Scott,
Performance wise, the Carlyle and the Ultramax are the same. If CR found differences, wonderful.
However, they also rated the Kohler Wellworth as a good choice. Makes me wonder if they made a word processing mistake. I work with hundreds of these things a year. Not just the few they had.
In the real world, the world that people poop in, it's pretty simple.

: Hey Terry...

: I think I find your website entertaining, and that scares me. Good job though, I must say... and very, very thorough.

: I'm tempted to take your advice and go with the Ultramax. I live in an apartment building in Manhattan that was built in 1901, so the water pressure isn't exactly "grand", and I suppose I'm picky about things like noise, and "leftovers" from the last flush.
: I checked Consumer Reports for their ratings, and they found that the Ultramax did a poor job of flushing their various balls, sponges and water cylinders! Of course, I won't be flushing many of those types of things in the near future (I don't think!), but their report did scare me a bit.
: On the other hand, they HIGHLY recommended the Toto Carlyle MS874114. There's a noticable difference in price, however, to the credit of Ultramax.

: Thing is, I don't expect to change my toilet-- ever. I know that must sound horribly boring to you, but... I'm looking for a sharp, stylish, reliable and efficient toilet, with decent value, that I can keep for all time. :D So, with this in mind, would you recommend the Carlyle or do you think the Ultramax is just as good?

: Scotty