Replacement is very easy, just screw the old one out and the new one in. Refills are under 7€ around here and they last for quite a while (they claim 60 L per canister but I’ve never really tracked how long they actually last).
You can theoretically also get an adapter kit to either refill with your own big CO2 canister or directly connect a larger canister. Unless you are a very heavy user this is probably not worth it though.
Regarding brands, I don’t think that there’s a big difference between sodastream and off-brand ones. The cylinders are typically interchangeable as well (as long as you don’t get the “quick connect” ones from Sodastream). I would also recommend getting a model with glass bottles instead of plastic ones because you can put them in the dishwasher.
Replacement is very easy, just screw the old one out and the new one in. Refills are under 7€ around here and they last for quite a while (they claim 60 L per canister but I’ve never really tracked how long they actually last).
You can theoretically also get an adapter kit to either refill with your own big CO2 canister or directly connect a larger canister. Unless you are a very heavy user this is probably not worth it though.
Regarding brands, I don’t think that there’s a big difference between sodastream and off-brand ones. The cylinders are typically interchangeable as well (as long as you don’t get the “quick connect” ones from Sodastream). I would also recommend getting a model with glass bottles instead of plastic ones because you can put them in the dishwasher.