My review of the Ultramax (w/CEFIONTECT - MS854114SG)
I bought a new house and the generic toilets they installed were terrible (you kept a plunger on call). After several months, I'd had enough and did some online research. I ended up buying 2 non-ADA, elongated, CEFIONTECT Ultramax toilets (MS854114SG) last summer based on the glowing reviews here (and after a local plumber's suggestion). My thoughts:
Pros: 1) They flush like champs! Between both toilets, I've had two clogs total, one of which was on the day I installed it, pushing the limits of what it could flush with some crazy food/beans/TP tests. (It does have a limit, and when it finally clogs the bowl fills in a HURRY, so watch out...
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
). Based on this point alone, these were a good buy. 2) Low water usage. It doesn't appear to use much water. 3) Fairly quiet flush and quick tank fill. From pushing the lever to the tank shutting off it is about 20-25 seconds (we have average water pressure here). Note on flushing noise levels: I have found that the drain in your floor makes a difference on how loud (and well) the toilet flushes, so saying this toilet will flush really quietly everywhere isn't 100% true to say. One toilet flushes really quietly (and notably has never clogged) while the other one flushes more like an average toilet (somewhat louder - clogged once). 4) Mostly easy to clean (see below for cleaning flaw under the lid base). 5) The install was fast and easy. It was a little heavy, but it's no heavier than a whole, regular toilet (the combined bowl and tank). It's nothing an average guy can't handle. (Note to all ceramic tile installers - be really careful how level your tile is where your toilet will be installed. If you don't, you may have to use door frame shims to level your toilet properly.) 6) Looks nice - they're sleek. When I opened the box, I thought, "Man - these are small!"
Cons: 1) Very expensive. 2) the tank's lid is smaller and slightly sloped towards the bowl. Don't plan on putting too much on the lid (i.e. magazines, larger toilet paper holders, etc.) - it won't stay on. 3) The bowl wash (especially in the back) is lacking. Residue will collect in the bowl and it will have to be cleaned more periodically than you'd hoped with the CEFIONTECT surface. In other words, don't buy the CEFIONTECT thinking you'll never have to clean your toilet again (as my wife had hoped
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
). 4) The soft close lid you sit on is a little different in shape. It's not as flat as you might be used to - you feel kind of feel like you need to be a smaller person to fit properly (I'm not huge - 6', 200 lbs). It took a while for me to get used to (admittedly, I don't think about it now). 5) The soft close lid does its job (you can't slam it easily), but it feels a little like cheap plastic. It's hard to quantify, but I guess I expected more. 6) Urine can collect between the soft close lid's and the bowl where the soft lid attaches to the bowl (the base). It is almost impossible to clean out w/o a spray bottle of some kind. A seat that has a gap between the seat base and the bowl would've been a better design for cleaning.
Bottom line: Despite a couple of flaws, the two Ultramaxes work great overall, and I'm glad that I bought them. They out-perform any other base-line toilet I've used, and I don't worry it'll clog when I flush. I'd give them a 8.5 out of 10. Don't let the length of the list of my Cons dissuade you - I'm being really picky in order to answer any questions I might have had when reading reviews. Also, you'll see that 3 of the 6 cons were related to the soft close lid, which was disappointing overall. Yes, it doesn't slam, so it does its job in that respect, but again I just expected something different/better/not-so-plasticky. (I can't speak for the Ultramax's "regular lid" for quality comparison).
If you put a better lid/seat combo on it and put a little more bowl wash in there and you'd just about have perfection.
Would I buy the CEFIONTECT coating next time? I'm not sure. With the so-so bowl flush the residue issue could be worse without the CEFIONTECT, but I don't think it was worth it because I see only a little difference between these Ultramaxes and my old toilets.