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$50 site donor 2025
One of my brondells is 6 years old and has needed nothing …
Others I got about 2 years ago on clearance and have installed for family members … have one spare …
To Bidet or not Bidet, that is the question....
- Thread starter ZZman
- Start date
Others I got about 2 years ago on clearance and have installed for family members … have one spare …
Dry toilet paper has always been a horribly ineffective way to get clean.
I won't get graphic, but there can be "too much" when it comes to a "pressure wash". It needs to be "just right". Granted the same issues can be caused by the use of toilet paper.
Depends. The cheapest name-brand toilet I found at HD recently was $119, and that came complete with a slow-close toilet seat. Not really sure how they did it, and there are claims that they sort the parts for quality and sell the best scoring ones through plumbing suppliers. TOTO claims the quality is the same if it's sold at retail anywhere, but then again they have consistently high prices where they can probably trash those that don't meet a high standard.
And certainly it's possible to buy a cheap toilet and then install an expensive bidet-style toilet seat.
I'm not sure if some of the fancy complete bidet toilets can be wired so that the electrical supply is hidden. I would think some are such that everthing can be hidden including the water supply.
I know, I took baby wipe baths for 4 months years ago.
Sure. Wet wipes are one way around that. However, some sewer agencies have been warning against the use of "flushable wipes" since they often don't dissolve properly.
You are 100% correct. Flushable Wipes are not really flushable.
@ZZman
Your timing was perfect. Literally just a few days ago we got back from Asia and my wife Asian always wanted one.
I saw your post and started looking into it. I drove myself crazy for hours today reading reviews and also looking for something I could get in the timely fashion.
The one you asked about seems good. I was also looking at the ones with built-in the seat but the style of our toilet I don’t think it would be too good at our house as the toilet is kind of narrow where it meets the tank and the seat combinations units are wide in that area and would be overhanging the toilet.
Anyway, I was kind of excited about the idea as well as my wife. Did not feel like waiting for shipping and the selection among home improvement stores and Walmart is very limited so I purchased this from Lowe’s home improvement store tonight. Our house is new and we already have soft close toilet seats so this was perfect as we use the same seat.
I installed it when I got home, it looks really good, hardware seems OK to very good, it’s a big name brand in the industry and the bottom line is I could try something out right away and if don’t like it could always return it for another.
We really like it, the plastics feel quality, and the control has a positive click when you turn it off, which is reassuring.
I was a little leery because to me it’s very reasonably priced at $39 but wow, it really looks good and I did not have to wait for something to be shipped to my house. I think it’s a win-win without driving myself too crazy even though I did today in my research.
Anyway, I’m glad you brought up the subject. Thanks a lot.
Here’s some photos, I left a rag and some paper towels underneath, so I could check in the morning and make sure that there was no dripping or leaks, but all is well.
FYI @UncleDave
Your timing was perfect. Literally just a few days ago we got back from Asia and my wife Asian always wanted one.
I saw your post and started looking into it. I drove myself crazy for hours today reading reviews and also looking for something I could get in the timely fashion.
The one you asked about seems good. I was also looking at the ones with built-in the seat but the style of our toilet I don’t think it would be too good at our house as the toilet is kind of narrow where it meets the tank and the seat combinations units are wide in that area and would be overhanging the toilet.
Anyway, I was kind of excited about the idea as well as my wife. Did not feel like waiting for shipping and the selection among home improvement stores and Walmart is very limited so I purchased this from Lowe’s home improvement store tonight. Our house is new and we already have soft close toilet seats so this was perfect as we use the same seat.
I installed it when I got home, it looks really good, hardware seems OK to very good, it’s a big name brand in the industry and the bottom line is I could try something out right away and if don’t like it could always return it for another.
We really like it, the plastics feel quality, and the control has a positive click when you turn it off, which is reassuring.
I was a little leery because to me it’s very reasonably priced at $39 but wow, it really looks good and I did not have to wait for something to be shipped to my house. I think it’s a win-win without driving myself too crazy even though I did today in my research.
Anyway, I’m glad you brought up the subject. Thanks a lot.
Here’s some photos, I left a rag and some paper towels underneath, so I could check in the morning and make sure that there was no dripping or leaks, but all is well.
FYI @UncleDave
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The hotels I've stayed in had English versions of the decoder cards. I posted a picture of it in one of the picture threads. Full model with auto seat, heat, etc.
It's one of those things that once you get over the apprehension of trying it, it clicks, and you wonder why you haven't been doing it this way all along.
That said, I wouldn't run out and retrofit one tomorrow, but when the remodel comes, it would be on the list of upgrades.
^^^
It's amazing the choices available and there are tons more "reviews" online. Since there are so many models, reviewers can only cover a small portion of what is available but for sure a good place to start and how I became aware of the brand we purchased in my post #53.
From there, online reviews from places like retailers and Amazon, (people who purchased) allows you to check the 1,2,3 star reviews and see if anything important to you that is negative matters for your purpose. From there the 4 star. Many of these devices do very well by what people post. Using common sense you can see what matters. I remember one brand where multiple people complained that the auto clean feature of the device itself slashed toilet water, things like that. I drove myself nuts over reading it all and purchased this one only because it was available in Lowes and could install it less than an hour after I bought it. Well we lucked out, really works well.
Ok, so anyway, less than 24 hours, my wife who grew up in a country where everyone had these things, is so excited that we finally have one, simple to install this basic one (which we prefer) and stupid inexpensive that I am shocked how happy we are with it. *LOL* I spend ten to 20 times the amount of money on gifts for my wife and I think this one for $50 produced the biggest smile in a long time! *LOL*
Great thread and I can now say I agree with those who wish they got one YEARS ago. Americans (me included) always got hung up on this stuff, afraid to talk about it, we arent so with it when it comes to subjects like this. Heck, less than two weeks ago, a group of 8 family members stopped by a bar/hostile on an island in the Philippines after dinner and for the guys to play pool. Had a fair amount of drinks, just feeling good, not drunk and there I was using a urinal in a non gender bathroom with girls walking by guys using the urinals as they went to the unisex stalls. From what I understand it's been this way in Europe for 50 years. Yes, they also have same sex bathrooms still. Its not some creepy closed in area, its wide open and I think safe feeling for woman. Americans do have hang ups I think but dont want to go overboard. I am fairly conservative.
Anyway, going to order the second one shortly if I dont feel like driving to Lowes to pick it up.
Here is a tip - if you have young children or a main bath that guests might use, instead of the standard adapter that comes with it you may want to get an adapter with a simple on/off lever and use that instead. Im going to do that in the main bath for when children might visit. I saw a review that mentioned it. You can simply turn the water valve off when you have company staying with you, so if kids are playing in the bathroom and turn on the bidet, no water will come out and you dont have to worry about them paying with the dial walking away and flooding the room.
I like the simplicity of the one we purchased but that is just us, nothing to break, no remote controls to handle (yuck) no electronics, no hot water, no electricity and easy to replace. I think maybe sometimes we overcomplicate things where people with less means available to them think you need to buy something really expensive to take the place to toilet paper. Except for squirting water, everything else is an option and can be used without all the "add-ons'" like a large part of the rest of the world does. But that is jsut me and my wife. We all have our preferences which can change over time.
It's amazing the choices available and there are tons more "reviews" online. Since there are so many models, reviewers can only cover a small portion of what is available but for sure a good place to start and how I became aware of the brand we purchased in my post #53.
From there, online reviews from places like retailers and Amazon, (people who purchased) allows you to check the 1,2,3 star reviews and see if anything important to you that is negative matters for your purpose. From there the 4 star. Many of these devices do very well by what people post. Using common sense you can see what matters. I remember one brand where multiple people complained that the auto clean feature of the device itself slashed toilet water, things like that. I drove myself nuts over reading it all and purchased this one only because it was available in Lowes and could install it less than an hour after I bought it. Well we lucked out, really works well.
Ok, so anyway, less than 24 hours, my wife who grew up in a country where everyone had these things, is so excited that we finally have one, simple to install this basic one (which we prefer) and stupid inexpensive that I am shocked how happy we are with it. *LOL* I spend ten to 20 times the amount of money on gifts for my wife and I think this one for $50 produced the biggest smile in a long time! *LOL*
Great thread and I can now say I agree with those who wish they got one YEARS ago. Americans (me included) always got hung up on this stuff, afraid to talk about it, we arent so with it when it comes to subjects like this. Heck, less than two weeks ago, a group of 8 family members stopped by a bar/hostile on an island in the Philippines after dinner and for the guys to play pool. Had a fair amount of drinks, just feeling good, not drunk and there I was using a urinal in a non gender bathroom with girls walking by guys using the urinals as they went to the unisex stalls. From what I understand it's been this way in Europe for 50 years. Yes, they also have same sex bathrooms still. Its not some creepy closed in area, its wide open and I think safe feeling for woman. Americans do have hang ups I think but dont want to go overboard. I am fairly conservative.
Anyway, going to order the second one shortly if I dont feel like driving to Lowes to pick it up.
Here is a tip - if you have young children or a main bath that guests might use, instead of the standard adapter that comes with it you may want to get an adapter with a simple on/off lever and use that instead. Im going to do that in the main bath for when children might visit. I saw a review that mentioned it. You can simply turn the water valve off when you have company staying with you, so if kids are playing in the bathroom and turn on the bidet, no water will come out and you dont have to worry about them paying with the dial walking away and flooding the room.
I like the simplicity of the one we purchased but that is just us, nothing to break, no remote controls to handle (yuck) no electronics, no hot water, no electricity and easy to replace. I think maybe sometimes we overcomplicate things where people with less means available to them think you need to buy something really expensive to take the place to toilet paper. Except for squirting water, everything else is an option and can be used without all the "add-ons'" like a large part of the rest of the world does. But that is jsut me and my wife. We all have our preferences which can change over time.
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I just saw this, did you get the Luxe in your OP or the Tushy? Or?
Welcome to civilized society. How do we live such barbaric lives before washlets?
We used a non-electric washlet for years and the cold water really isn't an issue. We use a Toto C5 now and while the additional features are nice to have, I wouldn't argue that they are necessary.
Our kids' bathroom did not have a receptacle near the toilet, so I used a more "premium" non-electric washlet like the American Standard AquaWash: https://www.americanstandard-us.com...seat-with-manual-operation/white-5900a05gt020
I have since run power to the toilet and upgraded to Costco's version of the Toto C2: https://www.costco.com/toto-washlet-elongated-bidet-seat.product.100973005.html
I like the design of the control handle, but Im morbidly curious about the nozzle placement- do they stay in the position of the picture?
Every bidet I've used, even the aftermarket ones have nozzles that retract.
Here is a tip - if you have young children or a main bath that guests might use, instead of the standard adapter that comes with it you may want to get an adapter with a simple on/off lever and use that instead. Im going to do that in the main bath for when children might visit. I saw a review that mentioned it. You can simply turn the water valve off when you have company staying with you, so if kids are playing in the bathroom and turn on the bidet, no water will come out and you dont have to worry about them paying with the dial walking away and flooding the room.
The fancier wahslets/ seats have a switch on the seat that kills the water if you get off it.
I think you will find that just any version is an upgrade and a very useful addition in all the ways we've talked about.
I was really happy with the aftermarket unit.
The toto washlets were a great upgrade if you have a few bucks.
I got the base unit thats loaded with tons of features - These things go all the way to singing enya while you are taking a dump.
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Yes, we love the design and kind of goes with the house since everything is new. My wife and I like simplicity as well. Not to say never to anything though. But I think, depending on individual preferences the look of what we installed is very "clean" lean, simple and modern looking.
We dont live in a severe cold climate, could care less about hot water and it's not possible unless we got an electric powered unit. Which brings me back to simplicity.
Yes, the nozzles. Ehhh.. they could be hid better HOWEVER not as large as the photo looks being the photo was taken on a downward angle. They measure 1.25 inches. When the water is turned on they significantly extend to do the job so yes, they do retract and the photo, taken on an angel shows them retracted.
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We did not purchase one with a seat. We already had soft close seats and the design of the toilet itself is only 12 inches across the back. Until I found this unit I was looking for one with the seat and seemed hit or miss whether it would appeal to me. We would have lost that "clean" simple look.
Not interested in replacing toilets. Really happy with these. Another thing, these toilets, builder installed no less are amazing in the way they flush. They sound as efficient as the TOTO people talk about, barely use any water and never clog, one flush and everything gone too. I guess technology (and the Chinese) perfected certain toilets at prices a builder would pay
After all, copy design and set a ceramic mold I guess. Last house, bought new, 16 years ago also had low flow toilets but they were not very good and I replaced them. These are a whole new ballgame.
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