I'm wondering if you can find a show room in your area where you can try the Toto washlet for yourself. I live in the San Francisco Bay area and there is a place called Tubz in Fremont, CA where they had the Toto Neorest in the men's bathroom and the S300 washlet in the women's bathroom. Of course, the Neorest is way out there in terms of price.

I think of a bidet and a washlet as being very different. The washlet seats are cheap in comparison to a bidet fixture. I think of them are two very different appliances. Most people don't have the extra room for a bidet, so they pretty need to go with a washlet if they want the sanitary features. Of course, a traditional bidet won't have a dryer incorporated into the seat. You'll need to decide what is more important to you.

Thanks for your thoughts, Karena. Strangely, the washlet seat is not "cheap" compared to the bidet fixture. They are about the same price...at least the ones I've seen. I like the convenience of "all in one" place, but I think comfort is the most important factor (although the dryer function would be very nice). Just curious if anyone finds the Toto washlet seat comfortable. The Kohler version was anything but.

Oh, I know. I was surprised to find out that the S300 washlet is in the $700-800 range. I haven't priced out bidets, so I don't know how they compare. I didn't find the Toto seat to be uncomfortable, but it's not like sitting on a regular wooden toilet seat.

Will you be buying a Toto toilet to go with the washlet? Bear in mind that not all toilet models (literally 100s of them) will work with the Toto washlet.

Yes, we are getting the Toto Drake elongated toilet. I liked a toto bidet in a similar design. I just learned the drains were put in yesterday and it's set up for a separate bidet. I guess that answers the question. Thanks for your input!

I gave the washlet a lot of thought a while back. There is a discussion thread on it in this forum if you want to do a search. One of the posts included a picture of an installed Toto washlet. I was almost ready to buy one but ultimately decided against it. What made me change my mind was the look of the plumbing that comes out to the side. My toilet is open to the bathroom on both sides so it would be very visible. If the toilet had been next to a cabinet or the wall, it may have been less of an issue for me. Toto didn't show that plumbing on their website at the time. Maybe they do now.

I love my bidet, I have one in the house I live in now and we are putting one into the new house also. I dont know about washlets, but I know there was a thread about them sometime back. It might have been on the house building forum.

I found one you might be interested in.

Here is a link that might be useful: washlets and bidets

We just came back from a vacation in Japan. Every toilet I used on the trip was equipped with a washlet, whether in a hotel, restaurant, department store, or elsewhere, and I absolutely love it. DH loves it too so we are thinking of installing it. The sanitary function is impressive and the deodorizing is amazing. The seat feels very comfortable to us, and the wall mount control definitely has a better appeal. We wandered into an appliance section in the famous "Electric City" and were amazed at the number of brands and models available. The prices I see on Amazon are about twice the prices we saw in Tokyo. Hey, IâÂÂd love to go there again and bring back a couple! :)

I love my bidet! I find it useful for many things other than hygiene. It is great for pedicures or soaking clothes! Mine is a horizontal spray. I have the one hole bidet from kohler and had a hard time with the faucet(I wanted ORB and kohler did not make that for a one hole bidet. Had to go with a no name brand for the finish I wanted. Make sure you check that the faucet works with the bidet you chose prior to install.
{{gwi:1489417}}

Hey cookinmama. Any luck on the bidet? Maybe we can help?

Here is a link that might be useful: Bidets

Sanicare, I'll let you know. Just ordered a BB1000 last week. If it ever shows...

Oh, and no more spamming.

I thought a Toto washlet sounded wonderful and I was all set to get one for my powder room even though they are ugly with the cord coming out the side, but then I stumbled on one at a bathroom showroom and tried it out. I didn't like it at all! The water didn't squirt the right place unless I sat on the seat in a way that was not comfortable for me (and I couldn't easily figure out how to adjust it, so guests would have the same problem), but the thing I really didn't like was how long the drying feature took (and I still didn't feel completely dry). There are other places I'd rather be than sitting on a toilet.

The idea of moving between the toilet and bidet sounds really awkward too (and I could never wash clothes in the same place I wash my privates!)

I don't like the tree-killing aspects of toilet paper, but for me, it's the best option in terms of efficient functionality. And for those times when you don't feel like TP is enough, there's always the handheld shower.

jillalameda: "I don't like the tree-killing aspects of toilet paper, but for me, it's the best option in terms of efficient functionality."

As others have pointed out, if you spend all day in your garden, on a hot day, and you come in sweaty and dirty, do you wipe yourself down with a paper towel? No. You jump into a wet shower. The same considerations enter into the cleanliness aspects of the waste elimination process. Between toilet paper and a wet wash, there is no contest at all.

If the Toto Washlet (Washlet is a registered trademark of Toto) does not work for you, try another brand of advanced toilet seat. There are differences. For instance, Toto uses a single water wand for all functions while other makers (such as Inax, which in Japan is the Avis to Toto's Hertz) use two differently deployed wands to squirt the cleansing water.

I vote for both. I have both and would not trade for the world....
etc.
I could care less what others say or think or what they (fixtures) look like. I have seen people giggle when they see one. I tell them they do not know what they are missing...
mine are right next to each other washlet and bidet that is even in rather small bathroom...
When using the washlets so hardly use any tp
Of course these are in our bath not the guest bath.....
and the heated seats are divine esp when its cold and as we age. We keep the furnace turned down.... Plus I am thin and disposed to feeling cold easily... LOL
I bought mine on fantastic clearances or sale. Have both the Toto and the Brondell models
My priorities lie in comfort not bangles, jewlery, new cars etc and vacations and eating out
just my humble two cents worth esp to the younger set...
Thanks
Jean

I think the TOTO products are nice, be it washlet or bidet, whereas I think the bidet might be smaller and provides more space in your bathroom, so I would go for that. The washlet however, might be more comfi. So it's really up to you if you prefer more room or more comfort. The bidets looks good:

http://gb.toto.com/products/productlist/Product/indexByCategory/category/Bidets/

Here is a link that might be useful: washelt

I found a better and a cheaper solution by using a bidet attachment from ProperWash.com. These guys are also located in Fremont, CA. I looked them up, gave them a call and placed an order for the hot and warm water bidet attachment for my two piece toilet. I don't need to install a separate unit of bidet and it's much cheaper. It works great and I love the product.

Here is a link that might be useful: bidet attachment

This post was edited by super9xman on Mon, Nov 4, 13 at 17:16

When we bought our home in 1976, the master bath had a bidet and toilet. We had no clue how to use the bidet. It had no seat and "hovering" wasn't an option. It looked like a urinal to me. (being from the Midwest). I stuck a fern in it. A couple years later we remodeled and eliminated the bidet.

This last Fall, we traveled for 3 weeks thru SE Asia, and in almost every hotel bathroom was a Toto toilet with a washlet. You just turned the little knob on the side and the water would come on (pressure to be determined by how much you opened the valve). After you "evacuated" a little thingie came out and sprayed "those parts" until you turned it off. You could reposition your bottom (lean forward) to wash other parts too!

I fell in LOVE! Having had travelers diarrhea and wiping a sore bottom was not a good thing, but blotting was. No special piping, just a splitter off the water inlet to the toilet.

Got home and looked up Washlets, and realized that in the tropics, the cold water is always room temp...HOWEVER the water in the states in Winter can get pretty cold, so that is why the washlets need so many more controls to determine the temp of the water spraying on those private parts.

I still don't get how a bidet works. Do you have to do your "business" over the toilet then move over to the separate toilet? Do Americans take more showers than Europeans so "cleaning" those girly parts daily happens in the shower rather than over the bidet.

I hope no-one thinks I'm being crude here...just very curious. If you have both a toilet and a separate bidet fixture, how do you use them??????

-Babka

cookinmama: ". . . decide to go with a TOTO toilet. Now I'm trying to decide between the washlet seat and a separate bidet. We have room to do either."

Our family is mostly (native, live-in-Japan) Japanese, and we visit Japan twice a year. Please realize that your decision is not binary, Toto Washlet vs. bidet. If you lived in Japan, the first decision would be Toto Washlet vs. an Inax advanced toilet seat, and only after that would you consider the bidet option. Inax created the category, and many (most?) knowledgeable Japanese think that Toto has always been one step behind Toto in the development of the product.

We live in the United States, and -- armed with this knowledge -- for our own use, we bought a Toto toilet (Vespin II) and an Inax advanced toilet seat (Clessence). We are happy with our purchase, and we think that we made the right decision. INAX is committed to the two wand (one for posterior, one for feminine) configuration; Toto favors a single-wand solution. The Inax configuration allows the angle of incidence of the spray to be optimized for the different functions.

Happily, at real retailers (as opposed to MSRP), you are likely to find a better price for an Inax than you are for a Toto advanced toilet seat.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Inax Clessence

This post was edited by herring_maven on Wed, Oct 23, 13 at 21:13

Think you meant Inax is commited to two wands not Toto. If I recall correctly UCI makes them both ways.

lee676: "Think you meant Inax is commited to two wands not Toto."

You are right; my mistake. I have edited my comment (which could leave future readers wondering what you were commenting on: I apologize). Thank you for catching my error.

We really wanted a high end bidet toilet but in the interim I have been REALLY happy with this bidet attachment from JP Bathroom Master

We got a top of the line Toto washlet in our main bathroom. I had my contractor install a thermostatic valve and a simple hose sprayer in the half bath. Guess which one works better?

If you are plagued with digestive problems, you may like the far cheaper hose sprayer. If you like a warm wash for your tender parts, small wall-mounted thermostatic mixers are available online. It may help to search for the word "shattaf," which may be the Arabic word for these hose sprayers. If you don't mind the water supply temperature, then a simple valve between the toilet supply line and tank will do the trick. I turn my valve off after each use.

Now, all I need is a bum dryer. I actually use MORE TP than before, drying off. But I am clean and comfortable.

Use dedicated hand towels and change often... I still prefer a real bidet but H

ubby said its too hard to install in this small house with water in line so close to the small crawlspace wall and 2 whole house water filters. and toilet a main drain Allin like 4 ft space .... boo hoo just a saying

ah to use a hose etc better have a good tile floor... in my humble opinion

I picked up a bidet from barumi usa and it was probably the best investment I have made. I think I might try the Toto once this one wears out or I might just install an all in one.

I had the Toto Washlett S300 installed about ten years ago and love it. A couple of sheets of TP for the basic "clean-up," and then the spray for thorough cleaning. Go to the "dryer" for 10-15 seconds and then blot any remaining water. Doesn't get much better than that. Oh, and this is on a Gerber "Avalanche" toilet...

I have the Toto Washlet S550E with the "modern" seat and it is one of the best parts of my remodel. I practically cleans itself because of the E-water

I wouldn't really want a stand alone bidet because I would find it a bit inconvenient to have to move over to another bathroom fixture. I think these might be throwbacks to an era when people didn't shower or bathe as frequently and so this kind of targeted hygiene was used.