Toilets Reviews

We found the most helpful information on toilets in a special issue of Fine Homebuilding, entitled "Kitchens and Baths 2005," which includes an article on the best new gravity, pressure-assist and vacuum-assist toilets. In this article, kitchen designer Nena Donovan Levine does an excellent job creating an overview of modern toilets. The best aspect of this review is that information on children's toilets, bidets, paperless alternatives and ADA-compliant toilets are also included.

When it comes to objective testing, a recent toilet review published by Consumer Reports magazine is an excellent resource. Though editors don't approach the amount of comprehensive information found in Fine Homebuilding's special issue, editors test 26 of the most popular mainstream toilets for their ability to flush simulated solid waste, along with ease of cleaning and noise. Also helpful are a couple of scientific reports generated by engineers at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center and the California Urban Water Conservation Council, both of which test nearly every toilet on the market using simulated waste. One common thread exists in the toilet reviews we found: More money doesn't always buy better performance, just a more upscale design. In reviews, we discovered a considerable amount of performance variation from flush to flush among toilets.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

We found good reviews for TOTO toilets, including the one-piece UltraMax and two-piece Drake. The Gerber Ultra Flush is the best pressure-assist toilet. The American Standard Cadet pressure-assist toilet is also good -- but be sure not to confuse this toilet with other American Standard Cadet models, which don't do as well.

The Kohler Santa Rosa is a one-piece toilet. It's less expensive than the top-rated TOTO UltraMax, but in tests, it doesn't remove waste nearly as well. However, if you want a one-piece toilet, it's a good budget option. The Eljer Titan is a two-piece gravity toilet, but it's more expensive than the similar TOTO Drake. The Briggs Altima III is recommended in a couple of reviews, but in objective testing, especially in the tests by the California Urban Water Conservation Council, it receives very low scores. The Kohler Wellworth also scores poorly in this test.