Toto Drake toilet product review

[nukeman]

Hello, I have read all the posts for the Drake toilet and am impressed, however I am wanting to replace an old American Standard 3.5 gpf toilet. The house is 45 years old with cast iron sewer lines. Never had clogging issues in the past. Does anyone have any insight on the Toto CST423SFG? I'm not getting any younger and would like to have a toilet with a higher bowl since I'm over 6 ft. tall. Does anyone have any experience with this model before I pull the trigger on this and order it online(not a dealer within 300 miles of me). I am told that it has the 3" flush valve and G-max features of the drake. If i'm right I don't see any Drake model that has a bowl height more than 14.63". If I'm wrong please correct me on this as it will help me with my decision. Thanks for your input.

Here is the taller version of the Drake: http://www.terrylove.com/pdf/cst744sl.pdf

You should also take a look at the Drake II. It has a lot of nice features. http://www.terrylove.com/pdf/cst454cefg.pdf

[staceyneil]

Can someone briefly describe the differences between the regular Drake and the Drake II/Eco Drake/Gwyneth-Vespin?

I am looking for a toilet for our hall bath that is this price range or less. Also considering the Cadet 3 line. We have a Toto Aquia III and although I love the looks and comfort, and it's never clogged, my husband REALLY hates the "skid marks" that happen all the time. He's adamant that the new toilet is designed to avoid these. I suspect a larger water spot is key? The Cadet 3 advertises 9" x 8" water surface, anyone know what the Drake 2 has for water surface size?

Thanks!

[bsmitts]

Thanks for the quick response, however these look like elongated bowls, I am in need of a round bowl style. Any other suggestions?

Here is the taller version of the Drake: http://www.terrylove.com/pdf/cst744sl.pdf

You should also take a look at the Drake II. It has a lot of nice features. http://www.terrylove.com/pdf/cst454cefg.pdf

[Terry]

Toto Dalton CST733F
Tall bowl that is round, 26-1/4" long.

Or CST743 round bowl Drake
The CST423EG Promenade with Sanagloss and round.

[Reader Review]

Hi Terry,
I am thrilled with my new toilets and the wonderful job Jamie did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M. Hooley
Bellevue WA

[CentralTXPreacher]

After reading all the reviews on Toto, I finally broke down and bought a Drake. To be honest I didn't want to spend the money and was about to go with the Dalton, but realized that if I broke the difference down for 10 years, it was pennies on the dollar.

My decision to buy a new toilet finally came about after spending a morning plunging my old toilet, again. That was not the excercise program I wanted. Also, it "flushed" twice on its own in the middle of the night. So I knew it was also wasting money. I knew not to waste my money on a new flapper on a toilet that I was contiually plunging. That afternoon on the way home from work I picked it up and by that night I had it in. It was easy to install, I only worried about cracking it by getting the nuts too tight.

When I flushed it, I don't know what I expected, but my wife and I looked at each other and went, "wow". It was so fast compared to our old one we almost missed it. In fact we have joked that if our little beagle dog were to get too close to it, that it would suck him in.

After several weeks of using it, I can say, "This toilet is a winner!" I'm now saving my nickles and dimes to replace the one in the guest bath with a drake also.

All I can say to those who are looking to purchase a new toilet, this one is great and keep your small animals away from it because you may never see them again! I never dreamed I would be so excited over a toilet!

CentralTxPreacher

P.S. I just realized that I should have posted this under the Drake Review...don't know what I was thinking starting a new post. If the moderator wants to move it to there, that would be great! Sorry about that.

[Redwood]

Another convert to Totoism...

I just wanted to let you know it is okay if you bring house guests to see your Toto Drake flush...

It really is!

It happens frequently with new converts to Totoism...

[tspriggs]

I am about to order the Toto Drake, but ambivalent if no seat comes with it. But, it appears this toilet is good enough to overlook that fact. Does the manufacturer make a standard seat for it? I would hope so. What if I bought a Corvette and they said, "So sorry, it doesnt come with seats--those are extra." hahaha

Outstanding website! Very helpful and informative.

I followed your advice and bought a Toto Drake (elongated) unit. I am very happy with it. A couple of negatives; No hold-down bolts included. No wax doughnut included; No seat included; None of this was on the boxes. Fortunately, I do a lot of work on the house although I?m not a plumber and I had this stuff ?in stock?. For DIYs, it might mean another trip to the hardware store. It is louder than I expected although not nearly as loud as the contractor special that came with the house. I?m just curious whether the Ultramax would have been a better choice.

I purchased the Drake for about US$ *** including what turned out to be a nice seat ($**). The Ultramax would have been only $35 more and it included a seat. I chose the two-piece Drake partly because it would be easier to lug up the stairs and drop over the hole. I think my next one will be the Ultramax.

Overall, very happy. I?ll be recommending it to my neighbors (Tract subdivision with the same crappy toilets in all (no pun intended J ) ). They will be needing new ones soon.

Thanks again for the great resource.

Jeff

Toilets don't come with other parts like wax, closet bolts, supply tubes or seats.
Just as cameras don't come with film and memory cards either.
Terry

[Mikey]

Most of the big-box stores are now selling toilets in kits, complete with all installation supplies. The toilets are usually junk, but you do get the "free" seal, bolts, caps, and seat. Our local orange store has a complete kit for $98; I'll bet you get what you pay for. As for what we think of Toto, we are an all-Drake house, and my wife wants to send her sister one for a birthday present.

[tspriggs]

I think I'll be the next follower of Totoism. Toto Drake soon to be installed. Have a plumber friend who is getting prices and will install for cheaper than I thought. I've done the "research" and this one is top shelf from what people are posting.

[Obama the Plumber]

Almost no two piece toilets come with seats, from any manufacturer.
Some one-piece toilets come with seats, but not even for all of those.

Sometimes a homeowner will want to use their old seat, I have no idea why, I think it's kind of disgusting to put an old seat on a new bowl.

[jdon88]

I just replaced a 1962 Sears Roebuck toilet with a Drake, CST744EL. Easy to install, barely fit my 11" rough in. I went with a $14. seat from HD instead of the toto seats and it is fine. So far I love the operation and the amount of water saved is ridiculous. Maybe I'll have to replace the 1954 American standard in my other bathroom with another Toto. Here are before and after pics.

[pwjone1]

I see here a lot of testimonials for the Toto Drakes, and that's definitely goodness. Nothing like real world experience.

One thing I noticed, the latest MaP ratings, showed the Drakes as topping out at 800 (which is also the high for all the Totos), as versus the 1000 for some of the other toilets.

http://www.cuwcc.org/WorkArea/linkit...d&ItemID=14058

I've tried to net it down more clearly, from the spreadsheet, so you can see the MaP ratings, attached below.

Now, 800 is still a pretty decent rating, and it says really nothing about bowl cleaning action/capability, one of the fortes of the Drakes, and I suppose there might be a trade-off between bowl cleaning and raw flushing ability/capacity. Any thoughts?

[Redwood]

I see here a lot of testimonials for the Toto Drakes, and that's definitely goodness. Nothing like real world experience.

One thing I noticed, the latest MaP ratings, showed the Drakes as topping out at 800 (which is also the high for all the Totos), as versus the 1000 for some of the other toilets.

http://www.cuwcc.org/WorkArea/linkit...d&ItemID=14058

I've tried to net it down more clearly, from the spreadsheet, so you can see the MaP ratings, attached below.

Now, 800 is still a pretty decent rating, and it says really nothing about bowl cleaning action/capability, one of the fortes of the Drakes, and I suppose there might be a trade-off between bowl cleaning and raw flushing ability/capacity. Any thoughts?

Hi PW,

My thoughts on this is actually a mix of information...

While the MaP Report is a great resource it is only part of what makes a toilet good.

If you read the entire report you will see that the reason they don't test above 1,000 grams per flush and that the reason the WaterSense certification threshold was set to 350 grams per flush is that 350 grams is larger than the fecal size for the 99th percentile of the male population.

Toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush, and new ones use 1.28 gallons per flush...
There is even one that uses 0.8 gallons per flush...

Mentioned in the MaP report is bowl wash. The higher flush ratings often come at the expense of bowl wash...
This bowl wash is what leaves the bowl clean after flushing...
What good is a toilet than needs brushing and a 2nd flush after after every use?
Yes some are that bad!

[Terry]

Some of the very early MaP testing had the Toto Ultimate MS854114 at 325 grams.
I had one installed in my home for two years, and installed four in my church.
They were flawless.

I then installed a Kohler Cimarron with double the MaP rating, and it was plugged weekly.
There was no bowl rinse at the back of the bowl either.

There is only so much you learn from a test done in just one way.
Since the MaP has started wrapping the paste in plastic, so the can reuse the media over and over again, is that the test numbers went way up.
It didn't mean the bowls were better, just that the test method had changed from lightweight sticky media to heavier slippery media.
Of course the numbers go better.

I've found that in real use, anything with a 500 MaP is extremely good. And yes, bowl wash is very important, and no, the MaP doesn't test for:

Does not test for:
Bowl Wash
Quality of porcelain,
Fit and finish
How long the internal tank parts last
How loud they are
How much water gets splashed onto the seat
What percentage are defective from the factory
Whether the entire bowl is rinsed, or just portions,
Whether you can get replacement parts,

This is where our reporting comes in, we listen to husbands, wives and children and find out what is working for them.
I've seen grandchildren that won't use certain toilets, sometimes you go into a home, and the young kids are using ear muffs when they use the toilet.
One of the Consumer Reports "Best Buy" toilets are so startling, that the women in my household wouldn't leave me alone until I replaced it. They absolutely hated it. That model isn't sold anymore, parts became non-existent and the manufacturer that made the inner tank went out of business. Not something that Consumer Reports seems to care about.
They now give a best buy to the Gerber dual flush tank with the Chinese tank. They have been failing withing six months for me, so I quit selling that tank.
That doesn't stop Consumer Reports from giving it a "Best Buy" though. I thought that 40% returns in six months was horrible.

Has the Toto been rock solid, yes.
I sell hundreds and hundreds, most of them repeat sales.
I can sell any toilet one time to a customer, but you can't make them buy a second one, unless they really liked the first one.

Here is their original method of testing using un-wrapped media, the floaty sticky stuff.