A Stylish, Affordable Sodastream Alternative

While Sodastream has dominated the market for many years, brands like Smeg, Aarke, and Philips are offering alternatives with their own spin on style, usability, and pricing.

The Philips Water GoZero Sparkling Water Maker (model ADD4902BK/10) is one of the cheaper non-Sodastream options currently available. After spending some time using the device, I’ve found a lot to like and a few things to be aware of.

First Impressions & Design

The Philips GoZero immediately stands out for its modern, minimalist design. The brushed stainless steel finish gives it a premium look and looks great next to modern appliances. Compared to the flashy designs of some competitors like Aarke and Smeg, Philips strikes a middle ground between elegance and practicality.

Importantly, it’s also completely cordless and non-electric, which means you can place it anywhere without needing to think about power sockets or hiding cables, which is a great thing if your kitchen space is limited, or if you want the freedom to carbonate water at the table or even outdoors.

What’s in the Box?

The package includes:

• The GoZero sparkling water maker

• A Philips branded 1L BPA-free bottle

• A Philips branded CO2 cylinder

This is everything you need to get started, making it perfect for first-time users. The inclusion of a bottle and CO2 canister is handy, especially considering some competitors require you to purchase them separately.

Setup and Compatibility

Setting up the GoZero is really simple. Screw in the CO2 cylinder, attach the bottle filled with cold water, and you’re ready to go. A press of the carbonation button and a seconds later you hear a loud buzzing sound of the pressure release valve that indicates your fizzy water is ready.

This model is compatible with older Sodastream style threaded CO2 cylinders. That means if you’re like me and already have several of the older screw-in types, you can use them interchangeably, no need to order proprietary cylinders. I personally refill my canisters with dry ice, which drastically reduces running costs.

Ease of Use

Philips promotes the GoZero as a three-step system: fill, twist, press. And that’s really all there is to it. There’s no screen, no buttons to toggle, and no electricity required. You simply control the amount of fizz by how many times you press the carbonation button. Want more fizz? Just hold the button again.

The built-in safety relief valve ensures the process is safe and automatic. It releases any excess pressure inside the bottle during carbonation, giving a loud buzzing when it’s complete.

Performance & Carbonation Quality

The quality of carbonation is excellent, especially when using chilled water. I have found the fizz to be long lasting and comparable to shop bought sparkling water.

One cylinder is estimated to make around 60 litres of sparkling water, which equates to roughly 120 standard 500ml bottles. However it’s more like 30L in my experience. This seems to be a common theme across all soda makers. It’s a significant reduction in plastic waste over time and exactly the kind of eco friendly benefit these machines are supposed to offer.

For best results, Philips recommends using their own bottles. This is where I have run into an issue. There are some bottles available on Amazon, which are a more expensive than Sodastream’s or third party alternatives, but having ordered them, they are not compatible with this model. I sent an email to Philips support a few times to ask where I am able to purchase the correct bottles from, but I am yet to receive any response. I have found that the Sage Infizz bottles are compatible, so it’s not a huge issue for me, but it’s quite frustrating that Philips are selling a model that doesn’t seem to have replacement bottles available, despite recommending that only Philips bottles are used.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Attractive design with brushed stainless steel finish

• No electricity or cables required

• Compatible with threaded CO2 cylinders (including older Sodastream models)

• Comes with everything you need to get started

• Customisable carbonation level with safety valve

• Great value for money, especially versus premium alternatives

• Reduces single use plastic waste

Cons:

• No availability of additional Philips bottles that are compatible with this model

• Pressure release value is considerably loud compared to other models of soda makers I’ve used in the past

Price and Value

At the time of writing, the Philips GoZero ADD4902BK/10 is cheaper than most premium non-Sodastream alternatives. Brands like Aarke and Smeg offer excellent machines but at double the price or more. For someone who just wants fizzy water without the bells and whistles, the GoZero is very competitively priced.

Given the inclusion of a CO2 cylinder and bottle, plus compatibility with existing hardware (if you already own canisters), the total cost of ownership is low, especially if you refill your own canisters like I do.

Final Verdict

The Philips Water GoZero Sparkling Water Maker is an impressive option that balances design, performance, and affordability.

If you’re looking for a budget friendly, attractive, and reliable alternative to more expensive sparkling water makers, it’s a good option.