Wassermaxx Home Water Carbonating Machine

A stand-alone model from AGA. This comes in three different models, but actually this is the same machine in three different colours and finishes.  The most expensive and most beautiful is in stainless steel, and then there is a red version and a white version.

AGA’s bottles for carbonic acid contain 425 grams, and they are accompanied by the usual ”to be refilled only by AGA” text, designed to scare others from refilling the containers.

This is a good machine, but the seal in the capsule sometimes comes loose, which is quite annoying.  AGA claims this is so that it can be machine-washed.  If this seal is not properly in place, carbonated water will spray everywhere.

Even if this is a really good machine, Sodastreams best provide more carbonic acid, for those who like that.  AGA claims that one bottle of acid gives 60 litres of sparkling water, but in tests done both by The Swedish Consumer Agency and myself this has proved to be closer to 55 litres, or about 7.7 grams per litre.  This is because of the release of superfluous pressure.  In-line systems on the other hand manage with between five and seven grams.

Just like Sodastream´s retailers, AGA does not give the weight of the bottles.  I am going to buy a scale to weigh these, and if I get bottles with too little carbonic acid I will post this.

As a European I feel a certain pride in AGA, but it is unfortunate that they have fallen in to the same track as Sodastream.  It is obvious that manufacturers of soda machines also want to sell carbonic acid; but why does this have to be so costly?  Why not challenge Sodastream and refill their CO2-bottles?  AGA doesn’t scare easily, but it is obvious that they have chosen to maximize their profit instead of making an effort for the environment.  AGA should move their refilling stations to their retailers, or at least put refilling stations in the local areas, and thus become a role model in environmental conscious­ness. .

Through this policy of maximized prices, AGA only encourages the appearance of competitors as per the ketchup effect.  A more sensible pricing on carbonic acid would give AGA a higher market share, as well as increasing the size of the market as a whole.

The big score for AGA is not in selling soda machines, but in selling carbonic acid.  They could have given away free machines, and still made money.  They could have charged for a punch card of ten or fifteen refills, and given away Wassermaxx’s worth 100 Euros. AGA’s carbonic acid is a by-product from the manufacture of Absolut Vodka, and so their carbonic acid costs next to nothing.  What remains of cost to AGA is the filling and transportation, but even transportation costs are really low, as the bottles are made from aluminium.