House Fire. So stressed. Pick a toilet for me please!

[s_mack]

Seriously, I'm driving myself and my wife nuts.

In a nutshell: Last July we lost 90% of our home to a fire. It took forever for the repair and rebuild to start, but now that its happening, it is happening FAST. And they want us to pick everything. Now.

I'm doing my best, but I'm getting frustrated with the lack of clear reviews on toilets.

Here's my issue: In our home that burned, which was built in 2005, we had toilets that clogged quite easily, but at least when they flushed, the bowl was well cleaned. In the rental house that we're in (that is at least about 10-12 years old) the toilets never clog, but holy crap (pun intended) you have to use a toilet brush EVERY SINGLE TIME you go #2. Disgusting.

At a bathroom fixture store, I discussed my concerns and she says there's a big problem since everything is 1.28Gpf, but some toilets do better than others. She recommended the Caroma Somerton, for which I can't find a single review. I found other Caroma reviews and people complain about the exact thing I'm trying to avoid - having &#$* stuck to the sides after every use!

I have a friend that recommended the Gerber Viper, but he based that only on that's what they have in their office and it seems to work well.

Other than that, I really have nothing to go by. Both the above toilets have a MAP rating of >1000 and carry the "MaP Premium" marking. But does that really mean anything?

I'm hoping someone can just tell me of a toilet that is 1.28G that flushes well and doesn't leave skid marks with every use.

I'm primary concerned with performance. Then looks. Then cost. I don't mind paying a premium if I can avoid a decade of anger after every dump.

Thank you.

 

[Terry]

I like the TOTO Drake II with the swirling rinse and the good bowl finish.
The Caroma bowls need cleaning. They never plug, but bowl wash just isn't their thing.

If you want to spend less, you can go with the A/S Cadet 3 or the Kohler Wellworth.

Map ratings don't mean much over 500 grams.
Though my starter toilets I like to sell are the TOTO Entrada which happens to have the 1000 rating too. I think sometimes it's just the day they are testing.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Rajan]

Seriously, I'm driving myself and my wife nuts.

In a nutshell: Last July we lost 90% of our home to a fire. It took forever for the repair and rebuild to start, but now that its happening, it is happening FAST. And they want us to pick everything. Now.

I'm doing my best, but I'm getting frustrated with the lack of clear reviews on toilets.

Here's my issue: In our home that burned, which was built in 2005, we had toilets that clogged quite easily, but at least when they flushed, the bowl was well cleaned. In the rental house that we're in (that is at least about 10-12 years old) the toilets never clog, but holy crap (pun intended) you have to use a toilet brush EVERY SINGLE TIME you go #2. Disgusting.

At a bathroom fixture store, I discussed my concerns and she says there's a big problem since everything is 1.28Gpf, but some toilets do better than others. She recommended the Caroma Somerton, for which I can't find a single review. I found other Caroma reviews and people complain about the exact thing I'm trying to avoid - having &#$* stuck to the sides after every use!

I have a friend that recommended the Gerber Viper, but he based that only on that's what they have in their office and it seems to work well.

Other than that, I really have nothing to go by. Both the above toilets have a MAP rating of >1000 and carry the "MaP Premium" marking. But does that really mean anything?

I'm hoping someone can just tell me of a toilet that is 1.28G that flushes well and doesn't leave skid marks with every use.

I'm primary concerned with performance. Then looks. Then cost. I don't mind paying a premium if I can avoid a decade of anger after every dump.

Thank you.

Get yourself an American Standard Cadet Pro and make sure you crank up the flapper setting to really make the most of your flush

 

[s_mack]

I appreciate the reply, thank you.

The Toto Drake II gets reasonably good reviews, although when I scan through the bad ones, it is exactly as I'm concerned about - crap sticking to the walls.

The A/S Cadet 3 is actually what the insurance company spec'd, so that would be easy and I wouldn't have to worry about paying any upgrade costs... but where I'm concerned is that the horrible toilets at this rental house are A/S. By picture, I identified them as A/S Flowise Dual Flush. Is there a reason to believe the Cadet is going to perform better? Is the Flowise a particularly bad one?

Although, I think I'm over-stressing. Unlike other fixtures, the toilet is a fairly easy change out if we hate them. On the other hand, I didn't like my old ones and I never bothered to change those out for 12 years lol.

 

[Jadnashua]

While it's tough to see from the spec sheet on the Cadet 3, what you can see is that it makes a fairly abrupt 90-degree bend at the end to dump the waste down the drain. Toto makes that turn much more gradually. For people that have a harder stool, bending around that last curve can slow things down.

The swirling (Toto calls it cyclone, or did) flush helps to minimize any skid marks as does their special super smooth glazing material. A lot of skid marks are the result of diet where more fiber and less fat can help quite a bit for both health and cleaning the toilet.

 

[s_mack]

Thanks. Regarding diet... keep in mind that this is an "all else equal". My diet hasn't change remarkably from one toilet to the next and I don't have this "problem" in any other toilet I use (work, etc). So while I appreciate that changing my diet may help somehow... that isn't the issue I'm trying to address.

I think I might just get one of each lol. We have three toilets, so maybe I'll go with a Drake II, the Caroma and the Cadet 3 and some day I can write up a comparison for the next poor soul going through this.

 

[Terry]

I sell and install all brands. I have TOTO in my own home.
Most bowl complaints about cleaning are from people that replaced bowls from the 60's that used seven gallons of water.
I had colon cancer and for 18 months used a colostomy bag. I know the bowls clean well on the II series TOTO. During those eighteen months, the TOTO was rocking it for me. There were some toilets that took five flushes. FIVE!
I'm not real impressed with American Standard.

 

[s_mack]

Yes, I imagine the complaints are relative to perspective. I've always had "low flow" but even that is relative) and I've never had a problem like this before this temporary housing. So I can see how people coming from the 7G toilets to 1G are going to be in for a shock... but a lot of the reviews aren't just random whining. They are describing what I'm experiencing here, which is significant thick deposits of poo left every time - no matter who's using it - and even multiple flushes does nothing. I swear its like the walls are made of poo glue. You literally have to use the brush after every single #2 use. I could chalk that up to maybe the owner destroyed the finish trying to clean off hard water deposits or something (maybe he scratched the crap out of it with steel wool) but then when I read very similar complaints about brand new toilets...

Anyway, I think I'll take your advice and stay away from American Standard. That's what is currently giving me extreme grief. I think my old ones that clogged frequently were A/S as well.

I don't really like the look of the Drake II. Are all TOTO going to perform similarly, or should I be going with that one specifically? I'd rather not have the giant colon look, but form before function so if that one is known to be a good performer, then good enough.

Thanks again for your assistance.

 

[WJcandee]

The II series are going to have similar bowl wash. The Drake II is a great toilet. Didn't you say that looks were the thing that were least important?

Terry, who took the time to give you a detailed response and share very personal details in order to help you, is our moderator and site owner and someone who has installed thousands of toilets. You can take what he tells you to the bank.

If you think you like the looks of the Ultramax II or any of the II series better, then go with that. We have a Carlyle II which is a lot like the Ultramax II, but with a skirt and the unifit adapter. Works great with great bowl wash.

Sorry about your house fire. Good luck.

 

[s_mack]

The II series are going to have similar bowl wash.

[...]

If you think you like the looks of the Ultramax II or any of the II series better, then go with that. We have a Carlyle II which is a lot like the Ultramax II, but with a skirt and the unifit adapter. Works great with great bowl wash.

Thank you!

The Drake II is a great toilet. Didn't you say that looks were the thing that were least important?

Absolutely. But "least important" isn't the same thing as "unimportant". That was the point of my follow-up question, to see if the recommendation was Drake-specific or if any TOTO would do. I think I explained that in my post though?

Terry, who took the time to give you a detailed response and share very personal details in order to help you, is our moderator and site owner and someone who has installed thousands of toilets. You can take what he tells you to the bank.

I got that sense, yes! And I sure hope it didn't sound like I was unappreciative or dismissive. It shouldn't:

I appreciate the reply, thank you. [...] I'll take your advice [...] Thanks again for your assistance.

Sorry about your house fire. Good luck.

Thank you

 

[WorthFlorida]

Sorry about the fire. Just three weeks ago the end unit townhome directly across from my home caught fire. Fortunately no one really hurt. I hope it was the same for you.

I just installed two Toto’s in the last year and they are quite good. Just note that Toto colors are a shade or two different than colors of Kohler, American Standard and others. My main bathroom the toilet is right next to a Bootz white tub. If you don’t say anything most will never notice but the wife might. Toto cotton white is a brighter white. Their Sedona Beige is a shade different than Bone of the other manufactures.

https://learn.supply.com/buyer-guides/choosing-toilets-finish-cotton-white-colonial-white/

 

[Jadnashua]

You should get similar results with any Toto II-series. As a generic thing, a 2-piece tends to have slightly better flushing than a 1-piece because the water ends up higher...gravity helps slightly. Most people won't notice the difference.

 

[s_mack]

Thanks! I've asked the contractor to go with the Drake II and I'll eat the extra cost. I'll take a look at the color again... I just told him "white" not really thinking about it.

Regarding the fire: Nobody was hurt. We were actually on vacation in Europe when it happened... for better or worse. I shutter to think what could have happened if we were home... but on the other hand, I can't help but to think I would have been able to do something to at least minimize the loss. It was 9 months ago now though, so I'm done with the mental/emotional turmoil.