I am a firm believer in TOTO toilets and highly recommend the brand.

I must assume that you have no space concerns in respect to the toilet and that the style of the toilet is not relevant.

I do not know if plumbing manufacturers make toilets specifically for Big Box Stores or Internet-based companies (e. g., Home Depot, Amazon). some manufacturers do make products for specific companies. also, I know that some manufacturers honor warranties differently depending on where one purchases their product (very odd).


for more information about toilets, I highly recommend visiting Terry Love's Website for any concerns that you may have regarding toilets.

http://www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm

My best friend built a home along side me in a different state. She cut corners on toilets and spent the money on crown moulding. I went the opposite... I bought Toto toilets and skipped the trim. It didn't take long - like when she flushed- to regret her choices.

Go to a bath store and ask questions and make notes. I find people in these stores to be more knowledgable about product. Now that that information and ask questions at the big box stores and compare. I would stick with some known brands - highly recommend Kohler mid range priced toilets as I have been very satisfied. I did purchase one at big box for about $125 for a bathroom with little traffic to find I wasted money. I found great products in the $250 -$350 range from Kohler. Check out Kohler Cimarron $248 comfort height, Memoirs $299 Archer $272 and available at Home Depot, Lowes, Build.com. When you go to bath stores you will see those which are special order at big box stores and find them in various colors as white is standard for big box stores. Good luck - I'm remodeling a bathroom and selected the Archer 1.28 gpf comfort height. Just need to add soft close seat.

we did the kohler 2 piece "persuade". they've been in a year in our vacation house and i gotta say they stay CLEAN, generally we have a ring by the next weekend and these have not done that at all, another random toilet added at the same time does.

the dual flush thing has worked perfectly every time. i really need to have one installed in our most used bathroom here at home.

the downside is that they cannot tolerate baseboard behind them, they are built all the way to the wall. good for if you have tile to the floor.

given the low flow toilet mandate, I would look at power flush options. I have "flush mates" added to some cheaper Kohler toilets in a rental property and they make a big difference in flushing with less water. they sound like exploding bombs when they are flushed. ha!

I have been pretty happy with the low end to mid range TOTO products. they do need more than one flush sometimes as do many toilets that are low float.

in my home, I have smart toilets that adjust the amount of water used based on what is done. I think they are a great investment, but they are not for the budget conscious. in my home, toilet size was very important given space limitations. for me, the acid test is sitting on the toilet to make sure that it is comfortable.

I definitely would avoid unknown branded toilets.

I will ditto what Kelly just said. We have a Kohler Highline pressure Lite with a flush mate bladder in the tank and it is quite a loud but powerful flush. It uses very little water. At first I was bothered by the sound but in time I've come to notice less. I will say I'm glad that it's installed in a less used bathroom. I would hate it if it were in my downstairs powder room. On the positive side, it's never clogged. On the other hand, my Toto Clayton is MUCH more sensitive to a bit too much TP, ugh! But the best toilet we own is a big box American Standard Champion 4. You should check out the videos on You Tube for this toilet. It's amazing!

We are considering a Toto Ultramax for the basement...I read the same article listed in the first reply,,.that site is a good guide.

we had those 'power assist' toilets in our last house, we had a warning sign on the wall ('hang on to your hat') that people thought was funny til they flushed it.

Yes, it is true that the toilets you get from a bath showroom or plumbing supply store (your plumber will have access to this) are better toilets than the big box stores. The porcelain used is of better grade and the tanks and bowls are lined. Same thing with faucets. Faucets at showrooms/suppliers are brass and metal, as opposed to plastic at big box.

You don't need to spend a lot of money on a toilet. American Standard makes a great product for a cost-effective price. We recommend the high-efficiency 6-L flush American Standard Cadet Pro toilet. Of course, opting for an elongated bowl as opposed to round bowl, and right height as opposed to regular height will increase the price of the toilet.

And I wouldn't go for dual-flush toilets unless you are prepared to spend more money on a good quality such as Toto or Kohler. Most cheaper dual-flush toilets don't perform well.

the flush mate has shocked more than a few people. Ha! as was noted, people get use to it.

Toilets sold in CA starting Jan 2016 cannot exceed 1.28 gpf. Agree on Cadet Pro recommendation. Just purchased two American Standard Cadet Pro (trade only line) from a local commercial plumbing supply Windustrial (Sunnyvale CA but they have locations all over the country). The pricing was fantastic and they delivered to my house. I wanted basic toilets, easy to maintain, AS Cadet Pro works great, just what we wanted. I was advised to stay away from Dual flush as more moving parts means more maintenance. I checked out plumbing supply stores and Windustrial seems to sell at near wholesale prices to homeowners, and they provide top notch service. I don't know if all of their locations offer same pricing. http://www-1.winwholesale.com/index.php/home/windustrial