Aarke Carbonator III Review

Sparkling water has become an increasingly popular beverage as more people become health-conscious and ditch sodas and other sugary drinks. Where it used to be all about Sodastream, newer manufacturers have entered the market within the past few years, including Aarke with its Carbonator III sparkling and seltzer water maker. In this review, we’ll look at the features, exactly how this nifty machine works, how it compares to other machines, and if I can recommend it for you.

What is Aarke Carbonator III?

While Aarke may be a relatively new brand for some folks, Aarke Carbonator III is already the third generation of the device’s line and has been upgraded based on the latest technologies to give it more “user-friendly engineering,” according to Aarke.

This carbonator may seem a little more bare bones but at the same time, sleeker and more modern in design than something like a Sodastream, which tends to be blocky.

With a simple design, the Aarke bottles screw into the top carbonator nozzle, then a lever is used to open the carbon dioxide tank and add gas into the water. The nozzle is now made of stainless steel and has been redesigned to allow for a smoother and more steady flow of air.

The device is cordless and does not require batteries either, as it creates the required pressure on its own, and that lever combined with a tight seal at the bottle neck creates the carbonation.

The newest model has been made more compact, meaning it takes up less room on the counter.

Aarke is heavily invested in developing its products to be as eco-friendly as possible and has also cut back on the amount of plastic used during the manufacturing process. That’s probably also a good time to point out it is indeed made of plastic; while it looks substantial and I assumed before ordering one that it was metal, it’s all plastic and weighs very little. It leans a bit into feeling flimsy, but we’ll see if that’s borne out in the tests.

The device comes in eight sleek colour finishes, including white, matte black, sand, stainless steel, hammertone, gold, copper, and black chrome.

What’s in the box: Aarke water carbonator

Included in the box is the plastic sparkling water machine, a polishing cloth, a drip tray, and one non-toxic, BPA-Free PET water bottle. My package came with one 60L CO2 Cylinder.

The Bottles

The bottle that comes with the Aarke Carbonator III is nontoxic and BPA-free. It also now features screw-in technology that was changed to make the device less flimsy.

As mentioned, the new generation of this device offers a more controlled and smoother stream. To make the flow more steady, a new rotational damper has been added to the lever that stabilizes the pressure in the bottles.

The Cylinders

The cylinders that go into the Aarke Carbonator III consist of 100% renewable carbon dioxide (CO2) that was made from fully renewable resources.

How long does a cylinder last?

The production process does not release any new CO2 into the air and a new cylinder can generally carbonate up to 60 litres of water, or around 16 gallons.

Users can tell when their current cylinder is empty because the water will no longer become bubbly when a cycle is finished. At that point, a new cylinder will need to be installed.

Note that while Aarke, of course, prefers users purchase Aarke-branded cylinders, the Aarke Carbonator III is compatible with most CO2 cylinders made by other brands, including SodaStream.

You can join Aarke’s so-called “Cylinder Loop,” which is a subscription service that ensures you always have CO2 on hand. Unlike other subscription services, however, you choose when you need new cylinders as opposed to signing up for a weekly, biweekly, or monthly delivery. Once your used cylinders are received, Aarke ships you a new one for about $21, and that price is about the same wherever you get your cylinders from. Note that Aarke specifies this device is not compatible with cylinders from the pink cap Quick Connect Cylinder system.

How Aarke Works

The Carbonator III system is simple to use, as there are just two steps to complete before you can enjoy a your bubbly beverage: Fill and Carbonate.

One of the most important notes about this machine is users must use pure water – nothing else. Aarke recommends cold water for the machine to perform the best. Water gets poured into the bottle to the “Fill Line,” and then the bottle is screwed onto the device tightly.

Carbonating is also simple, as the handle just gets pulled down and gas is released into the bottle. The process is complete when the machine makes a whistling noise, which takes just a few seconds. You can repeat the carbon injection until the water is gently bubbled, or fully carbonated.

Then unscrew the bottle and enjoy.

Aarke recommends flavor can be added to the glass but should not be added into the bottle. As with Aarke’s competitors, users can purchase Aarke Essences and Syrups to give their beverages hints of flavors like lime or soda syrups.

How does Aarke water taste?

Aarke water tastes just like, well, water. Depending if you use plain old tap water, or purified water your tastes may obviously vary. If you put good quality, pure water in, you’ll get good quality sparkling water out. I generally used good tasting filtered water in my testing, and that made for a good tasting final drink.

How does Aarke compare to Sodastream and Sparkel?

When it comes to how Aarke stacks up against two of the most popular carbonation devices, Sodastream and Sparkel, it’s both similar and different… Let’s explain.

Compared to a Sodastream, this is exactly the same device using the same technology, the exact same canisters, and the same method. The main difference is in the design and the price.

Compared to Sparkel, this is a completely different machine; Sparkel uses sachets of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate or baking soda blended with a small amount of water to create carbon dioxide gas. This small mixture replaces the CO tanks Aarke uses. The gas created by that mixture is forced into a Sparkel bottle from underneath to carbonate. With a Sparkel machine you can carbonate any beverage from juice, to wine, to tea.

These bottles are extremely similar to Sodastream, but I’m not clear if they are cross compatible, though probably not. And Aarke bottles are very different from Sparkel bottles.

Price

The Aarke Carbonator III is available on Amazon and comes with one CO2 cylinder for $300CAD/$260USD, or you can purchase the device by itself on the company’s website.

Compared to Sodastream, which starts at about $80 or 90 depending on the model and style you choose, Aarke is almost ridiculously expensive. It’s all plastic, and while it does have a good looking design, it’s exactly the same as a Sodastream, and uses exactly the same cylinders.

Overall review: Aarke Carbonator

So here’s my take on the Aarke Carbonator III: If your key goal is carbonated water, a Sodastream will do you just fine, and will cost you a lot less.

If your carbonator is going to be out in full view, you might be more concerned with looks and if that’s you, Aarke wins the beauty pageant.

In short, Aarke is easy to use, it does a good job at carbonating and you can adjust the bubble level. It’s biggest downside it its price and plastic construction, and I do wonder about its longevity.

But if this is the carbonator you’ve got your eye on, and you’re okay with those two caveats, you’ll probably be very happy with Aarke Carbonator III.