Premium Toilet vs Standard?

[RickFlorida]

I'm about to decide on which toilet to buy for my bathroom remodel. I hear a lot of great things about Toto Drake II. But is it really worth the extra money over a decent Kholer toilet? Of note is that I'm 6 feet and 2 inches so I will definitely be buying a tall toilet and will definitely be at least 1.6 gpf. But a specific question I have is when you purchase a more premium toilet like a Toto, do they really have higher quality fill valve parts in the top end of the toilet or do Toto's have the same parts on the top end as a Kholer so you are just paying for a better design of the bottom part of the toilet?

I believe 10 years ago all Toto's were made in Japan so they were definitely worth the money. But Toto's are now made here so what is the difference over a Kholer? The german brands Grohe seem to have had the same issue. Years ago all the Grohe valves and trims were made in Germany but now only a certain premium line of Grohe trim has the parts made in Germany. The quality control of Japan is superior to other countries because they practice something called "kaizen" and they studied (ironically) and American quality control guru named Edwards Deming. (Who all the American executives hated and never listened to because they were afraid quality means less profits).

I also just discovered there are "one piece construction" so they are easier to clean. I'm open to any quality brand or recommendation.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Pro tip.

Buy this.....
http://vortens.com/products/toilets/16-gpf-60-lpf/3123-3494/
Then install one of these in place of the factory flapper. Adjust it to use the most water possible.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Korky-Kork...y1hxJ2bo0t-ec6aH5XMaAhpwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
They flush great. The tank lever is cheap......the tank to bowl bolts are cheap. I’ve Never had a complaint on the flush, never. I’ve installled over 100 of them.

 

[RickFlorida]

Pro tip.

Buy this.....
http://vortens.com/products/toilets/16-gpf-60-lpf/3123-3494/
Then install one of these in place of the factory flapper. Adjust it to use the most water possible.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Korky-Kork...y1hxJ2bo0t-ec6aH5XMaAhpwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks!
That pro tip that will "beef up" my upper toilet parts is great! I love quality and things that last so this is a great idea and I live near a Lowes.
I always trust your judgement. You have been right about everything. I like what I see on that so far. Any chance they make a "one piece construction" But hey, don't fix what is not broken so if 2 piece is more reliable and easy to fix..... I'll stick with oldschool.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Thanks!

I always trust your judgement. You have been right about everything.

I wouldn’t say I’ve been right about everything. Everyone makes mistakes.

I pay less than $160 for the tank and bowl ADA height.

I don’t care for one piece toilets. They usually have proprietary parts.

The vorten I listed has common everyday standard parts with the exception of the 3” flappper but that’s pretty common in today’s toilets.

stay away from canister designs that take “ flush gaskets “

 

[Geofd]

One peice are alot heavier to move around, lots of toilets are going to 1.28 gpf .....the more water the better, not less

 

[pakle]

Fascinating, never heard of this brand Vortens. Looked up the Wholesale Locator on their website and there's only one plumbing supply company here (not a big box store). Their website doesn't give pricing but if it's under $200 and takes generic guts like Fluidmaster, I'll consider it for my next set of toilets. I have the AS Cadet3 from Homedepot and have been mostly happy with it. The AS warranty is great (replaced a cracked tank for free). The Fluidmaster flappers on them have a known problem where the silicone seals get water blisters inside and they leak after a few years. I sent them pictures, they responded in 10 minutes and mailed out replacement seals 2 day FEDEX - Fluidmaster customer service is truly outstanding. It's very easy to take out the flapper on this toilet, and one of these days I'll try to learn to take out the seal without taking off the flapper.

 

[Twowaxhack]

It comes with a fluidmaster ballcock.

I’ve sold a lot of them and everyone loves the flush.

 

[GReynolds929]

Gerber Viper, and Avalanche Elite are excellent toilets for the money as well. You can also check ratings at map-testing.com

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Pro tip.

Buy this.....
http://vortens.com/products/toilets/16-gpf-60-lpf/3123-3494/

Thanks for the recommendation and the upgrade suggestion for the toilet's internals. The specs say it will handle 800 grams* solid flushing capacity which may not be enough!
[/QUOTE]

 

[pakle]

Thanks for the recommendation and the upgrade suggestion for the toilet's internals. The specs say it will handle 800 grams* solid flushing capacity which may not be enough!

My AS Cadet3 from Homedepot has MAP score of 1000 and flushes fine for everyone except the one family member who refuses to intake more fiber in their diet and clogs it once a month. I cannot bring myself to upgrade just one toilet for a family member (who is moving out in a couple yrs, god-willing) due to bad lifestyle choice and then all the toilets won't match... Also very important to me is being able to replace the guts myself easily (as a very clumsy DIYer) with generic parts like Fluidmaster which has a great warranty. I can't imagine having to call a pro for every flapper or fill valve change, and Fluidmaster stuff is priced reasonably & easy to obtain compared to more proprietary parts. And AS has a good warranty and they stand behind it...

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Thanks Pakle and agree with the fiber recommendations. Every replacement toilet should come with a full-sized container of Benefiber.

 

[pakle]

Thanks Pakle and agree with the fiber recommendations. Every replacement toilet should come with a full-sized container of Benefiber.

Yeah and I surmise this family member hit the J-bend under the sink with the plunger trying to clumsily maneuver it in there and caused it to slowly leak. Luckily no damage to the cabinet before I caught it but I have since removed *everything* from under every single sink cabinet, even toilet paper, so that it's easier to check for leaks. The plunger still has to go in one of them but overall I think it was a good de-cluttering thing to do (kitchen sink was the hardest), and the leaky J-bend was the last straw.

 

[SHEPLMBR]

Pro tip.

Buy this.....
http://vortens.com/products/toilets/16-gpf-60-lpf/3123-3494/
Then install one of these in place of the factory flapper. Adjust it to use the most water possible.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Korky-Kork...y1hxJ2bo0t-ec6aH5XMaAhpwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
They flush great. The tank lever is cheap......the tank to bowl bolts are cheap. I’ve Never had a complaint on the flush, never. I’ve installled over 100 of them.

I sell a lot of these. However we have been having a supply issue from the manufacturer. Seems trucks are held up at the border. Or at least that is what they are telling us. If you can find some, congrats. We have over 1500 tanks on order. Some since July.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

I sell a lot of these. However we have been having a supply issue from the manufacturer. Seems trucks are held up at the border. Or at least that is what they are telling us. If you can find some, congrats. We have over 1500 tanks on order. Some since July.

Border? Supply chain or other issues?

 

[SHEPLMBR]

Border? Supply chain or other issues?

SUPPLY CHAIN. They are held up at customs.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Border? Supply chain or other issues?

They’re made in Mexico. I believe their distributor is in Texas.

 

[pakle]

Not surprising. I had an order for swim gear delayed by a couple months because the distributer was in Dalles and they said the delay was for imports.