There are several varieties of portable toilets. Usually, you can’t get a portable toilet specifically for camper of a camping toilet designed only for boats.

Nonetheless, you can narrow down your choices by knowing which features you’re probably going to need for a specific use.

In any case, we usually don’t decide on a toilet because it has a big water tank, for example. We base our choice of what it need it for; be it if you want to know which is the best portable toilet for RVs or camping. Below you’ll find some rough features that are desirable for a specific outdoor activity.

Types Of Portable Toilets

Portable Toilet For:	Camper Toilet	RV Toilet	Hiking Toilet	Camping Toilet	Boat Toilet
Weight:	Above 10 lbs	Above 10 lbs	Below 8 lbs	8-12 lbs	8-12 lbs
Dimensions:	Above 15x15x15	Above 15x15x15	Below 15x15x15	Above 15x15x15	14x14x14 - 16x16x16
Water Tank:	>3 gallons	>3 gallons	No water tank	2-4 gallons	2-4 gallons
Waste Tank:	>5 gallons	>5 gallons	<5 gallons	4-6 gallons	<5 gallons
Special Features:	Comfortable	Comfortable	Easy To Carry	Easy-Carry, Comfortable	Small And Compact
Perfect Choice:	Porta Potti Toilet	Porta Potti Toilet	Lightweight Toilet	SereneLife Toilet	Zimmer Comfort Toilet

Portable Toilets For Campers

Campers can be quite amazing but what’s usually not amazing about campers is a lack of a toilet. While some RVs have a toilet, almost none of the campers have one. It doesn’t really matter if we talk about travel trailer or popup camper – usually one of the luxury ones come with microwaves and toilets.

By now you see why camping toilets are a great idea for campers. What should be the features of a portable toilet for campers?

First, it should be big and comfortable. Chances are you’re going to use it every day for longer periods of time and you want for the toilet to be comfortable and to have big tanks so you don’t have to clean the portable toilet or refill it with water all the time. This is all about comfortable living; on the other hand, if you go hiking, you just want to do your business and move on.

There are two things you want to make sure when buying a camper toilet:

1. Should be comfortable (you’re going to use it daily for weeks on end).
2. Where are you going to dispose of portable toilet waste? Make sure to notice the ‘black box’ for emptying an outdoor toilet when you park your camper at a camper park.

You can check the list of top 5 portable toilets here.

RVs And Toilets – Some Have Them, Others Need An Extra Toilet

Unlike campers, some RVs, even not the most deluxe ones, come with a toilet and you don’t need to buy an additional portable toilet. On the other hand, there are also some RVs that come without a toilet. In some cases that makes sense – a toilet, after all, can be unhygienic and contribute to an unsavory smell in the RV.

Also, make sure to notice the ‘black boxes’ on RV camps. Sooner or later you’ll have to ask where to empty the portable toilet waste – the ‘black boxes’ are the designated containers for portable toilet waste

Hiking Portable Toilets

Portable toilets for hiking are a completely different matter. Whereas you could afford to get a heavier toilet for camping or RVs, toilets that are best for hiking are small and, above all, lightweight.

When you go hiking, you pretty much have two options as far as your toilet needs are concerned: either bring a portable toilet or do your thing in the woods. Admittedly, more often than not hikers don’t want to be dragging a hiking toilet along. Chances are sooner or later you’ll find a toilet or just do your business in the woods.

The hikes where a portable toilet would come in useful are usually the ones where you camp on the way. It makes little sense to drag a toilet with you on a one-day hike. However, if you’re going to be in the wild for a few days and have a tent with you, a portable toilet for hiking could be a viable option.

Common sense says such a toilet should be light (under 10 lbs) and small (below 15x15x15 inches). The smaller and lighter portable toilet the better. Oh, and you usually don’t want a portable toilet with a water tank and fancy flushing system – that comes with a considerable addition to the weight you don’t want to carry on a hike.

Outdoor Toilet For Camping

What is really interesting about camping toilets for camping is that you can see pretty much the same kind of camping toilet on camping sites. No one really comes with just a bucket or the fancy flush portable toilets; everybody has a nice and decent, not too big and not too small, toilet.

What is the best tip for buying a portable toilet for camping? 

Stay away from the small ones and stay away from the big ones. Everything in between is fair game. The average price of a camping toilet for camping is about $100. If you’re looking at a toilet with a price tag $150, you’re probably looking at a toilet more appropriate for campers or RVs.

Do You Even Need A Toilet On A Boat?

It’s easy to imagine why you don’t need a toilet on a boat. Being surrounded by water in all directions gives you at least a few options where to do your thing and flung it over the boat. But in some cases, a portable toilet for a boat is a smart idea.

The first thing is simple – you don’t really want everybody on the beach or a riverbank to look at you while you’re trying to enjoy some privacy. Of course, if you’re in the middle of the ocean, the need for a boat toilet because this becomes less apparent.

The second thing is that you want some privacy and that includes the people on the boat. It doesn’t matter is there are only 2 people or 100 people on the boat; if you’re squatting over the water, chances are people will see you. It can also be a bit indecent.

Portable toilets are quite different than normal indoor toilets. We’ve already written about what to look for when picking the best toilet but the outdoor toilets are another story.

We don’t have to decide between one-piece and two-piece toilet because all portable toilets are one-piece; it’s just more convenient.

However, when picking an outdoor toilet, we have to be aware of certain metrics. Here is the list of 5 things you should always check when comparing camping toilets:

#1 Size And Weight Of Toilet (Smaller For Hiking, Bigger For Camping)

As you might imagine, the size and weight are very important; normally we want to reduce both of these. What sizes of camping toilets there are? Well, a standard size would be something like 15 x 15 x 15 inches. Anything below that is considered a small portable toilet and anything above that is considered a larger toilet more appropriate for longer (a week or more) vacations.

When it comes to toilet size, there are two things to remember:

1. The smaller the toilet, the easier it is to carry it. But, on the other hand, it is less comfortable to use, obviously. Smaller outdoor toilets are more appropriate for hiking, short trips, and finishing trips.
2. The larger the toilet, the heavier it is to carry; however, it is much more comfortable than the smaller varieties. You can use it for longer trips; the big outdoor toilets are especially appropriate for RVs, boats, vans or longer camping trips. And, of course, if there are more people, a larger portable toilet makes sense.

Weight depends on the size but also on the material. What are camping toilets made out of? Usually light materials like ABS plastic or high-density polyethylene. In fact, polyethylene is the most popular choice when designing a portable toilet because it can be easily maneuvered into shape and it has a high durability/weight ratio.

#2 How Many Times Can You Flush?

If you don’t want constantly refilling the portable toilet with water, you’ll probably have to opt for a bigger water tank. With the advancement in camping toilet flushing mechanisms, an outdoor toilet offers anywhere from 30 to 80 flushes per one filling on the water tank.

You can get anything from 2-gallon to 6-gallon water tank. The water tank is the upper compartment of the outdoor toilet and if you can readily refill it, you can opt for low-volume tanks (it’ll make carrying the portable toilet filled with water easier). However, if you can’t or don’t want to refill it more than once or twice, go for the high-volume tanks.

A standard toilet uses 1.6 GPF (gallon per flush) of water. The camping toilets are designed to use only about 0.1 GPF. Of course, the flush is not as thorough as with a standard toilet but in the outdoors, it will do the trick.

Combining the water tank size of portable toilets and flush volume, we can calculate the number of flushes you get with one filling. Being a key metric, the producers of outdoor toilets will usually state the number of flushes. Just a tip: take that number with a grain of salt. Some producers might exaggerate with the flush number.

#3 Waste Tank Volume

The bottom part of a camping toilet is the waste tank. It’s where all the feces end up. Of course, camping toilets are meant for multiple uses and the feces accumulate to, in the end, fill the entire tank. That’s why it’s important to check what kind of volume does a portable toilet waste tank have.

It’s quite simple actually. The waste tank, the bottom part of the toilet, gives height to a toilet. A camping toilet would be unusable it would be too low: that’s why the waste tanks are quite big to heighten the base for the water tank and, finally, the seat of the camping toilets.

#4 Do Camping Toilets Smell? (Key Is Sealed Valve)

One of the key concerns is that the toilet for camping will smell. It’s easy to imagine all those feces macerating and producing an outworld aroma that the whole camp will smell. But do the portable toilets really smell?

Not if they have a sealed valve. The key to an odorless camping toilet is to completely shut off the bottom waste tank when you’re not using a toilet. Of course, when you flush the outdoor toilet, the seal will open and let the water and feces through to the waste tank. The sealed valve is the key feature that completely separates the tanks and prevents leaks.

Also, check how both the tanks are connected. Strong connection with sealed valves will not only take care of the odor but it will also increase the stability of the portable toilet. Check that one tank doesn’t wobble on the other; they should be held together as one uniform piece.

#5 How To Clean A Camping Toilet? (And What To Dispose Of The Waste)

Sooner or later, the camping toilet will be full and you’ll need to empty the portable toilet and clean it. How to empty a camping toilet? Well, simply pour out the waste. That is easier said than done. For emptying purposes, portable toilets usually have a big spout. If you’re lucky and the camping toilet’s spout is wide enough, the waste will drip out without a problem.

However, what to do if the waste is stuck in a camping toilet? Well, you can shake it but a more effective technique is to use a water hose and flush the feces out. Another way of emptying toilet for camping is to use chemicals to soften the feces; add the chemicals, leave it for half an hour and then flush it out with more ease.

And finally, where to dump the portable toilet waste? Improper disposing of toilet waste can be damaging to the environment and can even be against the law in some states. In order to help you properly dispose of the camping toilet waste, some camping and RV sites offer dump stations or vault toilets. Those are something referred to as the ‘black tanks’.

Now that you know what to look for when buying the best camping toilets, you can check our list of the best 5 portable camping toilets here.

Miseno is an Italian-inspired American company that is quickly becoming the new big thing is the toilet world.

All Miseno toilets follow two very important directions:

1. Achieving 1000/1000 MaP Rating. Maximum Performance Labs conduct toilet efficiency and waste disposal ratings and the best Miseno toilets get the highest possible scores.
2. Toilet-In-A-Box system. Every single part you need to install a Miseno toilet comes all in one box. You don’t have to buy anything separately – seat, wax ring and bolt kit come with every Miseno toilet.

These toilets are becoming so popular because they get the highest efficiency marks and are less expensive than Kohler or TOTO toilets. On the other hand, it kind of does empower people because now there is finally a toilet that you can easily install yourself (you can still call a plumber, of course) because everything you need comes in a Miseno toilet box.

In our Top5er fashion, we sieved through all of the Miseno toilets to pick the 5 best ones. You can compare them below and read the individual Miseno toilet reviews:

Top Miseno Toilets Compared And Reviewed

Miseno Toilet:	Miseno MNO240C	Miseno MNO1503C	Miseno MNO120C	Miseno MNO490EC	Miseno MNO370C
Photo:
Flush Volume:	1.28 GPF	1.28 GPF	N/A	1.1/1.6 GPF	N/A
Quality:
Price:	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$
Rating:
Certificates:	Classic look Elongated bowl Includes seat and wax ring Very reliable	Elongated bowl Includes seat Most affordable Miseno toilet	One-piece toilet! Leisure height elongated bowl Includes seat, wax ring and bolt kit	Elongated bowl Dual flush Includes seat and wax ring	Very compact (only 15'' wide) Elongated bowl Includes seat and wax ring
Availability:	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price

#1 Miseno MNO240C Review (Best Miseno Toilet)

The MNO240C model combines everything that makes Miseno so appealing. This is a classic two-piece toilet that fits in any bathroom. It comes with the elongated bowl that is more than 1” longer than a standard bowl (all the guys know really well the advantage of that).

Compared to a Kohler or American Standard toilets, the Miseno MNO240C toilet is not only less expensive but it does come with the Toilet-In-A-Box system. This gives you an option to install the toilet yourself and save additional costs.

The remarkable thing about the Miseno toilets is that they get the top 1000/1000 MaP ratings while still using as little water as possible for a flush. This best Miseno toilet uses only 1.28 gallons per flush.

As you can see from the photo above, the Miseno MNO240C is made out of sparkling and top-quality vitreous china. The porcelain is covered with a non-stick glaze that enables the toilet to get that much-desired 1000/1000 MaP rating.

The big unknown about Miseno toilets is their reliability. They are modern toilets that aren’t around as long as Kohler toilets, for example, and we don’t really have 20+ years track record of how they perform. That being said, the Miseno MNO240C model is on the market for quite some time now and it has been prized as being very reliable.

#2 Miseno MNO1503C Review (Best Budget Miseno Toilet)

The MNO1503C is all about the simple and minimalistic elegance. Having all the advantages of being a Miseno toilet, the MNO1503C model has one additional advantage over all other Miseno (and especially Kohler and American Standard toilets):

When plumbers are asking ‘Where did you buy this toilet’, you know you have the latest and best toilet in your bathroom.

Here’s how the MNO1503C model looks:

The fine craftsmanship in this two-piece Miseno toilet is quite obvious. The chrome polished lever is quite a nice addition that breaks the minimalistic style a bit (in a positive way).

The great thing about all Miseno toilets is that when you buy it, you get every piece you need in a box – the seat, the wax ring, the bolt kit – everything!

#3 Review Of Miseno MNO120C (The Rare One-Piece Miseno Toilet)

Miseno toilets are quite classic. They are usually two-piece toilets that can be easier to install but can look a bit old-school.

The MNO120C model is one of the few Miseno one-piece toilets. That gives it the modern look and you don’t have to worry about how to clean that part where the bowl and the tank meet. You can read more about the differences between 1-piece and 2-piece toilet here.

You can compare the other Misero two-piece toilets on the list with this one-piece MNO120C model:

Of course, despite being a one-piece toilet, the MNO120C toilet comes with the perfect 1000/1000 MaP rating. Obviously, you also get this one in one box with everything you’ll need, including the toilet seat, bolt kit, and wax ring.

Being a one-piece toilet also means that it is heavier and a bit more difficult to put in the position. With the two-piece toilets, you can maneuver the bowl and the tank separately. For this Miseno one-piece toilets, you’ll need stronger hands.

#4 Miseno MNO490EC Assesment (The Best Dual Flush Miseno Toilet)

Are you ready for the high-efficiency Miseno toilet? Well, here it is!

The Miseno MNO490EC is a dual flush toilet that finally completes what most Miseno toilets lack; that second flush option.

The dual flush makes the MNO490EC both eco-friendly as well as more efficient. The small 1.1 GPF flush will save as much water as possible. If, on the other hand, you went ‘Number 2’ and you see that it’ll need a big flush, you can use the bigger 1.6 GPF flush that is much more effective.

As an additional benefit, the Miseno MNO490EC does come with the SoftClose toilet seat (included in the Toilet-In-A-Box package). That means no more toilet seat slamming on the bowl.

All in all, the MNO490EC in one of the most equipped Miseno models which is a plus but the installation can be a bit lengthy and requires the services of a plumber.

#5 Miseno MNO370C Review (The Best Miseno Toilet For Small Bathroom)

If you have a small bathroom, you are pretty much aware that every square inch matters. It only makes sense to look for a slim and small toilet; for this purpose, the Miseno created the MNO370C model that can fit in the smallest bathrooms.

For example, it’s one of the slimmest toilets in the world. Overall width from the farthest left point to the farthest right point is 15 inches in total. Here’s how slim it looks:

Additionally, this two-piece toilet has a concealed trapway which provides a smoother appearance. With such a small toilet, the design has to go out of its way to create a toilet that not only there as a utility; the design has to shine out how beautiful the toilet is.

Problems with toilets can be quite annoying but usually there is a quick way how to fix non-functional toilets. If you look around the web about how to fix problems with toilets, you’ll find some great instructions at dengarden that include a lot of photos (useful when DIY fixing a clogged toilet for example).

Just to give you some quick directions, we’ve listed 3 most common toilet problems you’ve probably already faced and how to fix them (and if and when call in a plumber for a hand):

#1 Running Water or. ‘Phantom Flushes’

The constantly trickling water is probably the most common toilet problem. After a flush, the water just doesn’t stop trickling little by little from the tank down to the bowl – you can ever hear the water running.

It’s a quite annoying problem that, if not treated readily and properly, can boost your water usage considerably. Luckily, there’s an easy way to solve it yourself.

From the toilet tank diagram above, you can clearly see how the water from the tank enters the bowl via that pink piece (#6). That is a flapper that is usually causing the leaky water problems. If you have a bad flapper, it’s insufficiently closing the water stream. The running water in the toilet bowl that we see is caused by the flapper’s inability to completely shut off that water stream.

How to fix it? Just replace the existing bad flapper. They’re quite inexpensive – you can get a good flapper for $10 over at Amazon.  Just be sure that it is compatible with your toilet.

#2 Clogged Toilet (Try Yourself Before Calling A Plumber)

We all hate a clogged toilet but we also know it has to be fixed. Sometimes we can do unclog the toilet ourselves, but in some cases, the clog is so persistent that we need to call in an expert.

How to deal with a clogged toilet?

There are several methods and they’re not really hard. The first one is the plunger; everybody knows how to operate and it can be effective in some cases. The second one is using a straightened wire to try to pick the clog and flush it down with the next flush. Straightening out an old coat-hanger is one technique of getting a wire but you can also buy appliances that are specifically designed to unclog toilets.

The third DIY option is less mechanic in nature. It involves using chemicals that are poured into the toilet water and sink in deep to reach the clog. They unclog the toilet by partly dissolving the clog which is torn apart by the next flush. Drano Max Clog Remover is an example of such a chemical liquid but there are many others. This one has a 4.3/5 Amazon star rating so it’s safe to say it help the majority of people with their clogging problems.

#3 Leaky Seals – Which 4 Places To Check?

Not as common a problem as running water or clogged toilet, but a leaky toilet is something that can be more damaging than both of those combined. If we’re not careful, the toilet can flood the entire bathroom before we notice.

In theory, it’s not that hard to fix a leaky toilet. There are 4 places where there can be a leak – we have to check each of them and either tighten the valve/seal or replace it. Here are places where a faulty seal will cause the toilet to leak:

1. The big seal between tank and bowl. When you flush, there is a jet of water under the tank. You can fix it by replacing the seal when you empty the tank. (Tip: turn the tank upside down and you’ll have an easier access to toilet seal replacement)
2. The small mounting bolts seal. These usually need to be tightened and if that doesn’t work out, replace them.
3. The base of the ballcock seals. More often than not, these have to be replaced.
4. Most important one to check – wax seal beneath the toilet base (located on a plastic flange). A deficient or broken wax seal is the least pleasant problem of a leaky toilet. All the water that gets released there can rot the floor and even caulking doesn’t help because it only traps the water there. Unfortunately, if you have a faulty wax seal, you’ll need to remove the whole toilet to completely remove and replace wax seal. Important: call the plumber. Too much can go wrong if you don’t fix it correctly and the costs of repairing the bathroom floor and tilling are much greater than a plumber’s bill.

Toilet prices have a very broad range. You can buy a toilet for as little as $200 if you’re looking for a cheap toilet. On the other hand, some toilets can cost well over $1,000.

The Price Of The Toilet

The most apparent cost is the price of the toilet itself. You can check the prices of the best toilets here.

When choosing a budget toilet, you’re probably looking at traditional two-piece toilets with at least 1.6 GPF and a standard look. With increasing toilet budget, you’ll notice that more toilets are one-piece toilets, have a lower GPF (if they are WaterSense, that means 1.28 GPF or lower) and maybe even a dual flush.

What really separates luxury toilets from high-end toilets is the design and electronic integration. Especially the electronic integration such as auto open/close lid, auto flush and remote control operation can bring the cost of the toilet well over $1,000.

Add bowl heating, warm air dryer and maybe even warm water washer with adjusted pressure control and you’re looking at a high-tech toilet masterpiece but the price of the toilet will rise substantially.

How Much Does It Cost To Install A Toilet?

Installation costs associated with anything that requires a plumber can be quite high. When trying to find out how much does it cost to install a toilet in your area you have some options. You can go through the yellow pages, simply google it or even ask the toilet producer like KOHLER or American Standard if they offer a toilet package with installation and ask how much the toilet+installation costs.

On the other hand, a very well-written site Angielist who did their own research with experienced plumbers, found the cost of toilet installation to be in the $125-$260. This is considerably below the Homeadvisor’s quoted prices for toilet installation cost but it at least gives you an idea how much is a reasonable quote for a toilet installation. The range can help you a bit when talking to a plumber and he or she quotes you an unreasonable price for the installation.

Can You Install The Toilet By Yourself As A DIY Project?

Well, nobody is stopping you to install the toilet by yourself. The good this is that the supplies are relatively cheap. A toilet siphon or two will cost you $10 or so.

You’ll also need a wax seal to prevent leaking which costs less than $10. If you decide to DIY toilet installation, you’re looking at about $30 in costs and you can check out the DIY Network for some instruction.

Toilet installation can be a bit complex but if you’re the technical guy, it can be quite an interesting project. However, it’s important that your toilet DIY project doesn’t damage the floor or cause unnecessary leaks. You’ll probably need to call in a plumber to fix such toilet problems and the point of doing a DIY toilet installation is to avoid paying the plumber in the first place.

When it comes to picking out the best toilet, we usually look for the main features like one-piece toilets or water-saving technology, but we don’t really give much consideration as far as toilet brands are concerned.

So which toilet brands are safe choices? Let’s start with the 3 big ones:

TOTO Toilets (Japanese High-End Toilets)

Probably the most well-known brand of toilets is a Japanese company TOTO. While two other best toilets producers KOHLER and American Standard focus is dispersed on a variety of products, TOTO is more of a specialist, especially for toilets.

The thought that Japan makes the best toilets is really all because of TOTO toilets. They have a 100-year tradition of making the best toilets in the world. You can check the best TOTO toilets of 2019 here.

Automation in toilets such as hands-free toilet seat and seat warmers is something TOTO is well known for.

The inclusion of electronics in toilets, however, does come with a bit of cost – building electronics into the toilets does present a greater probability for toilet fails. On top of that, when you have to fix electronics-rich TOTO toilet, you can hardly do it by yourself. A plumber is a must and in some cases, an electrician is needed as well.

KOHLER Toilets

KOHLER is a well-known American company that designs and produces one of the finest toilets on the planet. The heart of KOHLER is their engineering department and KOHLER toilets have a status of well-put-together toilets. When you think about the many ways toilets can break down, you might get a headache. The whole point of well-designed KOHLER toilets is to ease these concerns with the best-engineered toilets.

Of course, KOHLER is a very diversified company and doesn’t focus exclusively on toilets as TOTO does. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a well-engineered American-made toilet, KOHLER is the perfect brand to choose from.

American Standard Toilets

The third biggest best toilet brand is American Standard. Despite being the only company behind the top 3 toilet brands with less than 100 years of tradition, you can see American Standard toilets in many restaurants and public places. Why?

Reliability. American Standard toilets are usually a safe bet even if you are a bit rough with them. As you might imagine, public toilets really need to be reliable and efficient. Of course, if you buy one of American Standard toilets, don’t flush all kinds of stuff down the toilet – here is a neat list of 11 things you shouldn’t flush down.

With American Standard newer toilets you can also see a few electronics being used to construct the toilets but they don’t go as far as TOTO when it comes to high-tech toilets.

Swiss Madison Toilets – Smaller Brand But Great Design

Swiss Madison is an up-and-coming company but it is really focused bathroom design, and boy, what a design it is! They offer toilets, sinks, showers, bathtubs and that’s it. Without the diversification bigger brands are known for, the Swiss Madison can concentrate on creating the best toilets easier.

Where this is most apparent is the exceptional toilet design. As you can see from the photo on the right, the design of Swiss Madison toilets is edgy and modern. In turn, this gives the whole bathroom a youthful look.

Their best-selling toilet is called Swiss Madison Ivy. It’s pretty much one of the most eco-friendly toilets; it implements dual Tornado flush in order to use as little water as possible.

What is more, it also has a dual flush which brings down GPF to 0.8/1.28. That means you’re using 50% less water with a small 0.8 gallon flush than you would with a standard 1.6-gallon flush. Oh, and it does look amazing, you can check out the Swiss Madison Ivy here.

You can check a list of the best toilets from all brands here.

TOTO is the reason why we have this idea in our heads that the Japanese make great toilets.

In fact, TOTO Ltd. is the world’s biggest toilet manufacturer with over 100-years of tradition. During these 100 years, they’ve made more different toilet models than any toilet company in the world.

And we had the audacity to pick the 5 best TOTO toilets! It was quite a challenge with so many great models TOTO has in store.

What was immediately apparent is that people love TOTO toilets.

We looked and compared the design, quality, additional features, the water use per flush and went through the reviews of people who use TOTO toilets to boil down our top 5 choices to these TOTO toilets:

What Is The Best Toto Toilet? 5 Best Picks

TOTO Toilet:	TOTO UltraMax II	TOTO Promenade II	TOTO Vespin II	TOTO Eco Ultramax	TOTO Drake
Photo:
Flush Volume:	1.28 GPF	1.28 GPF	1.28 GPF	1.28 GPF	1.6 GPF
Flush Type:	Tornado flush	Tornado flush	Double Cyclone flush	E-Max Fast flush	G-Max flush
Quality:
Price:	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$
Rating:
Bonus:	CeFiONtect glaze WaterSense SoftClose seat (included) Chrome trip lever	CeFiONtect glaze WaterSense Chrome trip lever	SanaGloss glaze WaterSense Chrome trip lever	ADA Approved Comfort Height WaterSense	Chrome trip lever ADA Approved Comfort Height Very Cheap
Availability:	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price

#1 TOTO MS604114CEFG#11 UltraMax II Review (The Ultimate TOTO Toilet)

The UltraMax II model truly represents everything TOTO. All the best TOTO innovations in toilet design in their 100-year history are merged in the MS604114CEFG#11 model.

The UltraMax II is on equal footing as far as the water-saving flush goes as the best low flow toilets. It can achieve a 1.28 GPF thanks to its revolutionary Tornado flush system. Here is how it works to conserve water:

In the past 100 years, TOTO has learned an important lesson: Nobody likes to clean toilets!

That why they’ve developed CeFiONtect ceramic glaze that the UltraMax II bowl is covered with. The glaze is a powerful deterrent to all annoying particles and filth that wants to stick to the best TOTO toilet. The CeFiONtect gives the bowl that much sought after lubricious quality.

Of course, a toilet cannot be called the ultimate TOTO toilets without the looks. The UltraMax II is a one-piece (which is better than two-piece) toilet with a comfortable elongated bowl. The finished toilet design is contemporary and stylish:

One underrated specification of the UltraMax II is that it is of universal height. That means that literally anybody can seat on it comfortably; TOTO really put all of their efforts in this toilet to create a toilet everybody can love.

You probably won’t see a toilet with so many rewards and approved certifications as the MS604114CEFG#11 model. It has a WaterSense badge by the EPA as a water-saving toilet, an ADA certification, CALGreen certification by the state of California and CEC certification on top of it.

The real cherry on top is the SoftClose seat that neutralized all the seat slamming of an ordinary toilet. And get this; the SoftClose seat is included in the whole package:

#2 TOTO CST404CEFG#01 Promenade II (Best Two-Piece TOTO Toilet)

The thinking behind the Promenade II is the same as for the #1 TOTO toilets: Let’s just put all the best things like Tornado flush and CeFiONtect glaze into one toilet.

The CST404CEFG#01 Promenade II, however, is the best classic version of a TOTO toilet. It is a two-piece with a traditional design. The advanced flushing technology and the old-school design are merged in the Promenade II to create an elegant and reliable toilet:

What are those modern things in Promenade II? Well, the Tornado flush for starters. It is an advanced tech but what’s truly important that they decrease the water consumption and save you more than $100/year on the water bill alone (according to the EPA).

The CeFiONtect is a non-stick glaze on the bowl that will make cleaning the toilet easier and less frequent.

The little detail that is missing is the SoftClose seat. It can be installed on the TOTO Promenade II; however, it doesn’t come included in the whole package. Nonetheless, the price of the toilet is almost $100 lower because of that – and you can use that saved money to buy a SoftClose seat.

All in all, Promenade II is the best two-piece TOTO toilet that is built to last.

#3 TOTO CST474CEFGNo.01 Vespin II Review

One of the best things that TOTO ever came up with is their SanaGloss glaze that covers the toilet bowl. When it comes to TOTO toilet glaze, people always want to know what’s the difference between SanaGloss and CeFiONtect glaze. In short, both are the same. It’s just that the SanaGloss is an old name that plumbers still use and the CeFiONtect (which stands for “Ceramic Fine Ion Technology”) is the new name.

The Vespin II toilet by TOTO is the best toilets with TOTO’s Double Cyclone flushing system. The use of this system together with the SanaGloss ceramic glaze brings the GPF down to 1.28 which makes TOTO Vespin II a WaterSense eco-friendly toilet.

The overall design of the CST474CEFGNo.01 model is simple and elegant. Here is a unique look at Vespin II toilet from above:

The Vespin II has is a very versatile toilet as far as the design is concerned. It will fit neatly in any classic or modern bathroom, despite being a two-piece toilet. The Japanese design creates a contemporary aura around the toilet in order to be incredibly versatile.

The one negative thing that needs to be said when you’re buying this TOTO toilet is that comes without a seat. Of course, you can buy the seat additionally; however, I really don’t get why TOTO is not including a seat with every Japanese toilet.

#4 TOTO MS854114ELG#01 Eco Ultramax Review (Wide TOTO Toilet)

The main thing TOTO thought off when designing the Eco Ultramax is it’s water-saving capabilities. The E-Max flushing system uses the smart valve design with 3:2 ration that propels the water into the bowl. If you combine this with the SanaGloss non-sticky glaze, you’ll see that you only need 1.28 gallons of water per flush.

However, what we all first notice when it comes to the MS854114ELG#01 Ultramax model is its wide behind. The unique one-piece design results in the widest TOTO toilet tank being installed. You can how wide the tank is here:

The width of the Eco Ultramax tank is 16.5 inches. Most toilets have a 15 inch (or less) tank. There are good and bad sides to having such a big TOTO toilet.

The good side is that it will be the centerpiece of a big bathroom and it’s much more comfortable to sit on than on a small toilet. On the other hand, if you have a small toilet, every square foot of space is valuable and the wide TOTO toilet is the last thing you need.

The true value of Eco Ultramax is its E-Max flush system that is 2 classes better than G-Max flush. The flush is thus quieter and the whole flushing system is much more reliable.

#5 TOTO CST744SL#01 Drake (Review Of The Most Popular TOTO Toilet)

Oh, the beloved TOTO Drake. This is the most widely known TOTO toilets and, if you’re wondering, it doesn’t have anything to do with the pop singer Drake. This is a toilet, a toilet worthy of TOTO’s name.

The very reason why the CST744SL#01 Drake toilet is so popular is that it includes:

• Everything that is great about TOTO toilets (superb quality, reliable, beautiful design).
• Is incredibly affordable – has “best-seller” status.

TOTO toilets tend to be a bit more expensive than KOHLER or American Standard toilets (Japanese pricing and craftsmanship).

However, the TOTO Drake doesn’t cost $500 as most TOTO toilets. The Drake costs less than $300 which is an incredible price for the premium TOTO brand:

The Drake is a standard 2-piece toilet that has an elongated bowl for comfortable toilet experience. Having such a universally loved design and the budget-friendly price, it’s no wonder why the Drake is the best selling TOTO toilet.

There are two reasons why the Drake didn’t get the #1 place on this list of the best TOTO toilets. The major one is its flush system. Drake is equipped with a decent G-Max flush system but it does use 1.6 gallons per flush. Other best TOTO toilets use as little as 1.28 gallons.

The other reason is that the toilet seat doesn’t come included. If, however, Drake would have a 1.28 GPF and would come with a toilet seat, it would be difficult to decide which one to put in the first place – The current best UltraMax II or Drake.

Did you know using a low flush toilet has a bigger positive effect on the environment than not using Starbuck straws?

With the invention of new flushing systems like E-Max and Dynamax Tornado the modern low flow toilets can use water much more efficiently. Using less water to flush down your shi…business, you can:

• Save the environment with every flush.
• Save more than $100 on yearly water bill (confirmed by EPA and the WaterSense label usage).

What is considered a low flush toilet?

Standard flush toilets use more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush (GPF). The low flush toilets, uniquely marked with a WaterSense label) use less than 1.3 GPF. That means that these water-saving toilets 2020 edition use at least 20% less water per flush than standard flush toilets.

We have prepared a list of 5 best low flow toilets, ranging from high efficiency 1.28 GPF toilets all the way down to the ultra low flush toilets that use as little as 0.8 GPF.

Best Low Flush Toilet Reviews (Water Saving Toilets)

Low Flow Toilet:	TOTO Aquia IV	KOHLER K-6669-0 Memoirs Stately	TOTO CST744EL#01 Eco Drake	Swiss Madison SM-1T254 St. Tropez	Niagara 77001WHCO1 Stealth
Photo:
Flush Volume:	0.8/1.28 GPF	1.28 GPF	1.28 GPF	0.8/1.28 GPF	0.8 GPF
Flush Type:	Dynamax Tornado	Aqua Piston 360	E-Max Flush	Dual Tornado Flush	Ultra-High-Efficiency Flush
Quality:
Price:	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$
Rating:
Bonus:	+ WaterSense + SoftClose seat + Dual Flush + CeFiONtect	+ Comfort Height + Polished Chrome lever	+ Certificates: ADA, CALGreen, CEC + Best Budget	+ Unique Design + Dual Flush + SoftClose seat (included)	+ Ultra Low Flush
Availability:	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price

#1 TOTO MS446124CEMG#01 Aquia IV Review (Best Low Dual Flush Toilet)

When it comes to low flow toilets, the Japanese toilet maker TOTO is the #1 brand. They have developed the most highly efficient flushing system such as Dynamax Tornado and E-Max Fast flush. Naturally, the best water-saving toilet TOTO developed – the MS446124CEMG#01 Aquia IV – is also the best low flow toilet you can buy.

The TOTO Aquia IV is explicitly designed to save as much water as possible with every flush. TOTO isn’t famous for implementing a dual flush system went the extra mile with the Aqualia IV and incorporated the most eco-saving dual flush system they have. This brings down the GPF to:

• Big flush: 1.28 GPF.
• Small flush 0.8 GPF.

0.8 gallons is the lowest possible flush volume any toilet can have. Such a low flush in TOTO Aquia IV is possible thanks to the cutting edge Dynamax Tornado flush system. The system pours the water from 360 degrees – all around the toilet bowl – with high speed. Coupled with CeFiONtect ceramic glaze, even as little as 0.8 gallons of water can clean the toilet remarkably well.

Even the bowl design is designed to assist the water flow during the flush. This is how a toilet can squeeze out as much water efficiency as possible. Furthermore, the design of the flow also prevents turbulences, which reduces the sound a flush makes.

The whole design of Aquia IV is magnificent. This is a contemporary 1-piece low flow toilet that incorporated the minimalistic design to create the most water-efficient toilet in the world.

On top of that you even get the Softclose seat included in the package.

#2 Best KOHLER Water Saving Toilet – K-6669-0 Memoirs Stately (Harnessing Gravity For Flush Efficiency)

KOHLER is the best American toilet makes for low flow toilets. Their best toilet with below 1.3 GPF is the K-6669-0 Memoirs Stately that uses gravity is a smart way to decrease the water needed for a single flush to 1.28 gallons.

The KOHLER toilet uses hydromechanics in order to achieve low flush efficiency (also known as high efficent toilets or HET toilets). The Aqua Piston canister is designed to enable the flow of water into the bowl from all sides (360 degrees).

In order for the water to gain speed during the flush, the flush valve has a decreasing 3:2 ratio. This decreases the surface area through which the water flows and hence increases its speed. By effect, it uses natural gravity to use as little water as possible to achieve the most water-saving flush.

Everybody who hates cleaning toilets (or using too much water and cleaning chemicals to do it) will love the cleanliness-friendly design of K-6669-0. The trap way, which is usually the hardest to clean in a low flow toilet, is concealed and doesn’t gather as much dirt as it would otherwise.

Even the Aqua Piston canister seal is much less exposed and therefore easier to clean. Nonetheless, this is a classic two-piece toilet with timeless design but that part where the bowl and the tank come together has to be cleaned regularly.

An additional bonus the KOHLER Memoirs Stately has is the comfort height seat. In fact, this is one only comfort height low flow toilet has is both of the list of the best low flow toilets and on the Top5er’s list of the best comfort height toilets.

#3 TOTO CST744EL#01 Eco Drake (Low Flow Version Of The Most Popular TOTO Drake Toilet)

The most popular and beloved TOTO toilet is it’s iconic TOTO Drake. However, Drake has 1.6 GPF (check the list of best TOTO toilets for more) and everybody who is enough environmentally-minded wants to buy a low flush toilet to decrease the amount of water spent per flush.

That’s why TOTO designed a water-saving toilet based on Drake and named it ‘Eco Drake’. We’re, of course, talking about the CST744EL#01 model which is quickly being sold out because it has everything we love about Drake combined with the low flow 1.28 GPF flush.

The Drake is a simple and elegant toilet which is much more affordable than the usual $500 TOTO toilets. The CST744EL#01 Eco Drake is upgraded with E-Max Fast flush system that brings the GPF down to 1.28, is ADA-compliant and has the eco-friendly WaterSense badge for being a water-saving toilet.

Not every WaterSense toilet is also ADA compliant, has a CALGreen certificate and is CEC compliant. The Eco Drake check all the green regulatory marks making is the best budget low flow toilet on the market.

TOTO has special pricing discounts when it comes to their popular Drake toilets and the Eco Drake is no exception. The full price of Eco Drake is +500$; however, you can usually get it for less than $400 with the discounts.

#4 Swiss Madison SM-1T254 St. Tropez Review (Minimalistic Design, Dual Low Flush)

If you want to stay away from the big toilet brands and use 50% less water than a standard toilet, you should look into the Swiss Madison St. Tropez toilets.

The low flow specifications of the SM-1T254 dual flush toilet are identical to the #1 TOTO toilet and that says a lot. Swiss Madison managed to create a toilet that uses only 0.8 gallons of water for the little flush and 1.28 gallons for the big flush.

While other toilets use the 360-degree water flush from all sides into the bowl, the Swiss Madison is introducing the revolutionary Dual Tornado flush. Two streams of water are pushed into the bowl under high pressure and circle the bowl to flush all the feces and urine with dual power.

The Swiss Madison also looks environment-friendly. In my option, this is the best looking low flow toilet you can find:

The St. Tropez has so many great features that it landed the No. 1 place on the list of best toilets of 2019.

Due to its minimalistic design and fully skirted trapway – the toughest part of the toilet to clean – the Swiss Madison of extremely easy to clean. Even the toilet seat can be removed for easier cleaning.

It is a one-piece low flow toilet (you can read more about why 1-piece toilets are better than 2-piece toilets here) with a unique design. Additionally, it is the ADA-compliant comfort height toilet with the distance from the floor to the top of the seat higher than 17-inches (more comfortable).

The St. Tropez model has a soft closing seat and – get this – it does come with the soft closing seat included! That’s something the big brands rarely do.

#5 Niagara 77001WHCO1 Stealth Toilet Review (Ultra Low Flush Toilet)

When it comes to the amount of water you need to flush, the main question is ‘How low can you go?’ Most of the low flush toilets have a 1.28 GPF, some dual flush toilets even touch the 0.8 GPF with the small flush.

However, the only truly ultra-low flush toilet on the market is the memorable Niagara Stealth toilet. It uses only 0.8 gallons of water per flush making it the most highly efficient water-saving toilet in the world.

It uses the ultra-high efficiency flush technology to disperse the water as much as possible throughout the bowl.

Niagara Stealth is incredible in minimizing the amount of water needed for a flush. It uses 50% less water with every flush and will cut your toilet-related water bill in half.

However, this is pretty much the only thing that is extraordinary about this toilet. While other toilets will have advanced ceramic glazes, shiny Chrome levers and SoftClose seats, the Niagara Stealth toilet, despite being the ultra water-saving toilet, has none of that.

It does cost a lot less than other low flow toilets but it can’t be denied that this is one of the most stoic toilets ever – everything is about conserving water and not much else.

We sit on our toilet for about half an hour every day. Of course, we want to be sitting comfortably.

We have already switched from reading newspapers on the toilet to messing around with our mobile phones. The toilet design is catching up to what we want when sitting on the toilet: comfortability.

That’s why we see more and more comfort height ADA toilets on the market that are especially useful for elderly people and people with bad knees who can’t easily sit down and stand up from a toilet.

What is the difference between a standard height and comfort height toilet?

The difference, obviously, is the height measured from the floor to the seat. The standard height of the toilet is 15” to 17” and some people find that quite uncomfortable. That’s why companies like KOHLER have developed 17” to 19” high comfort height toilets that have 3 distinct advantages:

1. Easier to sit down (especially useful if you have bad knees).
2. Easier to stand up.
3. Pretty much everybody finds them more comfortable (more leg space).

List Of Top 5 Best Comfort Height Toilets (With Reviews)

We’ve sieved through 50+ latest comfort height toilets and picked the 5 best ones. You can see them presented in the table below and later on you can read individual reviews of the comfort height toilets:

Comfort Toilet:	KOHLER K-6669-0 Memoirs Stately	Convenient Height Extra Tall	TOTO Eco Ultramax	WOODBRIDGE T-0001	American Standard 2886518.020 H2Option
Photo:
Height:	18 inches	21 inches	17.7 inches	18 inches	18 inches
Flush:	1.28 GPF	1.28/0.9 GPF	1.28 GPF	1.6/1.0 GPF	1.28/0,92 GPF
Quality:
Price:	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$	$$$$
Rating:
Bonus:	Aqua Piston Flush	Extra Tall	E-Max Flush	Dual Flush	EverClean Surface
Availability:	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price

#1 KOHLER K-6669-0 Memoirs Stately Review (The Ultimate Comfort Height Toilet)

If you’re picking toilets, you must know KOHLER. They are one of the best and most recognized brands in the toilet industry and they were actually the ones who pretty much invented the expression ‘comfort height toilet’.

They’ve developed more comfort height toilets than any other brand and the best comfort height toilet they’ve ever made is the KOHLER K-6669-0 Memoirs Stately.

This is the Memoirs Stately, the KOHLER’s crowning jewel of comfort height toilets:

The distance from the floor to the top of the seat is 18”. That makes the Memoirs Stately toilet a perfect height comfort toilet. But the easy sitting and standing from a toilet aren’t the only two things that make the K-6669-0 model the best; it’s all the additional advantages that KOHLER decided to enrich this toilet with.

The 2 big advantages are the elongated toilet seat (for more comfortable sitting) and the water-saving Aqua Piston flush technology. That’s the flushing technology that enabled the water to enter the bowl from all sides (360 degrees) when flushing. You’ll only ever need 1.28 gallons per flush; making the Memoirs Stately Toilet eco-friendly and water-bill-friendly and landing the #2 place on the list of the best low flow toilets.

Don’t miss the little details as well. The trip level you see there is polished chrome, giving a design boost. The flush valve with it’s 3:2 diameter ratio help gravity do its job when flushing.

They’ve even made improvements to help you with easier cleaning. The trap way is easy-clean and the canister design leaves a lot less exposed material than a normal flapper. It also reduces the leakage problems that majority of other toilets might have.

#2 Convenient Height Extra Tall Toilet Review (Incredible 21 Inches)

The Convenient Height company took the comfort height toilet to completely new heights.

Here’s the approximate comparison of a distance from the floor to the top of the toilet seat for different toilets:

• Standard height toilet: 15”
• Comfort height toilet: 18”
• Extra tall by Convenient Height toilet: 21”

The Convenient Height toilet is incredibly tall. It’s so tall that we have to ask ourselves ‘what is considered comfort height toilet?’ Comfort height is between 17” and 19” and this toilet is so tall that it just penetrates the upper barrier by a full 1”.

That makes sitting down and standing up incredibly easy and especially useful if you have bad knees. However, if you have short legs, the height of this toilet might be too much. For everybody with normal or above-normal length legs, this is the world’s tallest toilet:

In fact, the Convenient Height toilet is taller than most of the comfort height toilets and even taller than the ADA toilet height requirements. It is further approved by the Board of Registration of Plumbers GF and CEC.

The truly incredible thing is that a toilet of such height is so cost-saving. It has a dual 1.28/0.9 GPF flush; the 0.9 gallons is as low as one can go as far as water use per flush. This is all thanks to the dual flush economy valve.

To elivieate even more problems with the day-to-day running of the toilet, the Convenient Height toilet has a slow-close seat. That means the toilet seat moves slowly towards the bowl (doesn’t smack on the bowl).

#3 TOTO Eco Ultramax Shorter Comfort Height Toilet Review (Best by TOTO)

With the MS854114EL#01 model, TOTO, the most popular Japanese toilet maker, satisfies the customers who are used to standard height toilet and want to switch to the comfort height toilet. But they’re not ready to make that big leap from 16” toilet to a 18” toilet just yet.

The TOTO Eco Ultramax toilet is right there in between. Is has a 16.5” distance from the floor to the rim and on top of that is a comfortable 1.2-inch toilet seat bringing the total height (from floor to the top of the seat) to about 17.7”.

Most comfort height toilets are 18” tall and some people do find them just a bit too tall. That’s exactly the kind of people who’re transitioning from standard height to comfort height toilet that the TOTO Eco Ultramax is perfect for.

Here are the measurements of the best TOTO comfort height toilet:

The Eco Ultramax has all the benefits the Japanese design TOTO is known for has. They’ve spared no expense as far as the style goes. You can see that Eco Ultramax comfort height toilet is a one-piece toilet with the elongated bowl and seat for comfiness.

The Japanese are also meticulous when it comes to the flush volume. With the introduction of the fast E-Max flushing system, you’ll only need 1.28 gallons per flush.

It’s smaller cousin – TOTO Ultramax II Hex – even made the Top 5 Best Toilets list because of the advantages it shares with the Eco Ultramax.

The flushing system is faster than a convenient flushing system thanks to the 3-inch flush valve. If you remember the formula for the surface area, you can quickly deduct that the 3-inch valve is actually 125% bigger than a standard 2-inch valve as far as the surface area is concerned.

#4 WOODBRIDGE T-0001 18” Toilet (Unique Futuristic Design)

If you want to have a comfort height toilet with a bit of futuristic design, the WOODBRIDGE T-0001 model might be just the toilet you’re looking for. The comfort height toilets are a class of their own already; however, the futuristic design of the WOODBRIDGE toilet sets it apart from the standard comfort toilets.

The T-0001 looks like something from a Star Trek movies. It’s designed to fit on a space ship. However, what’s most important for people looking to buy a comfort height toilet, is the distance from the floor to the top of the seat.

The WOODBRIDGE toilet is 18” tall, making is quite a standard comfort height toilet. There is nothing classic about the design, however. Just look at all the smooth surfaces that make the WOODBRIDGE toilet one of the easiest comfort height toilets to clean:

This toilet has pretty much everything a contemporary interior designer wants to hear about a toilet. It has an elongated bowl for cozy toilet sitting. It is a one-piece toilet which is much better than a two-piece toilet as far as the aesthetics are concerned (you can read our full comparison of One-Piece vs. Two-Piece Toilet here).

Furthermore, when you hear dual flush with WaterSense in the same sentance, you know you’re looking at a water-saving eco-friendly toilet. The small flush only uses a single gallon of water.

As the cherry on top, the WOODBRIDGE T-0001 model also includes a soft closing seat. In addition to being a comfort height toilet, it sure goes out of its way to be as comfortable as possible.

#5 American Standard 2886518.020 H2Option (Why Are They Calling It Right Height Toilet?)

American Standard is the most successful and popular US toilet brand. They are known for reliable and affordable toilets, and of course, they too have ventured into the world of the comfort height toilets.

However, American Standard calls their +17” comfort height toilets by another name – they are ‘right height toilets’. That’s because the expression ‘comfort height’ was put forward by their competitor KOHLER and, obviously, the American Standard had to brand their own design of the tall toilets; promptly naming them ‘right height toilets’.

Of all the right height toilets that American Standard makes, the simple and reliable design of their 2886518.020 H2Option model makes it the best American Standard comfort right height toilet:

What makes the simple design of American Standard right height toilet so incredible are:

• Extreme water saving.
• Surfaces that are very easy to clean.

The H2Option features a dual flush with 1.28/0.92 GPF. That’s the most efficient flush. The American Standard uses the siphon jet tech coupled with the PowerWash rim technology to really use every drop of the water to clean the toilet as much as possible with as little water as possible. It uses so little water that it deserved the WaterSense certificate.

When it comes to weekly or monthly cleaning of your toilet, you will be thankful for the EverClean surface technology. This makes the smooth ceramic surfaces of the H2Option even easier to clean. You don’t need to apply a lot of pressure or use strong chemicals to bring that sparkling white surface of the toilet.

Do You Prefer A Standard Height Toilet To Comfort Toilet?

If you have experience with the comfort height toilets, you can share your opinion in the comments below.

When you tell a salesperson you’re buying a new toilet, they always ask you the same question:

Are you looking for a one-piece or two-piece toilet?

Basically, what they’re asking you is if you are looking for one of the more contemporary toilets (1-piece) or the old-school one (2-piece).

Well, what’s the difference when you’re comparing one-piece vs two-piece toilet? In the simplest terms, the 2-piece toilet has the toilet tank and toilet bowl fused together during installation. The 1-piece toilet, on the other hand, comes in a single piece and you can simply install it as such.

Of course, with the 1-piece and 2-piece toilet, there comes a range of differences regarding the look, space needed, price, maintenance level and flexibility.

Difference Between 1-Piece And 2-Piece Toilet

We compared two American Standard (most popular toilet brand) toilets. On the left is a 1-piece toilet and on the right is the 2-piece toilet:

As we can see, it does seem that one-piece toilet is better than a two-piece toilet. It has that modern design, it is smaller, easier to clean and maintain. However, because it comes in one piece it can be more difficult to maneuver it into the spot.

Nonetheless, the main misconception many of us have about toilets is that one-piece toilets are more expensive than two-piece toilets.

Can you get a 1-piece toilet for $200? Of course you can, you can check the whole range of one-piece toilets here.

Some high-end one-piece toilets can, however, cost as much as $1000. That’s where the misconception of expensive 1-piece toilets come from. You can check all the 2-piece toilets here and see that you can hardly find one that costs more than $200.

Design Differences: Modern VS Old-School

Basically, we do spend about an hour a day in our bathrooms. The bathroom interior design is important and the design of a toilet can improve the overall look of the bathroom quite a bit (or ruin it, on the other hand).

The distinct advantage of one-piece toilets over two-piece toilets is the modern design. If you’re designing a hip and contemporary place, you shouldn’t even phantom of putting a 2-piece toilet in your bathroom.

The 2-piece toilet is what older homes have. However, it’s worth adding that older people are more accustomed to the look of the two-piece toilet.

Nonetheless, if you’re designing a new home or redesigning a bathroom, almost every interior designer will advise you to choose a one-piece toilet.

Size: Which Toilet is Smaller?

Because two-piece toilets are made out of two separate pieces (tank + bowl), they do need a bit more space.

If you have a big and spacious bathroom, having a bigger two-piece toilet shouldn’t be a problem. However, if you have a small bathroom, you want to cut extra inches anywhere you can.

If you’re wondering ‘Should I use a one-piece toilet for a small bathroom?’, you’re on the right track. 1-piece toilet and smaller bathrooms go hand in hand.

It has to be pointed out that the size difference of one-piece vs. two-piece toilet is usually not drastic. In a big bathroom, you’ll hardly tell if one-piece is really smaller than a two-piece toilet. In a small bathroom, however, the two-piece toilet can be the elephant in the (bath)room.

Which Toilet Is Easier To Clean And Maintain?

When it comes to cleaning a toilet, there is only one thing that separates a 1-piece and 2-piece toilet. A 2-piece toilet has the wedge where the toilet tank meets the toilet bowl and a 1-piece toilet don’t have one (there is a smooth surface there).

With more moving parts, more than go wrong. As far as toilet maintenance is considered, there isn’t a significant difference when looking at a one-piece vs. two-piece toilet. The wedge where the tank and the bowl come together in a 2-piece toilet might be an additional maintenance problem; but in practice, it rarely is.

The bigger difference is the cleaning part. The one-piece toilet has nothing but smooth surfaces where the two-piece toilet has that inconvenient wedge. A lot of dirt can accumulate there and that’s why it’s important to clean it thoroughly and frequently. That means you can spend a bit more time cleaning a two-piece toilet.

Installation Flexibility: Is It Easier To Install A Two-Piece Toilet?

If you’re installing the toilet yourself, you will be glad that you can carry the toilet tank and the toilet bowl separately. You can do that with two-piece toilet; you can’t do it with a one-piece toilet because the bowl and the tank are already bolted together.

Having a 2-piece toilet also gives you or your plumber a bit more range and flexibility when it comes to the positioning on the toilet. The two-piece toilet can be moved around a bit – you can put it closer or farther to the wall, for example.

With the one-piece toilet, you’re pretty much left with only one setting. This is where the two-piece toilet is better than the one-piece toilet.

However, the majority of toilets in the US are installed by professional plumbers. You would think that there is a difference in how much it costs to install a one-piece vs. two-piece toilet, right? Well, it turns out that the installation costs are pretty similar (about $100).

Are One-Piece Toilets More Expensive Than 2-Piece Toilets?

The price of the toilet is a major argument for everybody who might prefer a two-piece toilet. Because one-piece toilets look ‘fancy’, people think that’s why they are costlier. Which is, by the way, not the case at all.

The prices of one-piece vs. two-piece toilets are quite similar. They start at about $200 and for $300-$400 you can get a very decent one-piece or two-piece toilet.

However, it is true that advanced one-piece toilets can cost up to $1000. That’s not because they are comprised in one piece, however. The higher price is because they are of more modern design and as such include technological advancements such as WaterSense and Energy Star.

The Verdict: One-Piece Toilets Are Better Than Two-Piece Toilets

All in all, the one-piece toilets are clearly the next step in the evolution of toilets. It can be predicted that we are going to see less and less two-piece toilets and more and more one-piece toilets.

It all boils down to the better design and easiness of cleaning the one-piece toilet. The important thing to forget is that one-piece toilets are more expensive; they are not.

You can find great one-piece and two-piece toilets in the same price range. Check the Top 5 Best Toilets List here to compare the toilets and prices.