Customer Ratings & Reviews

This product is amazing. Your overpaying by buying here but I have a best buy credit card, not a ninja credit card. That being said this thing is great for anyone who is trying to kick the habit of drinking to much soda and needs to drink much more water. I like all the adjustments you can do from amount of carbonation to how much flavor you get and being able to combo flavors. MY ADVICE- The first (lightest) setting of carbonation IS PLENTY! This will also make the co2 last way longer. The "splash" flavors are AWFUL but the Hydrate, Vitamin and Energy ones have been pretty decent to good across the board. GO TO THE NINJA WEBSITE and buy your c02 from them. Get 2 bottles, they will send you a box you keep and when you have 2 empty tanks you send them back in that box (they will get you a label) and you'll save 30%. Where to buy flavors is hit or miss on location so you'll likely have to buy most of them from Ninja as well. They also have the other accessories if you want more water tanks etc. Only been using mine for a bit over a week but I love it. In the past 13 days ive only had as much soda/pop as I was typically drinking in 2 or 3 days so thats a win in my book.

Awesome machine. I love sparkling water. It's basically the only way I'll drink water. Period. Bubbles make water way more interesting. This thing changed my life. You can imagine that I spend a good amount on bottles of sparkling water. This thing has already paid for itself in the short time I've had it. It can do regular water as well, so even that has value with the variety of flavors they have. I wish they had more flavors and larger packs of them to purchase. If this thing hooked up to the water line and filtered it directly (or created ice!) I would be fine to leave this earth. Definitely recommend that you buy this if flavored water is your thing.

I got this for my son as Christmas present, and he really loved it! He can do it by himself and he likes strawberry kiwi and watermelon lime.

Bought this item to replace my soda streamer and it works amazing the amount if different drinks combos u can make is good and u can control the amount of carbon u can use is also good definitely would buy again

Drinks are pretty good. Just gotta get used to not having all that sugar from a soda pop. If you miss your soda stream , you can always use your favorite flavors to support into the water. I like the it is portable.

I needed to get my big brother to drink more water and this did the trick! He loves it and I am happy he is drinking more water

Hands down, Ninja just does it better!!! I have tested out different products made by Ninja, everything from hair dryers to vacuum cleaners to kitchen appliances and now the Ninja Thirsti Drink System. All I can tell you is that your water will never taste the same, literally. The Ninja Thirsti Drink System is a countertop appliance that carbonates water and adds flavor to create sparkling drinks. With a simple push of a button, you can adjust the carbonation levels, the size of your drink, and the amount of either sweetened or unsweetened energy, vitamins, hydrate or just a splash of flavor. This machine is very similar to a well known brand out in the market currently and having tested out both units, I would have to say that Ninja Thirsti System does it better. With the Ninja I noticed that the carbonation was stronger and lasted much longer and also that flavors are added automatically according to the size of your drink. The system hold two swappable flavor packs and the amount of flavor added to the water can be adjusted to your liking. The flavors are also made of 0 sugar and 0 calories and taste amazing. The system comes with the Ninja Thirsti Machine, 2 (48oz) water reservoirs, Co2 canister and a flavor stater pack. I purchased the travel bottle separately to take my Energy + Hydrate flavored water with me to go. The travel bottle works great for keeping my drinks colder and carbonation longer. Overall, I think the Ninja Thirsti Drink System is a great option for people who want to make their own sparkling drinks at home to replace soda, sugary juices or simply want to make their water taste better. The system is easy to use, easy to clean and produces great-tasting drinks, and has a variety of customization options. If you are looking for a way to save money on soda and bottled water, the Ninja Thirsti is a great choice.

I love the concept idea of this machine the only bad part is I cannot get it to work right with the flavors no matter how many times we’ve done it we’ve switched it out three different times for a new unit thinking that there was some issue it will do good until you switch the flavors and then it won’t want to use the new flavor pods it will put straight seltzer water in your bottle with no flavoring and you have to squeeze the flavor bottle in your drink which isn’t much of a headache but still it’s not the way it’s designed. So I would not recommend this product

We’ve used the soda machines at home for a few years and always thought it would be nice just to have a soda fountain instead of having to pressurize bottles and store them, well, Ninja has done it with the new Thirsti Drink System. Unboxing: The system comes in a very nicely logoed Ninja box with plenty of pressed cardboard supports to protect the unit very well. Inside is the Thirsti system, a box of 8 flavored drops, two water tanks, and an instruction manual. The unit itself is pretty large and it’s going to take up some counter space “about as much as a drip coffee maker”, so you’ll have to keep this in mind when purchasing, “we have plenty of room so that’s not an issue”. The system is well built and feels plenty sturdy, and while setting up there are some strips of tape holding things together so be sure to go over carefully and peel those off first, otherwise there’s really nothing to assemble “other than installing the CO2 cartridge. Using: Before the first use you’ll want to plug in the system and rinse it out “according to the manufacturer”, that’s simple enough as all you do is fill the water container with some water, set it on its base piece, place a glass on the tray and set for 12oz, run a cycle and it’s rinsed. “We did this before installing the CO2 cartridge. Next you just install the CO2 cartridge, and if you have any other carbonated drink system the installation is pretty much the same. Take off seal, remove cap, open the tank door, swing out the tank nozzle and screw in the tank till seated, then swivel the tank back down and close the door. The system comes with 8 different flavors, some are sweetened, and some are not but it’s a good variety to get you up and running. The bottles are full and not samples so they will last a good while, same with the CO2 tank, at least Shark didn’t skimp out on these. There’s a shelf that swings down so you can place an “opened” flavor cartridge, and the system can hold two at a time. You then make sure the water tank is filled with cold water “either using ice/water mix or storing the filled tanks in the fridge for a few hours “we used the ice method which works perfectly”. There’s an indicator disk in the bottom of the tank that’s easily visible, it’s white if the water is warm and turns blue when cold enough “it’s easy to distinguish and a great touch by Shark”. Then just figure out which flavor you want to use, pop it in the holder, swing it back up into place and then pick your desired “Fizz” strength “three levels”, drink size, and how strong of flavor you want, “we found the middle the best choice so far”. Once you are all set just press the “Start” button and the system begins making your drink. Pretty neat how it pulls in some water from the tank, makes a loud hiss, then dispenses about half the drink while mixing in the flavor, “you can see the flavor mixing in the little window in the mix chamber below the flavor drop holder”, then repeats without adding flavor “basically rinsing out the mixing chamber”, once done it plays a slight tone letting you know it’s finished. The whole process only takes a few seconds. Conclusion: We both love the idea of having a drink fountain instead of having to store bottles “and having them go flat or having to replace after time from use”. The system even lets you mix two different flavors together to create your own concoctions. One can even be set to be stronger than the other so you can really customize your beverages. My wife tried this a few times “not really my thing or sounded nasty” but everything came out pretty good. I can’t say there was one she tried that was bad at all. We did find that if the unsweetened flavors are too “dry” for you and would like a little sweetness to them, I just add a few drops of Monk fruit liquid to the glass before running. This adds just the right amount of sweetness and keeps the drink at 0 calories. I do wish “and hopefully offered in the future” of some Cola flavor mixes or Root beer but with the amount of flavors already offered we are more than happy. If you’ve ever wanted your own soda fountain then the new Ninja Thirsti Drink System is going to be right up your alley. It’s super simple to use, makes great tasting drinks that you can customize the way you want them and Ninja is “so far” offering around 20 different flavors and we’ll be trying a lot more in the near future.

Costs more than buying cases LaCroix (not just the initial cost but ongoing costs of CO2 tanks, and thirsti flavor pods) and it doesn’t taste nearly as good as LaCroix. It does what it says it will do, so can’t complain there.

I’m usually not a fan of sparkling water type drinks, but, when you can customize it a little more, I kind of started to enjoy them. The Ninja Thirsti is pretty simple to set up and use. It comes with a variety of flavors to get you started and some even have some additional additives, like caffeine and vitamins. It took me a couple times to find the carbonation level and flavor I prefer, but now it is just as refreshing as grabbing a soda out of the fridge. There are a couple things I don’t like about it though. In a sense it acts like a typical coffee maker, but unlike a coffee maker, you need to remove the water reservoir so that you can keep it cold or add ice each time you want to make a cup. Having a warm soda does not taste the same. But, having the reservoir in the fridge, there have been a couple times that I forgot to return it and there does not appear to be a sensor telling the device that the reservoir is not present, or empty. So, it will attempt to still pump water and hesitate for a bit, then spit out whatever it managed to pull from the internal lines. You have to wait for the process to finish though before you try again. The other thing I don’t like about it is how it breaks the portions up into 6oz fills. However, it adds the flavor on the first fill pending how high you go, so if you have a taller glass, you get the flavor in the bottom and carbonated water at the top. A little shake, or a stir, or some time will let it balance out, provided you have the space to do that. With 12oz being the most common fill, it was most noticeable, with taller ones, it would add some flavor to the other pumps, but the last one was always just carbonated water. As for the flavors, I really liked the energy and vitamin ones. The splashes on the other hand, really did not seem to have much flavor to them, even on the 2 dot bold setting, but you could certainly smell them. Then you are limited to getting these specific flavor bottles from Ninja. Maybe, like the K-Cup, there will be other companies that make similar but cheaper products in the future. Same goes for getting the CO2 canister. On their site, it says “makes up to 100 12oz cups”, but that is also dependent on how sparkly you like your water. It does 1 pump per 6oz on the low setting, but 5 pumps per 6 oz on the high. So, if you like it really sparkly, that might get you 25 12 oz cups. I haven’t run mine out yet, but that might start to add up a lot more than getting those pre-bottled/canned products if that is what you are looking for. Plus, each flavor pack says “Makes 20, 12 oz Drinks”. Overall, it is an interesting product if you like to personalize your sparkling water drinks. If you like it lightly sparkling and live in the continental US so you can get the replacement CO2 and flavors shipped to you, it might be worth it over time. Personally, I think it is less hassle and still more cost effective to get a case of some pre-made brand I already like.

----- SUMMARY ----- Verdict: For those who go through a case of sparkling water in a week like me, the Ninja Thirsti is a game-changer. It saves money, eliminates single-use bottles and cans, and allows you to customize your beverage experience. Flavored sparkling water helps me stay hydrated when I want something other than just still water. The Ninja Thirsti and its numerous flavor options, along with energy and electrolyte drinks, take my sparkling water enjoyment and hydration to the next level. Pros: - Easy to set up and use - Doesn’t take up much counter space - Wide variety of flavors available - Customizable fizziness and flavor levels - Dispenses in 6, 12, 18, and 24oz sizes - Minimal maintenance required Cons: - Proprietary CO2 canisters and flavor drops ----- DETAILS ----- Setup & Design: Getting started with the Ninja Thirsti is quick and straightforward. There are only a few steps, and the included quick-start guide walks you through them. There are also helpful stickers on the machine that you can remove once you get the hang of it. After unboxing the machine, you plug it in, screw in the CO2 canister, then run 12 ounces of still water through the machine to rinse it. You’ll toss that water out, then the machine is ready to go. The CO2 canister is specific to the Ninja Thirsti, which could be considered a con. You’re stuck buying the proprietary canisters, but Ninja does have a “CO2 Refill Club” that will save you some money and provide free return shipping on empty canisters. The top of the Ninja Thirsti has just a few buttons, which keeps things simple. On the left is the bubble button to toggle between still, lightly carbonated, classically carbonated, or heavily carbonated water. The right side has a size button to toggle between 6, 12, 18, and 24 ounces. Below these buttons are a “1” and a “2” button where you toggle between one flavor or both. You can also choose to increase the intensity of the flavoring. There are lights above each button to indicate what drink settings you’ve selected. In between all the buttons is the “start” button. It’s an intuitive design that allows you to make your customized drink quickly. I love the simple design of the Ninja Thirsti and the fact that you can dispense drinks directly into your glass of choice. There’s no special bottle required. The only highly recommended task is filling the reservoir with cold water. A plastic piece at the bottom of the reservoir turns blue when the water is at the ideal temperature. Cold water helps the machine make a fizzier drink, and who doesn’t enjoy an ice-cold drink on a warm summer day? Fizz & Flavor: Trying the different flavors and experimenting with fun flavor combinations has been a joy. The box includes eight flavors, but there are up to 20 available at the time of this review. Ninja’s website indicates “more on the way,” so I don’t doubt the number of flavors will grow. Like the CO2 canisters, the flavor drops are proprietary, but I’m glad there’s already a wide variety of flavors, and each flavor cartridge makes up to 20 12oz drinks. At around $7 per cartridge, it’s a bit cheaper than most cases of flavored sparkling water. While I do like some flavors more than others, I have yet to try a flavor that I don’t like. I look forward to trying more and hope Ninja collaborates with brands like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola to develop officially licensed flavors. There are four flavor categories: Splash, Vitamins, Hydrate, and Energy. All the flavors contain zero calories and zero sugar, though some are artificially sweetened. Splash reminds me of unsweetened sparkling water like LaCroix. The other three categories are similar in taste but provide different benefits. The Vitamins category provides B Vitamins, Hydrate provides electrolytes, and Energy provides 50mg of caffeine (per 12oz serving). With three fizz levels (low, medium, and high), you can achieve your desired fizziness. You can also dispense still water. Medium is about the same as a classic sparkling water you’d find in a can. The flavor intensity can also be customized, with options for a classic or bolder flavor. I like to switch it up, so I enjoy all the Ninja Thirsti's customization. Cleaning & Maintenance: Ninja recommends regular cleaning to keep the machine operating at its best. The drip tray and drip tray bucket are top-rack dishwasher safe, and the water reservoir can be cleaned with warm, soapy water. The flavor funnel and carriage have the most residue accumulation over time. The flavor funnel can be removed and cleaned with warm water, and the carriage can be wiped down with a damp towel (recommended monthly). A deep clean cycle where you combine 12oz of white vinegar and water in the water reservoir and press the bubble and size buttons at the same time is recommended monthly as well. These steps are well-explained in the included safety instructions. It might sound like a lot initially, but since the main cleaning steps are only necessary monthly and are quite easy, I’d still consider the Ninja Thirsti low maintenance. ----- WHAT’S IN THE BOX ----- 1 x Ninja Thirsti Machine 2 x 48oz Removeable Water Reservoirs with Cold Water Indicators 1 x 60L CO2 Canister 8 x Flavored Water Drops

Ninja thirsti drink system is a fun soda machine for those who loves making home-made soda drink. Installation is easy and intuitive enough. The system comes with 8 flavors out of more than 20 flavors that you can purchase from Ninja. There are four types of flavors, in a nutshell they are splash (light flavor without sweetener), vitamins (sweetened), hydrate (electrolytes with sweetener) and energy (comes with 50mg of caffeine). Carbonation requires cold water and the system comes with two water jugs that can tell you if the water is cold enough to make a carbonated drink. If you want, you can create a non-carbonated drink as well, or a carbonated drink without any flavor. The machine has two slots for the flavors and you can mix those flavors into a combo. You can also set the strength of the flavor into standard or bold. There are three levels of carbonation: low, medium and high fizz. Carbonation process is automated at the press of a button. It takes time for the water to be carbonated and for the flavor(s) to be infused in the fizz. The machine dispenses 6 oz of water at a time so if you want 12 oz soda, you need to wait for the process to be completed twice. It’s not that long so once the machine produces chime, it’s all set. You can dispense up to 24 oz of soda drink at a single press of the button. Aside of the wait to dispense the drink, this is a great machine. Even at the lowest sparkling setting, I can still taste the fizz just fine. It comes with a drip tray so if there’s a spill, it should be contained by the drip tray. The Ninja Thirsti is not my first soda machine so it’s really nice that this machine has much more features. Well, it’s like having a soda fountain machine at home.

The Ninja Thirsti beverage system has completely revolutionized the way I enjoy soft drinks. It's as if I have my own personal beverage laboratory right at my fingertips, and the convenience it offers is unparalleled. The extent of customization available is astonishing – power to meticulously craft the beverage with four distinct functions, an array of over 20 flavors, two flavor intensities, three levels of fizziness, and four different drink sizes. The ingenious feature that allows to blend two flavors to craft unique signature drink is a creative touch that I find truly delightful. Getting the unit ready is a straightforward process. It includes all the essentials for a quick setup, allowing to savor drink in under 5 minutes. Installing and replenishing the CO2 canister is effortless, and the added treat of the included flavored water drops enhances the experience. Simply fill the provided pitcher with ice and water up to the designated level, then insert the flavored packs to achieve the desired flavors. One of the standout aspects is the freedom to mix and match flavors, resulting in a personalized creation that suits taste to perfection. Additionally, the system offers a variety of function-forward lines like Splash, Vitamins, Hydrate, and Energy, all boasting zero calories, zero sugar, and natural flavors. Overall, the Ninja Thirsti beverage system is an essential addition for anyone who relishes tailor-made drinks. It's not only cost-effective but also environmentally conscious, making it a remarkable choice in the realm of personalized beverage customization. I highly recommend it!

When Ninja announced the Thirsti Drink System, I was very excited and intrigued. I have started drinking seltzer more often and considered buying a sodastream until I saw that Ninja was making a similar product. The Thirsti Drink System comes in a bigger box and includes the drink making machine, a CO2 canister, a starter pack with 8 different flavor options, & two water reservoirs. The drink machine is similar in size to a newer Keurig brewer, but slightly taller. The water reservior placement is to the right of the machine and is not changeable to make the entire device slimmer, this would be a nice option to consider Ninja! After unboxing, set up only includes inserting the CO2 canister in a door by the reservoir & putting on a filled reservoir (after you’ve washed/rinsed it of course). It’s suggested that you use cold water to maximize carbonization. The reservoirs include a temperature indicator to let you know when the water is cold enough. Ninja thought ahead enough to give two reservoirs, so you could keep one in the fridge to stay cold, or you can use ice to make the water cold quickly. Once cold, you are ready to make some drinks. Similar to most Ninja products, the Thirsti Drink System is easy to use. There’s a button to indicate how bubbly the drink will be, with four settings from still water to extra bubbly. Theres another button to control the size of the drink, from 6 oz up to 24 oz. Then there’s room for two flavor cartridges, and you can use just one or both to make different flavor combinations! You also have the option to increase the strength of one or both flavors to make bolder flavors. As you can see, there are plenty of options with this system. Some other details included to make clean up a breeze are the removable drip tray and a removable piece called the mixing chamber. There is also a second folding tray for smaller cups. One issue I did run into is that the door that opens up where you put the CO2 canister is not very sturdy. One of the plastic hinges/pegs actually broke when I first opened the door. It doesn’t prevent the use of the machine but is not ideal. While the box includes 8 different flavors to try out, there are many more available online (and hopefully in store soon). You can also get new CO2 canisters online. There is also a program to send back empty canisters and have them refilled. All in all, the Ninja Thirsti Drink System is a very nice product. You can make lots of combinations of drinks, all suited to your tastes. There are lots of options from just flavors to vitamins to caffeinated to hydration that you can mix and match as desired. Would be a 5-star device if my CO2 canister door didn’t break. The family has enjoyed making different drink these last few days.

I love sparkling water and I always keep some on hand in cans of various brands. I've got another top-brand sparkling water maker and use it occasionally, but not as much as I used to. When I heard that Ninja was making their own version a while back, I couldn't wait to try it out and WOW, do we have a winner with this! I did want to say two things to kick this review off - while waiting on my unit, I did hop over to Ninja's website and ordered some extra accessories and every one of their water flavorings, in the 4 varieties that they offer - Splash, Vitamin, Hydration and Energy, as well as a spare CO2 canister. I also wanted to add that I'm normally the ONLY one in my household that remotely likes sparkling-type waters. That has completely changed with the Ninja Thirsti! The unit itself is pretty simple, overall. At first, it looks like it may be a little complicated, but I had the swing of things after making my first few drinks! Just make sure you read the instructions first and don't just go slapping things together and hitting start, haha. There is also a first use "rinse" cycle that is suggested to do, which I did and was super easy. You get two water reservoirs included with the unit and a sample pack of drink mixes, which to my surprise, they give you 8! That's actually quite a bit for a sample selection! Anyway, they highly suggesting making beverages with cold water ONLY, as cold water tends to carbonate the best and going by my past experiences, I can definitely say this is true. The reservoir has an indicator built into it that turns from white to blue, when it has reached the cold levels desired - I thought this was super neat! I keep the reservoir filled up and in the fridge. I've not had a need to use the 2nd one yet, as I just keep a gallon of Distilled water in the fridge at all times and refill the one I'm using from that. Speaking of, that is another one of my big suggestions - use Distilled water ONLY. I use this in ALL of my appliances, from the nugget ice maker to my coffee pots and my Ninja Thirsti and it really helps keep things clean and from getting mineral build-up (our tap water is super hard where we are, so I always refrain from using it when I can). Out of all of the sample flavors provided, as well as the ones I've purchased, I like them all! I've not yet found one where I'm "meh" about it, which is great! The Splash ones are unsweetened and taste like a normal store-bought canned Sparkling water from many of the top brands out there...but honestly, I like the Ninja Splash taste better! The other options (Hydrate, Vitamins and Energy) are all sweetened, but have 0 calories. They all taste great as well and I actually think I prefer them over the Splash! I would like to see them release an Immune Support one that uses Wellmune or an equivalent. As for as any critiques, there's not many. I've not had a single issue out of the machine itself that wasn't user error! For example, for all of my appliances, I'm used to just having a water reservoir on them. But with the Thirst, you put the reservoir on it from the fridge, make your drink and put it back in the fridge. I've lost count of how many times I've went to make a drink and realized I forgot to put the reservoir on...whoops! I then have to let it do a "drain" cycle before I can use it again. A little annoying, but like I said...user error, lol. I love how you can interchange the flavors whenever you want. Just pop one out, close the lid and pop a new one in. You can even combine flavors!!! The only other thing I would like to see would be for Ninja to make a "cover cap" that goes over where the water reservoir sits, to prevent dust and such from getting on it, since you know, this is your water intake area. More of a hygiene thing, I guess. Honestly, GET THIS. It makes Still (yes, it makes non-sparkling drinks, too!) and Carbonated drinks and the levels of carbonation are AMAZING! Way better than any previous machines I've used in the past. Even the Level 1 Carbonation is just enough for me and I always max out my Carbonation on other machines. Ninja has a winner here and I'm definitely going to be recommending this to family, friends and anyone I know that enjoys these types of drinks! The wife does not like sparkling drinks like this, but she's routinely been making some for herself, which really took me by surprise. The Thirsti has single-handedly converted her, lol.

--- SETUP --- The Ninja Thirsti Drink System is quick to set up and not as daunting as I thought I was going to be. First, take out the unit from the box and remove all the tape. Then, remove the included drink syrups and CO2 tank and set them aside. Install the CO2 tank with the easy-to-follow instructions, fill the water reservoir with cold water (or add ice), and wait for the blue lid in the reservoir to change to color blue. Once that’s ready, the water is at maximum temperature for best bubbly serving. Choose your flavor of choice, install in the front side of the unit, and serve yourself a 6, 12, 18, or 24 oz serving of your favorite cold drink. --- FEATURES --- Up to 100 12 oz drinks with one CO2 can, service directly into any cup, choose one flavor or mix and match 2 flavors to create unique flavored drinks, membership available for CO2. --- PERFORMANCE AND EXPECTATIONS --- The Ninja Thirsti system is surprisingly easy to use. I will admit that I stayed away from buying any system in the past because I thought it would be complicated. However, Ninja really makes everything user friendly. Installing the CO2 can is just like installing a lightbulb. You will open the cabinet where it goes and screw the bottle on. If you plan on using a small 6 or 12 oz cup, the Ninja unit has a small, more elevated platform that you can unfold to prevent spillage. If you want to go larger, fold the platform up and insert your mug of choice up to 24 oz. The first time I tried using the unit, I didn’t read that some of the flavors that come in the package are hints of carbonated water and don’t actually taste that strong on their own. However, I quickly found out (after reading the manual), that you can combine those with other flavorful choices that are included. That’s when things got interesting, as I started experimenting right away. My favorite drink so far is mixing the sparkling splash island mango with energy caffeinated peach mango flavor. This system comes with 2 water reservoir tanks. This is great, because if you always want to have cold water, you can keep one filled up with water in the fridge (but do not freeze it). However, if you forget to keep one in the fridge, you can just as simply put ice in the water reservoir and wait for the blue cap at the bottom to turn blue. This will indicate that you are ready to fizzy up. For daily cleaning, I just rinse the droplet catcher and I leave everything to air dry. Cleaning takes about 1 minute. After a long use, it is recommended to use vinegar and water and let 2 cycles run through. When I get home for dinner, I fill up the water reservoir with 1 16.9 oz bottle of water and add ice to the water reservoir. I put a 24 oz cup in the unit and set the unit to fill me up 18 oz, allowing me room to add ice afterwards in my cup afterwards. At the highest fizzy setting, it comes out very carbonated, as I burp constantly while drinking and it tastes great. Soon, I plan to buy more flavor choices to keep experimenting. If there were 2 things that could be improved upon, they would be the following. The water reservoir plastic cans come with a lid. The lid covers the tank, but it just slides down. I would have preferred if it was a twisted cap with a rubber water sealer to prevent spillage if I store it in the refrigerator’s door. Second, when placing the water reservoir tank on the Ninja unit, it fits loosely and wobbles a bit. It doesn’t spill any water, but it just feels like it should have clicked and stayed on strongly. However, these two things are not enough of a downside for me to have a negative experience. --- APPROVAL --- Overall, I am very happy with this Ninja Thirsti Drink System and would recommend it to anyone. It's easy to use and convenient, especially when all you have to drink is water. Best of all, the included choices are all sugar free!

Ninja has a well earned reputation for producing slightly over-engineered, highly stylish kitchen appliances. Their first foray into home carbonation systems continues the trend. The Thirsti checks pretty much all the boxes I could hope for, and offers a compelling alternative to current soda water makers for those willing to devote the space to it. In the box you get the machine itself, a single CO2 cylinder, two water reservoirs, and an 8 pack of randomly selected flavorings. Any additional accessories can be ordered online and I suspect will be appearing in stores soon if they haven't already. The instructions recommend keeping two additional CO2 cylinders on hand so that you can make full use of their mail in replacement program, where you swap two empties for two full cylinders. All in all, it's pretty standard fare. Where things start to get interesting is in how the reservoirs are used. Rather than carbonating an entire bottle of water at a time the machine is designed to carbonate and dispense water in 6oz increments directly into your glass of choice while simultaneously mixing in the flavor. I have to say that this is a huge improvement over my previous carbonation system. Anyone who's tried to mix in soda syrups or the like without causing the whole thing to fizz up and overflow can attest that it's oftentimes more art than science. There is none of that with the Thirsti. Everything comes out perfectly mixed to the strength I like it with just a few button presses. The machine even effectively cleans up after itself by sending a burst of plain water through the nozzle at the end to purge any remaining flavorings. Even the reservoirs are well thought out - with color changing valves at the bottom that turn blue when the water's gotten cold enough for carbonating. It's a very well put together package that looks quite sharp on my counter. As for the flavorings themselves, I found the mix I got to be very pleasant. The current lineup definitely leans more into unsweetened sparkling water flavors than soda, but they're all quite pleasant and if you turn up the intensity of the flavor it definitely feels a bit more soda-like for those who prefer their water with unwise amounts of sugar. That said variety is definitely lacking a bit here at the moment. It looks like some of the flavors mentioned in the manual/recipe book haven't actually released yet, and there's no third party options at this time. The caffeinated offerings are particularly sparse, with only three options at the time of writing. Good news is that there's no reason you can't buy flavored syrups or the like to mix with the water the old fashioned way - but I do hope that we won't have to wait too long before seeing some new offerings like colas, additional fruit flavorings, or the like. For those who don't like their water flavored at all - I think you'll be happy with what you get. I've certainly seem more powerful carbonation systems, but none that are quite so consistent as this. You always get a decent amount of bubbles that stick around for several minutes at the minimum. And best of all - the machine is almost quiet while it works. What's less likely to improve over time though is the amount of space the system takes up. There's no getting around it: the thirsty has a fairly large footprint for a machine of this type, and the need to keep the water chilled means it's going to be taking up space both on your counter and fridge. It's easily twice the size of my old Soda Stream, though it does make up for it somewhat by dispensing with the need to store water bottles. It's also a little on the heavy side thanks to the CO2 cylinder, so it's not necessarily the best appliance to be hauling out as needed. Ultimately, the Thirsti is an easy recommendation for me provided that Ninja keeps working to push out new flavors and options for us.

I’ve been interested in these CO2 drink systems for awhile so I was excited to try out the Ninja Thirsti system as an alternative to soda and energy drinks. Going in there was a few goals in mind: 1. Create fun and tasty drinks for adults and kids 2. Create drinks with less sugar than soda or sports drinks 3. Save some money compared to buying soft drinks After using the Thirsti for a few days, I’m overall happy with the system but it definitely has its limitations and didn’t really meet all of my goals. For starters, the mix bottles are basically like Mio water that gets added to water with the additional touch of carbonated water. There are sweetened and unsweetened flavors so keep that in mind and the sweetener is sucralose aka Splenda, so there’s a good chance your kids and even most adults will not like the taste. The unsweetened flavors are like Seltzer or hint water, almost like adding a lemon to water which is popular for some. The good news is you are free to venture off the beaten path and make your own drinks with natural juices or syrup, then mix it in and just use the Thirsti system to carbonate your water. This is actually more fun in my opinion as it also opens up the possibility of making adult alcoholic cocktails with muddled berry syrups and fresh squeezed fruit juices like lime juice. On the highest carbonation setting, you’re going to get much more carbonation than tonic or seltzer water. For my second goal or using less sugar, if you are familiar with mio water then the flavor kits will be familiar to you. Slightly bitter and not quite naturally sweet, but more flavorful than just normal water. I liked these drinks but my kids did not. So for me the goal to use less sugar was achieved but not for my kids who were expecting juice. Lastly, you’re not really going to save any money using the Thirsti system over buying soda, sparkling water or sports drinks because the CO2 and flavor drops are expensive. One CO2 canister will make 100 12oz drinks so at $30 per canister that’s $.30 per drink. The flavor drops are $7 per kit and food for 20 or so drinks depending on flavor intensity setting. You can get soda for around $.50 per can on sale and sports drinks for $.60 or so each too, so this system won’t really save you any money. It does provide some fun drink making opportunities however! Overall the system is well built and attractive. It comes with 2 large water pitchers so you can keep them in the fridge until ready to use. The pitcher also changes color with more intense blue meaning colder water. My Samsung fridge has a cold water pitcher so I probably won’t use this feature much especially since you can just add ice before or after carbonating your drink. So overall this is a cool system that can be a lot of fun to use. I think I like the ability to carbonate water the most and the 3 different settings make a really noticeable difference. The cost of refills however is a bummer and the main reason I wouldn’t fully recommend it to someone unless they knew what they were signing up for.

This Ninja Thirsti Drink System is a pretty nice appliance to have in our household. This simple appliance sits in my kitchen and allows me to customize the drinks for my family with the flavors of our choice. The machine is very easy to use. Simply chill the water in the reservoir and choose your flavored drink cartridge. Voila, you have yourself some refreshing sparkling water on the spot. Within the package you get the Thirsti machine, a box of flavor cartridges, the 60L CO2 cartridge, and two water reservoirs. As a family we can all customize our drinks to our personal preference. The machine gives you the option of still, low fizz, medium fizz, and high fizz. You can easily insert a flavor cartridge as a single flavor or dual combination flavors. There are a lot of options to choose from and fun to find a flavor that suits you. What I really like about it is that the cartridges are multi use so I'm able to reuse them over and over until they empty out. The flavor and fizz of the drinks I'm making at home is delicious and very comparable to any of the brands I purchase in the store bought cans/bottles. It's a great machine for just about any one individual or a family to use. Easy to operate and provides a refreshing beverage. I like this personally because it satisfies my craving for a fizzy drink without consuming sugary sodas. This for my household gives us sparkling water with a hint of flavor, without the extra sugar. I think this is an affordable machine when you consider the long term purchasing of soda cans as a comparison. Fairly compact and a small footprint to keep this on our kitchen island/counter for easy access and usage.