Aarke Carbonator 3
Silicone is only a gasket/seal — what touches your water is Stainless Steel (304 / 18-8) and Stainless Steel (grade unspecified).
Aarke's mainstream carbonator ships with a PET bottle, but a dedicated stainless-steel "To-Go" bottle attaches and carbonates directly in its place - steel bottle, steel nozzle, silicone-only water path for well under half the Pro's price.
The verdict: Silicone only
Stock, the Carbonator 3 is the category's classic "steel outside, plastic inside" machine: gorgeous stainless body, but it carbonates exclusively into a PET bottle (minimal-contact, same as any SodaStream). What changes the picture is Aarke's own stainless-steel "To-Go" bottle - a separate purchase that attaches exactly like the PET bottle does. With it in place, water is carbonated directly in SUS304 steel through the machine's all-steel nozzle, and the only non-metal part left in the path is the small gasket sealing the bottle against the nozzle. That makes the steel-bottle configuration silicone-only - matching the Carbonator Pro's rating without the Pro's price, because a sealed metal bottle needs no protective chamber. We rate it in that configuration; with the stock PET bottle it would be minimal-contact.
Verification: Manufacturer confirmed · Last reviewed
The Carbonator 3 ships with a PET bottle; Aarke's stainless-steel To-Go bottle carbonates directly in its place, making the water path steel-plus-gasket instead of plastic. Buy it separately.
What it's made of
| Part | Material | Water contact |
|---|---|---|
| PET water bottle (stock - replaced by the To-Go steel bottle) ships with — replace virgin food-grade PET; ships with the machine but is what the steel-bottle upgrade replaces | Plastic other / unspecified | primary |
| To-Go bottle body (add-on - replaces the stock PET bottle) double-wall vacuum-insulated SUS304, over 90% recycled content; a separate SKU, attaches the same way the PET bottle does | Stainless Steel 304 / 18-8 | Yes primary |
| To-Go bottle cap stainless cap/lid on the To-Go bottle; exact alloy unspecified by Aarke beyond "stainless steel" | Stainless Steel grade unspecified | Yes primary |
| bottle-to-nozzle seal small gasket sealing the bottle against the nozzle during carbonation, the same style used on the stock PET bottle's cap; exact material unconfirmed by Aarke, treated as the Pro's equivalent seal | Silicone | Yes seal |
| carbonation nozzle third-generation nozzle, CNC-machined from a single piece of stainless steel; grade unspecified by Aarke; dips into the bottle during carbonation | Stainless Steel grade unspecified | Yes primary |
| machine body SUS304 exterior; several color finishes available | Stainless Steel 304 / 18-8 | No |
| CO2 cylinder compartment gasket seals the CO2 cylinder threading, not the water path - not a drink-contact part | EPDM Rubber | No |
Aarke's flagship-looking, mid-priced carbonator - the stainless body everyone recognizes. Manual (no electricity), it uses standard 60L screw-in CO2 cylinders and carbonates one bottle at a time. Compared with the Carbonator Pro it costs roughly half as much, but the Pro's glass bottle is dishwasher-safe and see-through; the To-Go steel bottle is opaque and insulated, so you can't watch the fill level or the bubbles.
Pros
- CNC-machined stainless nozzle - no plastic in the spray path
- The steel bottle is Aarke's own listed accessory, not a third-party workaround
- No electricity; standard 60L CO2 cylinders
Cons
- Does not ship this way - the steel bottle is a separate purchase (~$45-50)
- Bottle-to-nozzle gasket material is not confirmed by Aarke (assumed silicone/rubber)
- With the stock PET bottle instead, it's the category's textbook "steel outside, plastic inside" example
Categories: Soda Makers
Sources
Every material claim above is backed by these. This is the scattered info we centralized.
- manufacturer https://aarke.com/products/carbonator-3-steel Carbonator 3 product page; SUS304 body, ships with a BPA-free virgin PET bottle
- manufacturer https://aarke.com/products/steel-bottle-carbonator-3 To-Go stainless-steel bottle; SUS304 with 90%+ recycled content, attaches and carbonates directly ("the bottle attaches to the Carbonator 3 the same way the PET bottle does"), compatible with Carbonator 3, 2, and 1
- retailer https://www.thehappycook.com/products/aarke-carbonator-iii-steel-021818 retailer listing quoting Aarke's copy that the precision nozzle is "CNC-machined from a single piece of stainless steel"
- manufacturer https://aarke.com/products/pet-water-bottle stock PET bottle spec page; notes the bottle's cap gasket, which the To-Go bottle's seal is assumed to mirror
Spot a mistake or something out of date? Let us know — corrections are how this stays accurate.