The SodaStream range has turned over completely since this page was first written, when the Power, Source and Spirit filled it. The current line-up is simpler: Terra and Art carbonate with a lever or a press, E-Terra does it electrically, and all three share the same quick-connect cylinders. The differences that matter are below.
1. Best Overall: SodaStream Art
The Art is the current range's favourite, 4.8 stars across 203 reviews at The Good Guys and 4.6 across more than 5,000 on Amazon, and the lever is the reason: pulling it gives more control over fizz level than button-pressing, and owners find it oddly satisfying. The retro styling means it lives on the bench rather than in a cupboard.
At around $170 in black, or a little less for the white one Amazon stocks, it takes the quick-connect pink cylinders that click in without screwing, and like all mechanical SodaStreams it needs no power point.
What We Like:
- Lever controls fizz level
- Quick-connect cylinders
- No power needed
What We Don't Like:
- Dearer than the Terra
2. Best Value: SodaStream Terra
The Terra is the volume seller: the same carbonation and cylinders as the Art with a press-button top instead of the lever, around $120 with a cylinder and bottle in the box, and 4.8 stars across 172 reviews at The Good Guys. Like the E-Terra it currently sells there in store rather than online, and Amazon stock comes and goes through resellers, so the store trip is the reliable path.
Fizz control is by press count rather than feel, which does the job with slightly less finesse. For most kitchens it's the sensible entry point.
What We Like:
- Cheapest current model
- Same cylinders as the Art
- Compact footprint
What We Don't Like:
- In store rather than online
3. Best Electric: SodaStream E-Terra
The E-Terra automates the press: three buttons give three repeatable fizz levels, and 77 owners average 4.8. It's the pick where several people share the machine and want the same result every time. The Good Guys currently sells it in store rather than online, which the link reflects.
It needs a power point, which costs SodaStream's park-it-anywhere freedom, and the buttons are the only real reason to pay the premium over a Terra.
What We Like:
- Repeatable fizz levels
- One-touch operation
- Same cylinder system
What We Don't Like:
- Needs a power point
Other sparkling water makers worth a look
- SodaStream Duo — the glass-bottle flagship at department stores, for households that dislike PET bottles.
- Aarke Carbonator — the Swedish stainless unit at David Jones and Myer, around $300. It carbonates the same; the money is for the object.
The running cost, honestly
The machine is the cheap part. Each 60-litre CO2 cylinder makes roughly 60 litres of sparkling water, and the swap price at supermarkets and The Good Guys runs about $22 to $25, which lands around 40 cents a litre before flavours. Against supermarket sparkling at $1 to $2 a litre, a daily-glass household breaks even on the machine within the first year, and cylinder swaps rather than new cylinders are where the maths works.
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FAQs
Do the older screw-in cylinders fit the new machines?
No. The Terra, Art and E-Terra take the pink quick-connect cylinders; the blue screw-in type fits the older Spirit and Source machines. Swap programs handle both, but they're not interchangeable.
Can I carbonate juice or cordial in it?
SodaStream says water only, and the sticky-overflow stories in reviews back them. The supported path is carbonating water first, then adding flavour, which is also what keeps the valve clean.
