Nice Idea Goes Pop
For O-ring Kit for the 3D Printed Soda Machine Adapter
This gadget fills a definite need for folks who stumble into owning SodaStream's new Terra model. SodaStream has apparently designed Terra to prevent users from using bulk CO2 sources to refill their tanks. It has a proprietary pressure connector instead of the old style threaded model.
So, this adapter, which screws onto the old style tank, makes it work with Terra. It's a clever idea, and well executed. Unfortunately, even though it's made as strongly as possible, the material is just a little weak for the task. I used mine without problem for one full tank. When I put it on the second tank, it seemed to connect fine, but the first time I tried to use it there was a "pop" followed by the sound of CO2 leaking. When I took the cover off the tank compartment I found the adapter had burst into a bunch of little pieces. No damage to the SodaStream unit or anything else, other than the adapter.
By the way, the metal adapter mentioned in the product description is NOT the same thing as this. It's a quick-release adapter used at the end of a hose to directly connect bulk tanks. It doesn't fit Terra. And it's out of stock anyway. :-)
Response from patshead.com | March 27, 2022
This is a fantastic and plenty accurate review, Doug, but you should most definitely get in touch with me with your full name or order number so I can issue you a refund!
I'm not just selling adapter-shaped pieces of plastic that might work. They are supposed to work. They've worked for us, and they seem to work for the majority of people. Sometimes they break. More often they leak. I suspect there are SodaStreams with a looser manufacturing tolerance than the one Alex designed against, but I don't know that we'll ever be able to verify that!
At the end of the day, though, they are just 3D printed PLA+ plastic that has to fit in the space we were given. Since taking over the job of printing these, I've been making every tweak I can think of to make these adapters as solid as possible: as many walls as possible, as much heat as I can get away with (to help layer adhesion), and I've pushed the extrusion multiplier as high as I can (to make sure the walls are packed as tight as can be!).
I'm pretty sure we're very, very close to the limit of the material and printing process now, and we probably have been for more than a month now. Probably two, but I didn't keep great track of that. Sorry!
And you are correct, Doug. The "metal adapter" is different, and I just expanded on that a bit in the description. Nobody tells me what they're using the adapters for, so I have no idea why I always assume the majority of folks are using it with bulk CO2 setups.
