Kohler Highline® K-3999 Toilet Review, Comments and pictures

[Terry]

Kohler Highline® K-3999 Toilet Review, Comments and pictures

The Kohler Highline® K-3999 comes with a taller comfort height bowl, elongated with a 1.28 GPF tank that meets the WaterSense requirements.

http://www.terrylove.com/wc/kohler/k-3999_13.jpg

Kohler Highline.

http://www.terrylove.com/wc/kohler/k-3999_8.jpg

Looking inside the K-4467 tank

http://www.terrylove.com/wc/kohler/k-3999_10.jpg

The new handle of the plumber's version of the Highline.

http://www.terrylove.com/wc/kohler/k-3999_1.jpg

Looking at the side of the K-4199 bowl.

[Terry]

http://www.terrylove.com/wc/kohler/k-3999_7.jpg

Highline on the left, and Cimarron on the right

http://www.terrylove.com/wc/kohler/k-3999_6.jpg

The tank attachments

http://www.terrylove.com/wc/kohler/k-3999_5.jpg

Looking at the bottom of the k-4467tank.

http://www.terrylove.com/wc/kohler/k-3999_3.jpg

Bottom of the K-4199 bowl

[gusherb94]

The fit and finish looks pretty good from here. Was there any notable defects or issues?
Would like to get my hands on one of these to test out but nobody but the big box sells Kohler in this area.

I also see they're using a PRO45 now.

[wjcandee]

I also see they're using a PRO45 now.

I'm not sure that the red cap necessarily means that it's a PRO45 anymore. See this link: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-203178261/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=fluidmaster+fill&storeId=10051#.UPIPQydtUj0

There you have a Gen-u-ine "Kohler"® OEM "Class 5® fill valve" with a red-ish cap for only 250-percent of the HD® price of a regular Fluidmaster® 400A®.

And what does the yellow cap mean on the Cimarron® K-3887? I'm sure Fluidmaster® would make Kohler® a Mauve fill valve cap with glitter if they wanted it. It's all marketing...

[gusherb94]

I'm not sure that the red cap necessarily means that it's a PRO45 anymore. See this link: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-203178261/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=fluidmaster+fill&storeId=10051#.UPIPQydtUj0

There you have a Gen-u-ine "Kohler"® OEM "Class 5® fill valve" with a red-ish cap for only 250-percent of the HD® price of a regular Fluidmaster® 400A®.

And what does the yellow cap mean on the Cimarron® K-3887? I'm sure Fluidmaster® would make Kohler® a Mauve fill valve cap with glitter if they wanted it. It's all marketing...

After I saw the yellow cap on the Cimarron in the other post I thought that maybe it's really not a PRO45. Kohler is all about marketing and looking pretty. Makes sense why no supply house will carry them around here. I do like the way that Highline/Wellworth looks though.

[Peterson]

I'm baffled with Kohler.......The Class 5 lacked in bowl wash, so they made the Class 6 which was a great improvement. Why have they now designed all their bowls with the Class 5 system instead of the Class 6? Why was the Class 6 only regulated for the Cimmaron toilets?

The tank to bowl contraption and flush tower for the Highline looks smaller now. I wonder if a generic standard flapper assembly can be substituted in its place?

Also, what was wrong with the Ingenium flush? It worked pretty well in my opinion and it totally rinsed the bowl. Yes, it did clog if you use a lot of TP, but if you use a lot of TP, you can clog any toilet.

[wjcandee]

Also, what was wrong with the Ingenium flush? It worked pretty well in my opinion and it totally rinsed the bowl.

Based on a unit that was nominal in all respects and properly-installed, it would clog on anything solid. Needed a plunger almost every time...liquid-only flushes were all that worked. Replacement Toto Drake in same location works flawlessly.

[gusherb94]

I'm baffled with Kohler.......The Class 5 lacked in bowl wash, so they made the Class 6 which was a great improvement. Why have they now designed all their bowls with the Class 5 system instead of the Class 6? Why was the Class 6 only regulated for the Cimmaron toilets?

The tank to bowl contraption and flush tower for the Highline looks smaller now. I wonder if a generic standard flapper assembly can be substituted in its place?

Also, what was wrong with the Ingenium flush? It worked pretty well in my opinion and it totally rinsed the bowl. Yes, it did clog if you use a lot of TP, but if you use a lot of TP, you can clog any toilet.

Class 5, Class 6. it's pretty much all the same, just used for marketing. If people saw the Wellworth had "Class 6" like the Cimarron they'd see no reason to "upgrade" to the Cimarron. The Cimarron and Wellworth/Highline do flush a little different but they both have a good bowl wash now from what I can tell.

[Terry]

The original Class Five lacked the bowl wash at the back. That was changed years ago. These pictures are of a new bowl and tank, and the rinse is 360 around the bowl.
The original Class Five had a 3-1/4" flapper. The new class five uses a smaller flush valve, a llittle smaller then 2"
The trapway is better then the old Ingenium, and the ratings show that.

[wjcandee]

The original Class Five® had a 3-1/4" flapper. The new class five® uses a smaller flush valve, a llittle smaller then 2"

So is it correct, then, that the original Class 5® wouldn't take a generic 3" flapper and flush valve, because it was too big, and the new Class 5® won't take a generic 2" universal flapper and flush valve (too small)?

Thus forcing people to use Kohler® OEM parts. For no functional reason.

Gotta love the Kohler®s.

EDIT: I corrected the post above to eliminate the reference to the Korky universal 3" flush valve (5030BP), because I realized today that Korky says expressly that it does not fit Kohler. So I stand corrected. In a different thread, I muse whether it fits the Champion "4", and allow that I would be very interested to see how it performs in a Champion, because many folks are crying out for a replacement for the "Accelerator" once it starts leaking.

[jadnashua]

As I've said before, Kohler is infected with the NIH (not invented here) syndrom...they tend to go out of their way to do things differently than others, disregarding history. There's nothing wrong with innovation, but it should be a leap or step forward, not a backwards step. My unprofessional opinion...improving on your previous, false steps forward is not progress in my opinion.