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OT: Sodastream discontinuing 35 litre gas cylinders

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NoSpam

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Oct 26, 2010, 2:20:43 PM10/26/10
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Bit of a rant:
A very nice lady at SodaStream told me today that they are discontinuing
their 35 litre cylinders next year in order to standardise on some new
Euro-thread. I wonder how many thousands of perfectly serviceable
fizzers have been consigned to landfill as a result of this!
I feel better now.

Jim K

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Oct 26, 2010, 2:37:52 PM10/26/10
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35 litre? that's some pop machine! ;>)))

Jim K

Message has been deleted

Adrian Brentnall

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Oct 26, 2010, 3:33:05 PM10/26/10
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On 26/10/2010 20:00, Tim Streater wrote:
> In article <8iokfm...@mid.individual.net>,
> Mmmm. Well I expect to be discontinuing my use of their products anyway,
> so this'll be a good reason.
>
> It's always been a struggle to find where their stuff is stocked.Their
> website might say (e.g.) that Tesco stocks it. But whether a particular
> store does is down to the store manager. So you might expect that a
> SodaStrem marketing dept with some nous might establish a database of
> stores that *do* stock it with feedback encouraged from end-users. That
> would be mutually beneficial, but somehow they weren't interested when I
> suggested it.
>
That's an understatement.
Despite all the marketing - they (Sodastream) seem to be only interested
in selling new machines...

We're running an older machine with cylinders that are probably two
'versions' out of date - and, fed up with Tesco (Cork) who sometimes
stocked replacements and sometimes didn't - but were totally clueless as
to when they might - we found a local CO2 supplier who now refills the
bottles for us more cheaply that Tesco used to...

Simply save up until we've got 5 bottles or so empty and either drop
them up there, or (if we're feeling lazy / busy) get the local
'man-with-a-van' to drop them up there & collect them - probably as
cheap as the diesel to do it ourselves!

Yellow pages under CO2 suppliers.....

Adrian

Bob Eager

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Oct 26, 2010, 4:21:51 PM10/26/10
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On Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:00:25 +0100, Tim Streater wrote:

> In article <8iokfm...@mid.individual.net>,
> NoSpam <nom...@hursley.ibm.com> wrote:
>

> Mmmm. Well I expect to be discontinuing my use of their products anyway,
> so this'll be a good reason.
>
> It's always been a struggle to find where their stuff is stocked.Their
> website might say (e.g.) that Tesco stocks it. But whether a particular
> store does is down to the store manager. So you might expect that a
> SodaStrem marketing dept with some nous might establish a database of
> stores that *do* stock it with feedback encouraged from end-users. That
> would be mutually beneficial, but somehow they weren't interested when I
> suggested it.

I have one of the machines that takes 60 litre cylinders. I normally
exchange by post; buy new ones, have them delivered (to work) and then
post the old ones back using the enclosed prepaid label.

They now want you to send the cylinders back in the old packaging,
unpacking and repacking while the courier is on the doorstep. Or ring
them up to arrange collection. Neither possible when I'm at work.

No idea, no idea at all...

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

Message has been deleted

Tim Watts

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Oct 31, 2010, 2:45:32 PM10/31/10
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On 31/10/10 18:18, Fred wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:00:25 +0100, Tim Streater
> <timst...@waitrose.com> wrote:
>
>> It's always been a struggle to find where their stuff is stocked.
>
> Me too. It used to be available in all the supermarkets, wilkos, and
> chemists, and probably many other places besides. The last time I
> wanted some I had no choice but mail order.
>
> In the good old days I'm sure they did Coke cola and Schwepps tonic
> water but now all that's available are their own brands, which don't
> taste the same. If they bought those back I am sure many more people
> would use them more.
>
> I'm not quite sure what cylinders the OP was referring to? Is it the
> standard size used in all soda streams? I can't believe they will
> alienate all their loyal customers by making their machines obsolete.
> If so they really ought to offer all customers a complimentary
> replacement machine.

Stupid thing is, that in this age of "greeness", those units make a lot
of sense (why ship tons of water around the country/continent when it
comes out of a tap?).

I used to like our old Sodastream - as you say, the genuine tonic and
Coke were pretty decent.

--
Tim Watts

Bob Eager

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Oct 31, 2010, 2:46:10 PM10/31/10
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On Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:18:48 +0000, Fred wrote:

> I'm not quite sure what cylinders the OP was referring to? Is it the
> standard size used in all soda streams? I can't believe they will
> alienate all their loyal customers by making their machines obsolete. If
> so they really ought to offer all customers a complimentary replacement
> machine.

The 35l steel cylinders are being replaced by 60l aluminium ones. These
are incompatible.

They accept 35l cylinders on exchange. I believe they are operating some
kind of trade in deal for machines, but not sure how good a deal it is.

NoSpam

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Nov 1, 2010, 7:32:57 AM11/1/10
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Bob Eager wrote:
> On Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:18:48 +0000, Fred wrote:
>
>> I'm not quite sure what cylinders the OP was referring to? Is it the
>> standard size used in all soda streams? I can't believe they will
>> alienate all their loyal customers by making their machines obsolete. If
>> so they really ought to offer all customers a complimentary replacement
>> machine.
>
> The 35l steel cylinders are being replaced by 60l aluminium ones. These
> are incompatible.
>
> They accept 35l cylinders on exchange. I believe they are operating some
> kind of trade in deal for machines, but not sure how good a deal it is.
>
>
>

The deal is 20% off the list price of a new machine.
Does anyone know what size the 60l cylinders are? If they're a similar
physical size it may be possible to make an adapter.

Alternatively, I wonder if it would be possible to use a "pub gas"
cylinder to refill the 35l steel cylinders ... ?

Dave

Chris J Dixon

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Nov 1, 2010, 7:42:01 AM11/1/10
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NoSpam wrote:

>The deal is 20% off the list price of a new machine.
>Does anyone know what size the 60l cylinders are? If they're a similar
>physical size it may be possible to make an adapter.
>
>Alternatively, I wonder if it would be possible to use a "pub gas"
>cylinder to refill the 35l steel cylinders ... ?
>

Friend of mine has a houseful of tqt. He once got hold of an old
Sodastream, connected it up to a large CO2 cylinder he also
happened to have, and proceeded to gas up 2 litre bottles of tap
water, even cheaper than supermarket value water.

I think he wanted to try oxygen, but the insolubility is a bit of
a problem ;-)

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
ch...@cdixon.me.uk

Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

Adrian Brentnall

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Nov 1, 2010, 8:00:00 AM11/1/10
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On 01/11/2010 11:32, NoSpam wrote:

> Bob Eager wrote:
>
> The deal is 20% off the list price of a new machine.
> Does anyone know what size the 60l cylinders are? If they're a similar
> physical size it may be possible to make an adapter.
>
> Alternatively, I wonder if it would be possible to use a "pub gas"
> cylinder to refill the 35l steel cylinders ... ?
>

The local CO2 guys did offer this as a solution - but they reckoned that
a particular type of valve was required as you want to fill the
Sodastream cylinder with liquid CO2 rather than gaseous CO2 -
so it required a dip tube or mounting the donor tank upside down.

Costs were in the region of €100 for the set-up - and a full donor tank
would refill some 5 or so Sodastreams. Also they recommended putting the
Sodastream cylinders in a deep-freeze before refilling.

It seemed a lot less complicated to give them a bunch of Sodastream
cylinders and let them do the refilling from their seriously big bulk
tank...

Andy Burns

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Nov 1, 2010, 5:08:36 PM11/1/10
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Adrian Brentnall wrote:

> a particular type of valve was required as you want to fill the
> Sodastream cylinder with liquid CO2 rather than gaseous CO2

It's a long time since I used a sodastream, but I don't ever remember
any liquid sloshing around in the cylinders ...

Bob Eager

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Nov 1, 2010, 5:35:49 PM11/1/10
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On Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:32:57 +0000, NoSpam wrote:

> Bob Eager wrote:
>> On Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:18:48 +0000, Fred wrote:
>>
>>> I'm not quite sure what cylinders the OP was referring to? Is it the
>>> standard size used in all soda streams? I can't believe they will
>>> alienate all their loyal customers by making their machines obsolete.
>>> If so they really ought to offer all customers a complimentary
>>> replacement machine.
>>
>> The 35l steel cylinders are being replaced by 60l aluminium ones. These
>> are incompatible.
>>
>> They accept 35l cylinders on exchange. I believe they are operating
>> some kind of trade in deal for machines, but not sure how good a deal
>> it is.
>>
>>
>>
>>
> The deal is 20% off the list price of a new machine. Does anyone know
> what size the 60l cylinders are? If they're a similar physical size it
> may be possible to make an adapter.

36cm long by 6cm diameter.

And a full one doesn't slosh when shaken.

I just checked...hope that helps.

NoSpam

unread,
Nov 2, 2010, 5:16:36 PM11/2/10
to
Bob Eager wrote:
> On Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:32:57 +0000, NoSpam wrote:
>
>> Bob Eager wrote:
>>> On Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:18:48 +0000, Fred wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'm not quite sure what cylinders the OP was referring to? Is it the
>>>> standard size used in all soda streams? I can't believe they will
>>>> alienate all their loyal customers by making their machines obsolete.
>>>> If so they really ought to offer all customers a complimentary
>>>> replacement machine.
>>> The 35l steel cylinders are being replaced by 60l aluminium ones. These
>>> are incompatible.
>>>
>>> They accept 35l cylinders on exchange. I believe they are operating
>>> some kind of trade in deal for machines, but not sure how good a deal
>>> it is.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> The deal is 20% off the list price of a new machine. Does anyone know
>> what size the 60l cylinders are? If they're a similar physical size it
>> may be possible to make an adapter.
>
> 36cm long by 6cm diameter.
>
> And a full one doesn't slosh when shaken.
>
> I just checked...hope that helps.

Thanks. The steel one is 34cm x 5cm so I don't think the adapter idea is
going to fly.

I don't recall the full steel ones sloshing either, so I think the
liquid fill suggestion may be suspect.

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