KitchenAid KSS1121ER Sparkling Beverage Maker, Empire Red

First the Cons: I ordered this model Ships by/ Sold by Amazon.com. The machine came in good condition, however the "kit" that comes with it was a tinly starter Co2 bottle and a 1L bottle for water. The machine was supposed to come with a 60L Co2 bottle and a flavor sampler. Amazon did the right thing and gave me a partial refund. While the Machine is allegedly "all metal." In reality, there is quite a bit of plastic. It seems that the back housing as well as all the internal mechanics of the device are made of plastic. Pros: The machine is a perfect match for our KitchenAid Mixer and looks right at home on the kitchen counter. The "All metal" construction is mostly cosmetic, but the machine has a very solid sturdy feel to it. No idea if this will translate to a longer life. Using the machine and its heavy-duty lever is as easy as can be. Word to the wise: Before I even ordered this machine, I ordered two 12 oz paintball tanks plus an adapter so I could use them with the SodaStream. Refilling these tanks is $3.50 at Dicks sporting goods vs the ~15 that Bed Bath and Beyond wants to refill. Overall: Overall I'm happy with the purchase. In our first few days we've made about 10 liters of soda water...saving us tons of recycling, schlepping and finally a few cents per bottle. The best part is, we don't need to worry about running out of soda water (90% of what we drink) anymore.

Details of my experience below, but please know this: This item is no longer manufactured! I could not even get a replacement or repair! The best they would offer me was a "Kitchenaid Credit" for future products, until I DEMANDED a refund. Then they had to go through "special channels" to send me a refund check. To me, that means that they don't know how to stand behind their products. Also, this item is NOT made by SodaStream. It is manufactured by Kitchenaid. Any warranty support comes from Kitchenaid. Kitchenaid will try to rip you off by not offering good support. A better product is the plastic version offered by SodaStream. SodaStream has a 3 yr warranty and have been very willing to help me. Read the details below. I wanted to wait until I received and cashed my refund check before I wrote this review. Although this item is pretty and matched our other Kitchenaid appliances, it not a wise purchase. It started when I first purchased it. I installed the CO2 canister and carbonated my first bottle of water. But even as I released the handle, the CO2 kept flowing. It kept flowing until the canister was empty, even after I removed the canister from the Kitchenaid SodaStream. In short, Kitchenaid would not send me another replacement canister, nor would they send me $30 to buy a new one at Bed Bath and Beyond. So in order to get my carbonation to work, I had to go buy another canister, not knowing if it was a faulty canister or if it was a faulty Kitchenaid device. Thankfully, it was the canister. Both Amazon and Kitchenaid wanted me to RETURN the entire appliance (this thing is big, bulky and heavy - all good qualities in a kitchen appliance, but not for easy shipping) and have them send me a new one. That was a lot of hassle, so I just went and bought a new canister. Amazon actually stepped up and gave me a $30 credit. I'm thankful for support people with common sense. Kudos to Amazon. About 10 months into using the Kitchenaid SodaStream, I noticed that sometimes the bottle wasn't "catching" in order to create an airtight seal for carbonation. This condition steadily got worse. Just before the 1 year warranty expired, I contacted Kitchenaid to get it fixed. They told me that they did not make them any more and therefore, could not fix it or send me a replacement. The only thing they could offer me was a "Kitchenaid Credit" for future purchases from their website. I was not going to settle for that, so I instisted to speak to someone further up the chain. I finally got an offer from them to give me a refund check for my original purchase. In the meantime, I talked to SodaStream and found a plastic red carbonation unit. I know it wasn't as pretty as the Kitchenaid. But it works great. In fact, after using the SodaStream plastic unit, I realized that my Kitchenaid unit was not working well from the beginning! I was going through so much more CO2 than a friend of mine who had a similar unit. Now that I have the SodaStream device, my CO2 canisters last more than twice as long! SodaStream also provides a 3 year warranty. To be honest, I understand why. The SodaStream plastic device is, no doubt, easier to ship and repair. It feels cheap, and I had my doubts about it. Especially comparing it to the Kitchenaid. That was my reasoning for going with the Kitchenaid in the first place. But in the end, I just wanted carbonated water at home. So, buyer beware. It looks like Kitchenaid is only selling refurbs now. Also, I recommend buying straight from SodaStream. They seem to be a "hands-on" company and you can get great support straight from them. -T

After reading a bunch of somewhat scary negative reviews of this product, I purchased the refurbished model anyway, and have had zero issues with it. It seems like most of the negative reviews are from people that aren't using it properly. If you are adding flavor before carbonating, or are trying to carbonate things besides water, you are probably in for a bit of a mess. Don't try to over-carbonate the water. If you cap it right after carbonating, and wait a few minutes, it will be very well carbonated. Don't fill the container above the fill line, and add the flavoring after, and this unit works beautifully. And it is super easy to use, with the swivel lock for the bottle! The other pleasant surprise, after reading some of the reviews, was that the refurbished unit came with a full-sized CO2 bottle. Apparently, the new units came with a sample bottle, and a voucher for trading that in for a full-sized bottle. But mine came with the regular bottle (and I ordered a couple extra, so that I never run out). The one comment that I have is that you should check the dimensions of where you want to place the unit. It is taller than you might think. I've included a photo of it sitting next to my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, for comparison. But we've been super happy with this unit since we bought it a month ago!

I'd used my daughter's soda-stream Jet model for a while, and it worked, but it felt pretty flimsy and it was occasionally difficult screwing the bottles in and out every time you needed to carbonate a bottle of water. When she left with her machine, I knew I wanted one but after comparing the options, I decided to go for the Kitchen Aid model because it's more substantial feeling and you don't have to screw the bottles in. And I'm really happy with it. Makes the same quality seltzer as the Jet, but is easier to work, looks way better in a nice kitchen, and just feels tons more solid. Hopefully it will last long enough to justify the cost. I also like the lever instead of the little plastic button on the Jet and I like the pressure gauge also. I don't think it really matters - once you use either of them for a while you know the right amount of carbonation by feel, but having the gauge confirm it for you isn't a bad thing at all. Deducted one star just because of the price and not being able to take the largest size Co2 tank. But overall extremely happy with it...

I bought it because of the looks, a retro malt-shop vibe. A very solid unit for one-handed operation without it scooting across the counter. It does the job, and, well...it's red. How awesome is that!

It's a SodaStream but in a better package. Looks good enough to display / leave out on the kitchen counter. Works really well and easy to purchase additional CO2 cans and refillable bottles through SodaStream. So you are literally paying more for the looks. But if that's your intention, then it's a great product

Very easy to use and clean. It is made of metal so nice enough to show off in the kitchen

I love my Sodastream Kitchenaid beverage Maker. I would love to get one in another color if I could find one

Elle fonctionne à merveille. Elle est exactement tel que décrit.