Need help with Toto vs Hansgrohe Shower fixtures

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mary98765

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We gutted our house and are putting in a new master bath with a separate shower (will include a steam shower) and tub. I really like Toto lav faucet and want to keep the same style for tub and shower, but I can find very little information for reviews, recommendations or feedback on Toto shower valves or heads. There seems to be a general consensus from what I have researched thus far that Hansgrohe makes a very reliable and solid thermostatic valve but we don't like the lav faucet style as much. Does the radio silence indicate that these product types are not a strong suit for Toto?

Does anyone have experience with Toto shower valves who could provide advice or feedback? I know Toto makes great toilets, but is the quality and reliability as good for showers valves, trim and faucets?

thanks!
 

Jadnashua

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Toto does not advertise a lot, so even though it may be available if you look, not that many people are actually aware of it in the USA. They are more known for their toilets. Toto generally is not a stocked product at any of the big box stores, so that also limits their exposure. As a result, it tends to be more known to designers and higher-end contractors than the general DIY'er market. This also means fewer people that would tend to post to describe issues. I've not personally dealt with any Toto plumbing fixtures other than toilets in my home, but in traveling through airports around the country, I'm seeing more and more Toto valves show up there. Those people are more into reliability than style...IMHO, they wouldn't be installing them if they thought they didn't work or wouldn't be reliable. Toto has been making them for a long time, but have been slow to introduce them to the USA market.
 

Ben in IL

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If anecdotal evidence helps any, we installed a Toto tub/shower valve set about 6 years ago. Our plumber hadn't installed any before, but liked the quality and construction of it. We've had no problems at all with it operationally, and it gets quite a bit of use from our kids.
 

DougB

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Jadnashua

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Personally, I have mostly Grohe fixtures (note, this is not the same company as Hansgrohe). So far, they've been pretty much problem free for me. One thing to consider is that with the California and follow-on adoption nationally of the lead-free requirements, you'll find fewer and fewer solid brass fixtures as that's harder to make and costs more to meet that (relatively) new requirement, so comparing something from even a few years ago to what's available today may be hard. Given what I've seen from Toto in other areas, I'd have no problem installing one of those if I liked the style better than the others available. Because it is a little less well known, getting a repair part later on may be more time consuming than say something like a Delta, where you can find parts almost anywhere because of their volume. This could be a problem on a weekend, but things don't generally break...they slowly degrade, so you do have time to order a part (and often, they are free from the manufacturer).

Keep the installation instructions with model number, and parts list for future parts selection and repair help. This is a good idea for any device, but probably more important on something like this. It's critical on something like Kohler since they change their designs so often, it's really hard to determine what part(s) may be needed.
 

mary98765

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If anecdotal evidence helps any, we installed a Toto tub/shower valve set about 6 years ago. Our plumber hadn't installed any before, but liked the quality and construction of it. We've had no problems at all with it operationally, and it gets quite a bit of use from our kids.
Thanks that is good to hear! I really like the quality of the faucets and trim...hopefully we will have the same experience as you.
 

mary98765

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Personally, I have mostly Grohe fixtures (note, this is not the same company as Hansgrohe). So far, they've been pretty much problem free for me. One thing to consider is that with the California and follow-on adoption nationally of the lead-free requirements, you'll find fewer and fewer solid brass fixtures as that's harder to make and costs more to meet that (relatively) new requirement, so comparing something from even a few years ago to what's available today may be hard. Given what I've seen from Toto in other areas, I'd have no problem installing one of those if I liked the style better than the others available. Because it is a little less well known, getting a repair part later on may be more time consuming than say something like a Delta, where you can find parts almost anywhere because of their volume. This could be a problem on a weekend, but things don't generally break...they slowly degrade, so you do have time to order a part (and often, they are free from the manufacturer).

Keep the installation instructions with model number, and parts list for future parts selection and repair help. This is a good idea for any device, but probably more important on something like this. It's critical on something like Kohler since they change their designs so often, it's really hard to determine what part(s) may be needed.
That is really good (and important) advice - I would not have thought to keep installation instructions - thank you! Hopefully it won't be an issue, at least for a really long time:)
 
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