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theutahn

Help with toilet decision please - Toto?

theutahn
9 years ago

Hoping some of the resident experts can help us out with a tough decision (at least for us).

We had a toilet crack the day before yesterday and I'm looking to replace it ASAP. But I'm a bit confused about selection, my local dealer is even more confused, and Toto is closed until Monday!

Basically we need a 10" rough in toilet. Replacing a builders grade 'western' brand toilet that has flooded half our house due to a crack in the tank. Our criteria is as follows:

-universal height may be too high - we are 5'8", 5'3", and have 2 very young children.
-we would prefer an elongated bowl
-we would prefer either a dual flush or lower GPF (1.28?). -skirting would be very nice when cleaning
-not very interested in some of the designs that need cleaning of the bowl after every flush.

The Aquia was appealing to us, and the price is right, but we have read multiple posts of people complaining of skid marks and constantly having to clean bowls.

I've read the Drake II has a great flush but it doesn't appear to be available with a 10" rough in according to Toto's website.

Eco Drake and Drake appear to be available with a 10" rough in, but both are ADA height only.

The Vespin II appears to be ideal, but again is only available with ADA height.

One note - the vespin, drake, and eco drake all are ADA height in 10" rough in, but the sites specs only show the height to the top of the seat, not rim of the toilet, so comparisons are a bit tough. And I'm basing all this information off of Totos website and what they say is available.

Lastly, the American Standard Cadet III fulfills most of the criteria except skirting, but seems to have some significant QC issues, particularly from the big box stores where it is available.

Any help or advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Comments (20)

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    I have the 1.2-gallon Drake. Not a fancy Drake with sani-gloss. Just the plain old Drake. Round bowl, not ADA height.

    The sweet spot is easy to hit without any conscious effort. If you hold the lever down when flushing, you get a big flush, a not so well-kept secret.

    I've had my Drake for almost 7 months and streaking hasn't been a problem at all.

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    I have two of the Toto Ultramaxes w/elongated bowl. I specifically chose this one because I wanted a one-piece toilet so that cleaning it would be easy. It has the quiet closing seat, which is nice. I also got with with the "sanagloss." Not sure if it comes with it or if you pay extra. I thought I paid extra. Not sure it's worth the cost. I was thrilled when I first got them and raved about the Sanagloss, but it seems like it "wore off" pretty quickly. (I use only Seventh Generation cleaner too, so nothing harsh like Lysol).

    I'm very happy with the toilet. It flushes very quickly and very quietly. Only thing I keep meaning to do but keep forgetting about is changing the plastic hardware that holds the seat on to stainless steel.

    I LOVE the one-piece toilet - how it looks, how easy it is to clean and know it's clean (nothing growing under the lip where the tank meets the bowl). I also do think the skirted toilets are very ugly, but that's just my opinion, of course.

    Ultramax w/elongated seat

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    Oops, just read that the Ultramax is a 12" rough-in.

    I also didn't get the ADA compliant.

  • azmom
    9 years ago

    We have three Toto Ultramax ADA Elongated One Piece Toilets with Sanagloss for more than one year. They are good looking, work great, and save water. Sanagloss makes it very easy to clean.

    The only drawback is now we are used to the ADA height at home, most public toilets feel pretty low/short.

  • Mags438
    9 years ago

    We picked up the aquia for a small PR. It has all the features I required. The aquia bowl marks are not bad enough, IMHO, to discount all the nice features you mentioned. Swish it at least once a week and all's good.

  • saeyedoc
    9 years ago

    Keep in mind many Toto toilets can be adapted for use with a 10" or 14" rough-in, check their website.

  • theutahn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    thank you for all the replies, much appreciated!

    have any used the cadet 3? ultimately it's between the toto Carlile II, Vespin II, Eco Drake, and Cadet 3. That's about all we've been able to find that fits our application with a 10" rough in and our requirements.

  • LE
    9 years ago

    We got a Carlyle II and a Aquia II, so both are skirted. Love that! Compared to the ones in our old house, they are practically self-cleaning. I think we did get the Sanagloss, at least on the Carlyle. Honestly, I clean them just because I figure it's time, not because they actually look like they need it.

  • jerzeegirl
    9 years ago

    I have the Toto Aquia with the 10" rough in and I like it very much. Any soil problems are very easy to clean with a quick swish and dunk of the toilet brush.

  • jerzeegirl
    9 years ago

    I have the Toto Aquia with the 10" rough in and I like it very much. Any soil problems are very easy to clean with a quick swish and dunk of the toilet brush.

  • razamatazzy
    9 years ago

    I have a total aquia and a cadet 3. The water spot on the cadet is much larger, and less prone to streaks.
    I like the looks of the aquia better, and the parts may last longer though.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    I bought the Toto Vespin ll with sani gloss and apron front because I didnâÂÂt want to clean side intestines. It came with a 12â rough-in but would take a ten inch rough-in so I ordered the adapter as an extra. We havenâÂÂt used it much yet as the bathroom is not done but it seems good.

  • theutahn
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all for the advice - we ended up with a Ultramax II in the small bathroom with a 10" rough in and a Vespin II in the most used bathroom. I'll try to update the thread when we have them installed and I know how they are flushing.

  • mdln
    9 years ago

    I cannot believe that I actually really like a toilet. Had this installed and have been VERY impressed with it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: gerber toilet

  • dimmerswitch
    9 years ago

    We are in the process of buying four toilets for a new home. I have used American Standard toilets in homes in the past and we have Kohler toilets. I have also used Totos. For function I find Kohler better than American Standard but Toto's a bit better than Kohler. I will be using a combination of Toto Vespin II (like Drake II but with skirted bowl) and Connelly in our home underway. My husband prefers two piece toilets which leads us to those and also the two pieces are less than the one pieces for budget purposes.

    The Sanagloss protection is standard with many Totos and if not with the one you might want most offer it as upgrade. It will help keep the toilet clean.

    Also re the references to "ADA Toilet" here, that designation on Toto simply means Universal Height. The same height American Standard and Kohler call "Comfort Height" and "Right Height" (or vice versa). It is a more comfortable height for almost everyone to get up and down from than the lower older height toilets. While the ADA requires that height of toilet to meet Federal standards, the ADA does not apply in home use. So it is simply a designation to let folks who may be concerned about fit with the ADA that it does.

    The only folks who might not find "Right Height", "Comfort Height", "Universal Height" toilets a good fit are people under 5'3" or so.

  • dahoov2
    9 years ago

    I accidentally stumbled upon this thread. Wasn't thinking about toilets yet and really thought a toilet was a toilet. I made the mistake of buying a low flush "pretty" toilet but it's a bear to keep clean. Also, I cannot STAND those little plastic caps at the bottom where the screws bolt into the floor. I wish I'd of seen this thread before. I didn't even know what a "Skirted" toilet was till right now!

    So seeing as they are building me a new bathroom and it'll be an addition and not something adapted, I guess I can get a skirted toilet. I like the idea of dual flush too. I never even heard about "sanigloss" till today as well. So I found this toilet. What ya think?

    Toto MS964214CFG Soirée Toilet, 1.6 GPF ADA with SanaGloss

    http://www.plumbersurplus.com/Prod/TOTO-MS964214CFG-01C-Soiree-One-Piece-Toilet-1-6-GPF-SanaGloss-Cotton/55061/Cat/761

    So I guess It has the soft close lid, the little plastic thing and pipes don't show, easier to clean and looks pretty traditional which is what I got going on everywhere else so let it continue... I was gonna match my other toilet but think this would be worth the money. Height we disagree on. I'm only 4'11' but like the high toilets.. hubby does NOT and he's 5'10". It's bizarre!

    Anything else to look for? What exactly is sanigloss anyway? Someone above said it wore off? What causes that? Is it using harsh brushes?

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    9 years ago

    I have the Soiree and am very pleased with it. You will get used to the height and then wonder why you never had it before...especially as you get older and your knees don't bend the way they used to.

    The Sanigloss, I think, is just a much smoother porcelain surface, so that it is easier to clean. The more porous a surface is will make it likely to retain particles such as mineral deposits and well, other deposits. Those streaks are more likely to happen when so little water is used to flush. Sit far back over the most amount of water to poop to avoid that.

    Even with regular old porcelain, never use abrasives.

    These ain't your mother's 6 gal toilets that never left skid marks.

    -Babka

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    9 years ago

    Duplicate

    This post was edited by Babka on Sat, Dec 20, 14 at 1:54

  • herring_maven
    9 years ago

    dahoov2: "So seeing as they are building me a new bathroom and it'll be an addition and not something adapted, I guess I can get a skirted toilet. I like the idea of dual flush too. I never even heard about "sanigloss" till today as well.

    "Anything else to look for?"

    If you are building a bathroom from scratch, definitely -- I cannot emphasize this strongly enough -- make sure that it has a grounded electrical outlet within a foot or two of the toilet at baseboard level. WHEN (it is not a matter of "if") you find that you can no longer live without an advanced toilet seat (also known as a bidet seat or Washlet -- but Washlet is a trademark of Toto so other makers cannot use that word to designate their product), your cost of installation will be significantly reduced if the electrical outlet is readily available. In the meantime, you can have one of the electrical outlets with built-in sensor night-lights installed, which will enhance nighttime visits to the loo.

    The inevitability that you will be getting an advanced toilet seat also may influence your choice of toilet itself. Almost all Japanese advanced toilet seats will fit right on almost all Japanese toilets (savvy standardization of dimensions), but you'll have a hard time fitting an advanced toilet seat on a square-front Duravit, for instance. https://www.houzz.com/products/duravit-vero-1-piece-toilet-alpine-white-2103010005-prvw-vr~15698952-Vero-1-Piece-Toilet-Alpine-White-2103010005-contemporary-toilets

    Everyone who has been exposed to the use of advanced toilet seats for more than a few days (many for much shorter periods of time) completely falls in love with the concept. Once you have yours, you will find yourself disquieted when you travel and visit most American hotels and have to do without the amenity. But you can always travel to Japan, where approximately 100 percent of hotel rooms and better than 70 percent of private residences (nearly 100 percent of newly constructed private residences) have advanced toilet seats on every toilet. There are probably more advanced toilet seats in use in Japan now than TV remote controls, and the remarkable thing is that the product category is only about three decades old.

    We have a Toto Vespin II with an Inax Clessence advanced toilet seat; we chose those two units after much research, and because we travel at least twice a year to Japan (many relatives), and could ask real people real questions about their real opinions. We have recommended the same combination to several friends in America, who have followed our recommendation, and have been delighted with the outcome.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Inax Clessence