Which Slow Close Seat for Drake II (Toto vs. Bemis) ?

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Beski

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Hi, my First Post - Thanks to everbody for all of the Great Info here !!

Our local Toto dealer sells Bemis Seats with ALL of their Toto Toilets so about 7 years ago we got the Drake I Toilet and a slow close Bemis Seat.

We have just moved (same town - same dealer) and are looking to install new Drake II's and realized that same dealer still only stocks the Bemis Seat (now with "Easy Clean Hinges").

Since our orginal Seats were Bemis, we have never seen the Toto seats in person. I would think the best Seat for a Toto Toilet is a Toto Seat so should we try a different dealer and insist on a Toto Seat, or is the Bemis Seat just as good or better ?

Thanks,
Beski

bemis-color-match-white.jpg
 
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Jadnashua

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Do you like Ford or are you a Chevy man? It's sort of that choice. Some like the Bemis, some like the Toto. The Toto seat will match the color closer, but since the seat is not porcelain, it will always be slightly different. Also, the Toto will match the rim shape probably better than a generic (the Toto will be pretty much even with the porcelain with no overlap). The Bemis comes off easily so you can to a thorough cleaning, the Toto does not. As to longevity, I can't say. Some love their respective ones. Most of the Toto seats have a moderately deep 'cup' shape to place your butt where it needs to be. I don't know the shape of the Bemis which may be flatter. Some people like to perch near the front, some like to sit back. The Toto will only be comfortable if you sit back (and they do that so your waste product hits the water spot more readily). If you liked the Bemis, you can probably expect similar asthetics with a new one. Is there another dealer in town that stocks these? You may be able to check one out to determine the differences. It's hard to do with a picture or words...it's best if you can actually sit on one.

The Toto seat has a curved top cover, and really isn't well designed to sit on, although it won't hurt it. It's designed and meant to be a cover, not a seat. Not sure how the Bemis stacks up on that front. They aren't hugely expensive, but you probably don't want to buy one, then hate it, and have to buy another. Good luck. I'm sure you'll get some other comments.
 

Beski

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Do you like Ford or are you a Chevy man? It's sort of that choice. Some like the Bemis, some like the Toto.

Jim,

Thanks for the fast reply in case we go shopping this weekend !! As to your quote above, I wasn't sure if it was that kind of choice or if the Bemis seat was at the same quality to the Toto seat.

I kinda thought somebody would say "Are You Nuts, Why Would You Put a Bemis Seat on a Toto Toilet" !! (or compare a Ferrari or Porsche to a Kia !) No offense to the Kia owners out there !

So I guess other Toto owners use a Bemis seat ?

We will try to drive to a different dealer to compare !!
 
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WJcandee

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We have the Bemis/Mayfair seats on all our toilets except the Carlyle II, which came with a Toto seat. So both of our Drakes have the Mayfair wood soft-close seat with easy-clean hinges. We had bought one of these seats about a year ago, liked it, and within two weeks had replaced all six seats in the house with it. When we bought the Drakes, we just just moved the basically-new Mayfair seats to them, and when we bought the Carlyle II, we put one Mayfair seat in storage because the Carlyle II came with a seat. I have to say I like the easy-clean hinges, and the mounting system where you firmly mount the plastic bolt and then "clip" the seat to it. Results in less sliding and retightening, and makes it really easy to clean those spots that don't usually get cleaned. We all seem to like the firm wood seat, although we also like the plastic seat on the Carlyle II. The plastic seat is spongier and less rigid than the wood one.

The Toto seat is as Jim describes, which is nice. If you want to see/touch/feel/sit-in a Toto seat, perhaps it would be worth typing your zip in at the Toto web site (www.totousa.com) and seeing if there is someone else local who is a Toto dealer who has those seats so you can inspect them. Also, regardless of whether your dealer sells "only" Bemis seats, the Toto one-pieces come with a seat automatically, so he HAS to have some Toto seats, even if they are already "assigned" to a toilet. If he has a display of a one-piece, it should have a Toto seat on it,because it came with one.

Also, if it's an issue of ordering a Toto seat because that's what you want, you can figure out the recommended Toto seat for your toilet at the Toto web site. Just tell the Bemis-lover that you don't want a seat.

To answer Jim's question, the Mayfair cover is firm and great to sit on. I did most of my work on our various toilets while sitting on it.
 
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Terry

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Bemis White doesn't match either the Cotton White or the Colonial White.
If someone opts for a nice seat, we sell the TOTO.
If they want to save a buck, and it doesn't matter how it fits the bowl, or if the color matches to the porcelain, then they buy either Church or Bemis.
 

WJcandee

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If they want to save a buck, and it doesn't matter how it fits the bowl, or if the color matches to the porcelain, then they buy either Church or Bemis.

Ouch. Pretty sure we can afford any seat we want. Lemme check....mmmmmm....yep. We can.

We just swapped the seats onto the new toilets because we liked the seats we had. Maybe the color differential isn't as obvious in the soft light in our bathrooms.

Once again..."Ouch."



["Why should I listen to you anyway? You're a virgin who can't drive."
"That was way harsh, Tai."] (Clueless, 1995)
 
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Terry

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We pulled out a Sedona Beige Supreme with a Bone seat today. They didn't realize they were different colors until we pulled it out of the nook it had been in and into the larger portion of the bathroom.
We installed a new TOTO Neorest in Colonial White that matched up the window and the door molding pretty nicely.

neorest_600_colonial.jpg

This Neorest 600 was Colonial White, but you sure can't tell from this picture.
 
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JCturboT

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I have three soft close seats, two Toto seats on both of my Drakes and one Westport on my Gerber.

I much prefer the Westport (same company as Church and Bemis) because of the Easy-Clean hinges. I have a Daycare in my Home and most of the young boys have yet to "master" their technique and the Westport makes clean-up super easy and like others have stated the seat is rock solid.

Jeff
 

Jadnashua

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FWIW, a friend replaced the seat on a Kohler with a Bemis soft-close. It came up one time when we were talking and when mentioning soft-close, his wife said 'WHAT? I've been pushing it down for months!' Make sure people know it DOESN'T slam down...just let gravity do its thing! The same thing happens sometimes with my Toto seats and guests.
 
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