at $250+, I'll have to pass (for now) but I thought some here might be interested... or intrigued, at least.

enjoy!

N.

[Jason Perlow]

I have a machine similar to this I bought a number of years ago. The problem is, when you run out of CO2, the tanks are proprietary and have a connector on them only the distributors can use to refill the tanks. I went through a whole rigamorole of trying to find a business that could mate the connector to their large CO2 tanks, no no avail. So I just stopped using the thing.

What I'd like to see is a home system that is completely standardized and uses tanks that any local Fire Extinguisher or Paintball business can refill, for a whole $5 worth of CO2 -- a five pound CO2 tank on an extinguisher costs that much to refill and I am pretty sure these things are like 3 or 4 pounds, if not even. I don't want to have to mail the heavy tanks back to get a new tank for $25 plus shipping. Thats expensive and really saves you no money over getting bottled sparkling water delivered from your local Poland Spring vendor, which is what I do now. Otherwise you might as well just go for a commercial carbonization system for a few hundred bucks that uses large refillable CO2 tanks that restaurants and other food service establishments use.

[Jack Rose]

What really is the difference between this and a soda siphon, such as an average one by ISI? Really, does the design merit the $250 price tag. I paid $12 for a brand new ISI turquoise model, which is normally around $40 - store was going out of business and never sold either of the two they had since opening. It pays to look around, great deal and happy with it. Works like a charm.

Does anyone who has a siphon, keep it in the refrigerator? I just add in a bottle of cold spring water before charging, since I don't get a chance to use it as much as I would like. Any tips or ideas besides the obvious club soda/soda water for cocktails?

[donbert]

What I'd like to see is a home system that is completely standardized and uses tanks that any local Fire Extinguisher or Paintball business can refill, for a whole $5 worth of CO2

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You could build your own system with these very detailed instructions. In theory you could also add food grade dry ice (solid CO2) to water to carbonate it, but you would need be vary careful with how much dry ice you use and the container you put it in (otherwise as the solid CO2 expands to a gas the increased pressure would cause a weak/small container to explode).

[eje]

What really is the difference between this and a soda siphon, such as an average one by ISI?

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I wondered the same thing when I first looked at it.

The difference, is, the penguin allows you to charge removeable bottles.

So, if you had 12 bottles filled with home made soda, you could charge them all and then store them for later use.

You do have to use their specially designed bottles, though.

[Jason Perlow]

You could build your own system with these very detailed instructions.

That's a bit too homebrew for my taste! Cool reading though.

[natasha1270]

Jason - manufacturers and standardardization? Gasp! That would just be too easy. Sadly, these days everyone seems to want to have proprietary this and that. And the consumer pays. I think this is a little too specialized to catch on though, eh? Maybe not.

The upfront fee is the killer I think. The recurring costs don't seem to be much more than an equivalent amount of CO2 cartridges for a regular siphon. I like the idea of discharging and storing multiple bottles but I suppose you could do that with a regular siphon as well. Just not as neatly.

However, there is something very satisfying about the immediacy and simplicity of the classic soda siphon… I love mine. It is a little bit of old-fashioned goodness preserved in this screw-cap world.

N.

[JAZ]

What really is the difference between this and a soda siphon, such as an average one by ISI?  Really, does the design merit the $250 price tag.  I paid $12 for a brand new ISI turquoise model, which is normally around $40 - store was going out of business and never sold either of the two they had since opening.  It pays to look around, great deal and happy with it.  Works like a charm.

Does anyone who has a siphon, keep it in the refrigerator?  I just add in a bottle of cold spring water before charging, since I don't get a chance to use it as much as I would like.  Any tips or ideas besides the obvious club soda/soda water for cocktails?

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I keep mine in the fridge. I like plain (or should that be "still"?) water, but I prefer fizzy water for drinking, so I drink it with nothing added, or with lemon juice and simple syrup for fizzy lemonade, or with fruit juice concentrates, as well as in cocktails.