Unfortunately a great many of them use Sodastream's gas cylinders - after their patent expired and anyone could build a compatible unit - so you might not be able to escape them getting your money when buying CO2 refills, if there isn't another brand of gas cylinder available where you shop.

Sodastream have released a new cylinder design (with a bayonet rather than screw fitting), presumably to again attempt to kill off the market for home refilling from a larger CO2 cylinder, or use in other brands of machines.

All of that said, I do like my Aarke machine.

[–] accideath 10 points 4 days ago

Where I live (Germany), most bigger Supermarket chains offer in house brand sodastream compatible gas cylinders. There usually even cheaper. I also have an ALDI in house sodastream dupe called soda star. Never saw a reason to buy sodastream, even before I knew about their political/moral questionability, when there are cheaper alternatives that literally do the exact same thing.

[–] AtariDump 3 points 4 days ago

Check out Soda Sense. They ship the bottles to you and provide a prepaid return label.