Shopping guide
Home carbonator guide
If you already enjoy plain sparkling water, a home carbonator can be worth comparing. If you prefer still water, skip the purchase.
How to quit soda (30-day plan) — full habit plan, then this guide for one lane.
No-purchase options first
- Buy store-brand unsweetened sparkling water in cans or bottles while you test how often you actually drink it.
- Ask for soda water at restaurants when you want fizz away from home.
- Keep a cold still-water bottle in the same spot soda used to sit.
- Track two weeks of can count before you price a machine — that number is your break-even input.
What to compare before you buy
- Machine price — starter kits usually include one cylinder and one bottle; design models often sell the cylinder separately.
- Gas refills — ongoing cost. Pink Quick Connect cylinders fit Terra/Art; screw-in ~60 L cylinders fit Drinkmate/Aarke. The two systems are not interchangeable.
- Bottles — capacity, dishwasher notes, and how many you need for a normal day.
- Storage — counter space and where empties go until you exchange them.
- Break-even — compare total cost with the sparkling water you already buy for a month or two. Choosing not to buy is a valid result.
When not to buy
- You drink sparkling water only a few times a week — cans stay simpler.
- You mainly want soda flavor syrups. For this challenge, stick to unsweetened water; syrups recreate the soda habit.
- You need drinks on the road more than at home — see travel and swaps.
For this challenge, use a machine only for unsweetened sparkling water. Adding regular or diet soda flavoring still counts toward your soda goal.
Products
Common machines for plain sparkling water. Prices and ratings change on Amazon.
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A common budget kit for plain sparkling water. Later refills need the pink Quick Connect cylinder pack, not the blue screw-in style.
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Same cylinder ecosystem as Terra with a lever instead of a push button. Water-first kit — skip flavor drops if your goal is unsweetened fizz.
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Drinkmate OmniFizz starter kit
Uses standard screw-in cylinders (different from Terra/Art). Fine for plain seltzer; for QuitSoda, stick to unsweetened water even though it can carbonate other drinks.
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A design-forward pick for plain sparkling water. Budget for a screw-in cylinder and exchange costs on top of the machine.
Ongoing gas for Terra/Art: look for a pink Quick Connect 2-pack exchange. Drinkmate/Aarke need screw-in cylinders instead.
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