iSi North America Stainless Steel Soda Siphon, 1 Quart, Stainless

it took some time to figure out how to use this bottle correctly. First attempt was perfect. Next few were variable, not unlike as other reviewers note. Then I read many reviews, and studied the video, and scratched my head.Agree that prechilling water and keeping bottle in fridge contributes to best results. But the most important guidance for proper use is buried on p. 9 of the instruction booklet - insert the 'measuring tube' into the bottle BEFORE filling with water through the measuring tube, and fill with water all the way to the very top of the measuring tube, i.e. until water just overtops the bottle.Because the instructions do not explain WHY you should use as indicated, I suspect most reviewers are using the bottle incorrectly. I suspect they are filling the bottle prior to inserting the measuring tube, estimating how much air to leave int he bottle, then inserting the measuring tube, then inserting the riser tube w/ gasket, then screwing on the head. When used in this fashion, you will have good results if you leave the proper amount of air in the top of the bottle, where 'proper amount' is a bit of a guessing game. Leave too much air, and the water will not properly carbonate. Leave too little air and the head will leak some CO2 during charge, also undercarbonating the water (or worse, may deflect the bottom of the bottle, as indicated by some unsatisfied customers.)So WHY insert the 'measuring tube' BEFORE filling with water? A: Because if you do so (as opaquely directed), then when you fill through the measuring tube, the 4" measuring tube will trap the precise amount of air (i.e. commensurate with design) in the bottle shoulder, behind the measuring tube, at the top of the bottle, necessary for optimal water carbonation. (Hence the name "measuring tube" - what it is 'measuring' is the correct amount of air to leave in the bottle, so you don't have to guess.) Then, when you charge the bottle, the air remaining in the bottle is exactly the amount that will be optimally charged with a standard CO2 cartridge. No guessing about the amount of air to leave in the bottle. Works perfect every time.Only took me nearly a month to figure that out.

Had such promise. It was to see a steel soda siphon when so many of them are aluminum. Has some subtle details (like separate caps for recharging and for storage).Worked perfectly for months, now the valve leaks every time out through the CO2 inlet, squirting water out like a geyser.Like other customers I used my previous siphon bottle for YEARS without issue and actually thought I was getting an upgrade with this one.Not great that a product whose problems take a few months to reveal themselves has a return window considerably shorter than that....

Other reviews on this product cover the important aspects of the product so I just want to bring up my experience which made me want to return it. Then I learned the trick. I followed all the advice on using chilled water and things like shaking more than the manufacturer recommends. But most of the time when inserting the gas it would either spew gas out the nozzle or make a wet mess as it spewed everywhere. I thought it was the valve and I convinced myself that it was just a bad one. (wasn't) I even went to the Amazon return page to see about getting a new top part. No options to contact the vendor, only return. So I decided to do that. But it would not let me because of a shipping restriction on pressurized or flammable materials. While this thing can be pressurized it can be shipped with the top of making is just a bottle. And definitely nothing flammable. In fact CO2 is a good fire extinguisher. So I took another look at the thing and read some more about it. The answer is to only fill it to 1 quart so that there is enough air space for the gas to go. Liquid will not compress so with no room for the CO2 gas it forces it out the valve. So I measured exactly 1 qt. and haven't had a problem since. Works like a charm and usually has enough gas to dispense the entire bottle. Even if it does "run out of juice" That's not really a concern. Just unscrew the top and pour. It's still fully carbonated. Before buying this I used bottled club soda from the grocery store. So I have a plentiful supply of empty bottles to use. It's difficult to see exactly where the level is in the stainless bottle. But easy to fill up an empty seltzer bottle and fill it up from that bottle. Also I'm learning that because you need to use chilled water it's easier to keep a bottle filled and capped so that the big bottle can be either chilling with fresh water and sitting to absorb the gas. With planning you can keep a constant supply. Before this I would only buy 2 bottles from the grocery store weekly. Now it doesn't matter how much I drink. The CO2 bottles are an expense but less than half the cost of the grocery story water so definitely a bargain. With the costs of the CO2 and the price of this the break even is about 200 bottles. Sounds like a lot but over the lifetime of the product you will get to that point and the convenience of not having to lug bottles from the store is an added bonus.