SodaStream Fizzi One Touch Sparkling Water Maker Review

We purchased the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch Sparkling Water Maker so our reviewer could put it to the test in her kitchen. Keep reading for our full product review.

The SodaStream Fizzi One Touch Sparkling Water Maker is an interesting option for those looking for an at-home seltzer solution. When SodaStream surged in popularity almost 10 years ago, its machine was manually powered by CO2, but today, the One Touch is an automated option that promises quicker and more consistent bubbles

We ordered the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch and spent the better part of a week testing it in our NYC apartment, and this is how we think it stands up against other options.

Design: Straightforward and sturdy

The overall design of the Fizzi One Touch is similar to other SodaStream soda makers. The body is made from plastic, and this model comes in a shiny black or white finish to go with different kitchen schemes. The buttons on the black model are chrome, which happens to match the stainless steel appliances in our kitchen, and the whole unit actually looks quite modern. 

SodaStream also chose to put a texture on the front of the machine so there are dimples throughout the plastic. This texture elevates the look of the machine and makes it so the plastic appears more stylish and less, well, plasticky.

The back of the SodaStream fully encloses the CO2 canister, and the overall design is sleek with rounded edges all the way through to the bottom. Since the canister is branded with bright labels, it’s nice to have it totally hidden. The larger shell on the back also makes the machine seem more streamlined and sturdy, but it takes up more space because of it. 

One element where the design trumps function is the drip tray, which is not included at all on this model. The area underneath the bottle is just a smooth slope, so if anything leaks during the carbonation process, it will fall right onto the counter, forcing you to clean it up. However, the drip tray is only really necessary when you overfill the bottle or the outside of the bottle is wet from the sink, so as long as you’re careful, it probably won’t be a big deal. 

Setup: Simple and basic

Getting started with the Fizzi One Touch is quite easy. The box comes complete with a 60L CO2 cylinder (which can carbonate around 60 liters of water), a refillable 32-ounce water bottle with chrome cap, as well as the necessary power cable. The back of the machine slid right off, and it was obvious where we needed to twist on the CO2—we made sure to secure it firmly but not to overturn. (If you overturn, you threaten breaking the threads, which could damage the machine or cause the CO2 to leak.)

From there, the back of the unit clips into place and the power cord gets plugged into the bottom of the machine, threading through a notch in the back. Overall, it’s a simple process.

Performance: Takes out the guesswork

Unlike many soda makers that require you twist the bottle into the machine, the SodaStream One Touch just requires you to place it in position below the nozzle. You can then push the bottle back so it’s hanging upright—the mechanism that secures the bottle in place is triggered when it’s tilted into the correct position.

This feature makes the process of quickly refilling soda bottles really easy and fast, but since you can’t really feel that the bottle is secure the same way you would if it screwed on, it initially made us a bit nervous that the bottle was not actually in place properly. 

There’s no power switch to this machine—it’s always “on” just by being plugged in, but the lights on the machine shut off when not in use. All three buttons glow blue to indicate that the machine is ready, and you just have to tap them to select your desired amount of fizz. From there, the machine takes over. 

On a manual soda maker, you would be pressing a button or pulling a lever to trigger the CO2, but with the Fizzi One Touch, the machine does it automatically. You just sit back and wait until it stops, after which you can tilt the bottle back to release it and relieve any excess pressure. This all amounts to a convenient, intuitive system for those who don’t want to guess at how much fizz is in their seltzer.

Additional, the Fizzi One Touch is extremely effective at carbonating the water. We tried out the various settings and really loved how bubbly the water was on the higher settings. With a manual soda maker, it’s not always clear how many times you should pump the bubbles before it becomes too much, but the Fizzi One Touch efficiently creates bubbles, taking these questions out of the equations.

However, the negative is that you have less control over the process. If one of the three settings doesn’t deliver the amount of carbonation you prefer, you can’t adjust it.

Since many sparkling water brands offer flavored beverages, we tried out various natural flavorings to add to our homemade soda water. Our favorites were lime and pineapple, and we really enjoyed being able to control the exact amount of flavor that we added.

Features: A few unique additions

This SodaStream product is unique because of it’s one-touch controls. Most at-home carbonators require you to pump in CO2 manually, listening for audible indicators as to when the bottle has reached its limit. By automating the process, SodaStream takes out some of the guesswork, as well as a few steps, offering more convenience to the consumer. While it may be a little annoying to find a spot in your kitchen to keep the SodaStream plugged in, the automatic design really helps to make the process quick and simple. 

Another great feature is the unit’s snap lock, which is used when refilling the bottle and attaching it to the machine. This saves you the time it takes to tediously twist a bottle onto the machine and back off again. 

The Fizzi One Touch is compatible with all SodaStream bottles, and SodaStream has many different colors and designs that you can purchase separately. The bottles are reasonably priced, as well, ranging from $10 to $15 each. We have a small household, but we like to keep three bottles in the fridge so we can take one to go if we want.

The Fizzi One Touch also includes a CO2 canister, which means you can use your machine right away and don’t have to worry about making a separate purchase. SodaStream canisters are sold online and at many retail stores, and the brand has a trade-in deal where you can return empty canisters for a discount on the new one. Not only is this environmentally friendly, but it’s extremely economical compared to purchasing cans or bottles of soda. 

Price: Slightly premium

Most manual soda makers are typically priced under $100, generally in the $70 to $80 range. Comparatively, the Fizzi One Touch is priced around $120, depending on where you purchase it.

This higher price is likely due to the convenience of the one-touch system. Though it is more expensive than most soda makers on the market, it’s a unique concept and currently doesn’t have many competitors. Other soda makers are often more expensive for aesthetic reasons or are part of bigger bundles including more bottles or flavors.

Overall, if extreme convenience is what you’re after, then this machine is worth the price. Plus, in all situations, switching to an at-home soda maker will help save you money if you regularly purchase seltzer water from the store.

Competition: Not like the rest

Aarke Carbonator II: At nearly double the price of the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch, the Aarke Carbonator II, which we also tested, is one of the most high-end soda makers you’ll find. Its design is modern, and the wide range of finishes all look high-end, certainly topping the plastic material of the SodaStream. However, the Aarke is manual and, unlike the SodaStream, doesn’t require power. While the SodaStream just requires one push of a button, the Aarke sometimes requires multiple lever compressions to achieve the same amount of carbonation.

SodaStream Fizzi Sparkling Water Maker: SodaStream also makes a manually operated sparkling water machine: the SodaStream Fizzi Sparkling Water Maker. The manual version has the same overall design as the One Touch, including the snap lock for the bottle. The main difference is on top, where the One Touch has the three buttons for automatic carbonation, the simpler version has a single button that directly triggers the CO2 canister. You have to push the button up to seven times, depending on the desired level of carbonation, but it will save you some money, costing around $30 less than the One Touch.