What are the best toilets?

January 22, 2016 12:24 PM

Have to replace a toilet: what's the best one?

One of our toilets has a hairline crack in it that recently got much bigger and started to leak. Plumber (whom we trust completely) says it's probably time to get a new one. We've only been in this house for a few months, and this is really our first opportunity to upgrade anything significant, so I'd like to take advantage by putting a GREAT toilet in. But what makes a great toilet? And who makes a great toilet? And what does a great toilet cost?

Relevant details:
- Bathroom is a half-bath
- It's the only bathroom downstairs, so sees a lot of use
- Bathroom is small (it's tucked under the stairs)
- Current toilet is your run-of-the-mill elongated porcelain throne. It sits relatively high. It's white, and we'd probably like to replace it with another white toilet
- We're on city water, but it's still pretty hard. We have a water softener, but they can only do so much
- I'm 6'5", my wife is 5'4" (and 5 months pregnant), and our daughter is a little over 3 feet. None of us is overweight

So what would you recommend we get? I've seen the previous thread, and based on it I'm leaning towards something from Toto, but I'd love some more feedback, and also some confirmation that the recommendations in that thread still represent the state of the art. Thanks!

posted by saladin to Home & Garden (26 answers total)

Toto is the gold standard. My parents had one in Japan and they are THE best. In the grand scheme of things, they're a lot more, but it's a toilet, and the difference between a $100 el cheap-o and a $900 Toto is SO MUCH more than $800.

You only replace a toilet once every 40 years (or so) shoot the moon (see what I did there?) and get a really great toilet.

Get the one with the bidet and the butt-warmer. You will be so happy.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:28 PM on January 22, 2016 [5 favorites]

Yeah, if you want the best toilet, go Japanese. It sounds crazy that those features should be so fabulous, but they really are.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:36 PM on January 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

If you aren't looking to drop a load (see what I did there?) on the toilet at least make sure you get one with max flushing power. If I remember correctly, they are rated 1-10. I replaced one a few years ago and bought a ten, and it's the one toilet in the house that has never, ever clogged.
posted by COD at 12:42 PM on January 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

I can't speak to why I'd prefer a specific brand of toilet, but I can speak to my preference regarding toilet seats. We had to replace one of our toilets several years ago, from something circa 1972 to a 2012 model. The seat on the new toilet becomes horribly uncomfortable after a few minutes, it cuts off the circulation in your legs and digs in to the back of your thighs. In contrast, the toilet in the other bathroom (also circa 1972) has a flatter seat that is far more comfortable to sit on. Some of this may be due to the height of the toilet - the new one is higher than the old one, but some of it is just the fact that the seat is horribly uncomfortable. So if you can, sit on the toilet to see how it feels, just like you'd lay on a mattress before buying it.
posted by ralan at 12:47 PM on January 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oh yeah, lower is better. If you can't find something low, get yourself one of those little toilet stool foot rest thingies.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:03 PM on January 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Lower is better as long as everyone is healthy and has good knees. Higher is better if knees are a problem.
posted by clone boulevard at 1:06 PM on January 22, 2016 [5 favorites]

I've recently found out that US toilets get blocked way more than the toilets I was used to in Australia (ie no one I knew in Australia owned a plunger) due to the nature of the S bend in them & the width of the pipes. They also have a much more "violent" flush using a lot less water, even a half flush in a low flow toilet seems to have more power to remove waste than many US toilets I've used. I also have to scrub out my toilet bowls a lot more since moving to the US as more errr bit's get stuck. So having sung the praises of Aussie loos I'd suggest you check out the Caroma range.
posted by wwax at 1:13 PM on January 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

I think higher or lower is a very personal preference, so start there by paying attention to what it feels like to sit on different height toilets and what you and your wife prefer.

Consumer Reports has a some free guidance re: what to consider. (You may be able to access the full report through your local library for free.)

The flush rating alluded to above comes from MaP: http://www.map-testing.com/

I recently remodeled a bathroom, did a lot of research and for our small bathroom and our height preference, we're quite happy with our Toto Entrada. (I'm 5'6", my partner is 6'3" if that helps any.)
posted by purple_bird at 1:16 PM on January 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Our newest toilet is of the higher variety and I find it horribly uncomfortable because, like ralan, it digs into the backs of my legs and my feet fall asleep. I'm 5'7." My husband is 6'2" and he has no issues with the higher bowl. Neither of us have knees problems so I can't comment on that.

Our toilet came with a slow-close seat lid, which I adore. It's designed to keep from slamming shut and might be worth the extra few dollars since you have little-kid fingers around.
posted by _Mona_ at 1:20 PM on January 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

what it feels like to sit on different height toilets

I think the key is not what it feels like to site on the toilet, but what it feels like to use the toilet. Obviously you can't try that out in the store. Lower (knees higher relative to hips) is a more comfortable/easier/quicker toilet-using experience. But yeah, if you're going to have trouble getting down to or up from a low toilet due to a bad knee, get a little foot stool.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:21 PM on January 22, 2016

American Standard Cadet 3 Flowise 1.28 GPF High Efficiency Toilet

I installed one of these a year ago. It is the best toilet I have ever owned. Watch the demo video to see what it can handle (e.g. 20 golf balls, 1 lb of orange peels, 56 chicken nuggets, and a lot of other crazy stuff you really would never flush down a toilet). Elongated bowl, seat height comparable to that of a standard chair, slow-closing lid, 5-year warranty. The family has been clamoring for me to install another one upstairs even though that one is still working.
posted by zakur at 1:45 PM on January 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

We recently put in a half-bath, and ended up with a Kohler because the Totos we looked at were much more expensive. It flushes better than any toilet I've ever owned. I'm pretty sure it is a Memoirs, and it cost around $250.

We got the higher model because I have bad knees. My wife, who is just over 5', says it's too high.
posted by mr vino at 1:49 PM on January 22, 2016

I've had a Toto (so disappointing) and a Kohler (also, disappointing). My parents recently got an American Standard and I can't wait to swap my toilets for American Standards! They're easy to clean (they have a concealed trapway model - so nice!), reliable, and comfortable.
posted by quince at 1:56 PM on January 22, 2016

In my old place I installed an earlier version of the Cadet mentioned above, and I am frankly looking for a reason to install one in my new place.
posted by aramaic at 2:27 PM on January 22, 2016

Not all Toto toilets are great, but the Toto Drake definitely is, because of the flusher mechanism and the configuration of the trap (curved drain). In almost any brand, the shape of the trap can vary and affect how effectively a toilet flushes. I suggest that you choose among specific models, not manufacturers. They make a big whoop about the valve/flusher assembly, but the structure of the toilet itself can make a huge difference.
posted by wryly at 2:28 PM on January 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Consider too how easy it's going to be to clean, both inside and out. I lived in an apartment once where the toilet had a bunch of weird crevices on the outside of the base that just trapped dirt, and I didn't even like thinking about what was in the bathroom dirt I was constantly having to dig out of all the little ridges and divets. The more sleek the outside is, the easier it'll be to keep the toilet itself and the floor around it clean. (This is especially important if the new baby is or might be a boy, because you absolutely do not want to be toilet-training a little boy in a bathroom that is hard to keep clean.)
posted by decathecting at 3:43 PM on January 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I recently installed the Toto Drake II. I found it on sale for the best price at Amazon, it was much cheaper than any of the plumbing supplies around me. It was shipped for free and arrived completely undamaged. Nthing the slow close lid, it is an amazing invention that I actually put on the rest of my toilets since it is so great.
posted by Nackt at 5:33 PM on January 22, 2016

Toto. Cannot say that enough cos we had the worst clogging problems as we had all older toilets. A few months back we got a Toto and that was it. I was very skeptical about it as it didn't seem like it had a good strong flush but we were wrong. Definitely recommend it. No problems with it at all.
posted by stepup at 5:53 PM on January 22, 2016

Our Toto, which predates is in the house, has a special mechanism to collect poop and make it hard to clean. So if you get a Toto, don't get that one.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:56 PM on January 22, 2016

I don't know from Toto but my house, bought last year, came with Caromas. Mine have dual flush with push buttons on the top of the tank, slow closing seats, very low water in the bowls, smooth easy to clean design, quiet flush and somewhat high seats. I am 5.9" and perfectly comfortable. I highly recommend. I was told they were pricey but here in drought challenged California I'd rate them a royal flush (see what I did there).
posted by Jim_Jam at 8:39 PM on January 22, 2016

Another vote for Toto. In 2010 I got a Toto UltraMax, 1.6 GPF - the UltraMax is similar to the Drake except it's one piece instead of two. With my prior low-flow toilet I had clogging problems all the time; since I got the Toto I haven't had a single problem.

I'm only 5'2" and I got the higher ADA-compliant seat, which is indeed easier on my knees; I'm happy with it.
posted by jeri at 8:53 PM on January 22, 2016

The best toilet is a compost toilet. What makes a compost toilet great is that it doesn't use any water, and provides "stable, soil-like humus, safe for application on trees and decorative plants." I don't know what the code in your state says about compost toilets, but they're legal in Oregon.
posted by aniola at 12:31 AM on January 23, 2016 [2 favorites]

Definitely state of the art technology.
posted by aniola at 12:37 AM on January 23, 2016

Like Jim_Jam, my house came with Caromas with push button dual flush. But weirdly, the downstairs one is easy to clean, with no ridges in it, but the upstairs one just will not get totally clean down in the hole at the bottom of the bowl because no toilet brush I've yet found can get inside its ridges. They work great and I'd recommend them, but definitely check and make sure you get the smooth-holed type.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 12:09 AM on January 24, 2016

I believe you want to read Professor Toilet and his reviews
posted by lalochezia at 7:05 AM on January 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

We have a Toto Ultramax -- I've liked it. We also have Kohler and American Standard; I don't really like those. All of them have clogged, but the Kohler and American Standard have clogged more often.

The Toto has really only been clogged by my kids, when they've tried to the whole potty trip on their own (way too much toilet paper). The bowl and the flush hole are elongated, though, which made plunging with a regular circular plunger more difficult.
posted by odin53 at 10:47 AM on January 25, 2016