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Toilets have come a long way—since their inception as holes under a bush, obviously, but even in just the last few years, they’ve grown increasingly high-tech. Caroline Danielson, director of showrooms at Ferguson Bath, Kitchen, and Lighting Gallery, tells us that she used to have to ask all kinds of questions about flushing capabilities and mechanisms, “But now, a lot of them have the same flushing capabilities, so we get to ask the fun questions! There are lots of things that we can talk about specific to a homeowner that allow us to guide them to the right toilet—both aesthetically and functionally—that don’t depend on flushing capability.”
If you haven’t shopped for a toilet recently, you’ve probably missed many of the advancements the industry has made with technology and design. When I recently remodeled my bathroom, I discovered that even picking out a toilet was a huge decision. There are so many options, even including smart toilets. If you’re in the market for a new toilet and are as overwhelmed as I was, this guide is for you. Let’s lift the lid on our guide to the best toilets out there.
“This is a budget-friendly, space-efficient choice,” says Danielson. It offers advanced features like dual flush technology and an EverClean surface that inhibits bacterial growth. Made from easy-to-clean vitreous china, it boasts a PowerWash rim for effective cleaning and a top-mounted dual-button actuator for easy operation. Seat and wax ring kit not included.
Budget friendly, two-piece, round, dual flush basic toilet made from a sturdy vitreous china.
I renovated the outdated bathroom in my 1909 New York city co-op apartment in 2022, and this is the toilet I bought. At first, I thought that $900 was a bit steep for a toilet (I had yet to learn there were also $10,000 models on the market), but I liked the sleek, easy-to-clean, skirted one-piece design (no nooks and crannies like my old toilet) and comfort height. I'm happy with my decision—I only wish that there were a black matte option for the handle to match my other bathroom fixtures.
Sleek, modern, one-piece toilet from Toto, with seat included, offers a great updated option at a relatively reasonable price.
From a well-known, reliable brand, the Corbelle toilet from Kohler stands out as one of the best basic two-piece toilets on the market. It has a powerful swirling 360° flush and a skirted, modern design that complements a variety of styles. And, it's available in five different colors (including black) to suit a range of decors.
Two-piece toilet with skirted design, elongated bowl, and comfort seat height from a reputable brand.
Designed with a tank shape that fits into a corner, this dual flush toilet from Renovator’s Supply offers the perfect solution for a small bathroom. It comes with a protective, stain-resistant gloss finish, push-button dual-flush mechanism, and slow-closing seat.
Dual flush 2-piece toilet with a tank designed to fit neatly into a corner, requiring minimal real estate in space challenged bathrooms.
Another wonderful toilet from Toto, this one features a dual flush with the company’s Tornado flushing technology. It’s coated with a ceramic glaze that prevents dirt and mold from sticking and has a cleaner-friendly skirted silhouette. The minimalist design means it complements a variety of aesthetics.
One-piece, dual-flush toilet from Toto with skirted design for easy cleaning.
Featuring a classic design with a rounded front, this high-efficiency toilet from American Standard delivers style and optimal water conservation. It's WaterSense-certified, meaning you’re helping to save both the environment and your wallet from excess expenditures. The EverClean surface prevents bacteria and mold from growing and the skirted, concealed trap prevents you from having to spend too much time cleaning it.
Excellent price for a water efficient, two-piece toilet from American Standard with a skirted design.
Though this toilet’s been on the market a few years, Danielson says that, “They continue to improve on the model’s technology, establishing it as a pinnacle of luxury in smart toilets.” It features a modern, sleek, rectangular design coupled with advanced technology like ambient lighting, voice control, and wireless connectivity to Alexa, as well as a heated, completely hands-free seat that’s motion-activated.
“The integrated stainless-steel wand includes adjustable cleansing options, UV and electrolyzed water self-cleaning systems, and energy-efficient features like a power-save mode and dual-flush system,” said Danielson. This is the kind of toilet you’d expect to find in a modern, high-tech space.
High-end, modern, rectangular toilet from Kohler with the latest technology including ambient lighting, voice control, and motion activated, self-closing seat.
The Toto Neorest allows you to program settings for two different users, one of its best features, along with its self-cleaning technologies and self-flushing capabilities. It’s equipped with Tornado flush technology, a heated seat, a pre-mist to help eliminate waste, bidet, remote control, and sleek design, all which make it one of the best luxury smart toilets out there.
High-end, electronic smart toilet from Toto with customizable settings, self-cleaning and flushing abilities, heated seat, and remote control.
With room refresh and air shield deodorizer, heated seat, warm air dryer, a night light, and advanced cleansing features, this toilet with a built-in bidet from DXV elevates your home bathroom to spa level. Made from durable and corrosion resistant vitreous china, it includes a power steam flush and Hyper Clean Surface technology. One recent reviewer had this to say: “You actually feel fresh and light on your feet the whole day after using this somehow.” If that’s not a compelling endorsement, I don’t know what is.
Integrated electronic one-piece, modern bidet toilet featuring all the latest technology including heated seat, deodorizers, adjustable automatic flush settings, and warm air.
“Wall-mounted toilets are trending,” says Danielson. “Like the floating vanity, the wall-mounted toilet was once only seen in modern design. However, homeowners are increasingly adopting the design for their space savings and easy cleaning.” Duravit’s comes in three colors and features a WonderGliss coating to prevent dirt and limescale from gaining a secure foothold. It also boasts an antibacterial glaze. Be aware, though, that wall-mounted toilets require an in-wall tank and carrier (sold separately, pushing the full price up to close to $1,000) and a wall-mounted flush actuator plate.
Modern, sleek, water efficient, dual flush wall mounted toilet from German company, Duravit, known for its quality and innovation.
With a round bowl to save space and an excellent price-to-value ratio, this one-piece, single-flush toilet from Toto works well in small bathrooms. Toto’s E-Max flushing system includes a three-inch flush valve, siphon jet, and large trap way to provide an efficient, reliable flush. Includes a soft-close lid and chrome handle.
One-piece, single-flush round-seat toilet from Toto with an efficient, powerful flush.
This toilet from Signature Hardware is another best-selling, budget-friendly option, says Danielson. Crafted from gloss-enameled porcelain, it features a 21-inch tall bowl for comfort and an elongated design. It also includes a standard seat with a soft-close mechanism and a chrome side handle. It comes with Signature Hardware’s 25-year limited warranty.
Two-piece toilet with an elongated bowl and 21-inch comfort height from Signature Hardware, backed by its 25-year limited warranty.
The rough-in is the drain opening in the floor of your bathroom where your toilet is. The age of your home can determine the size of the rough-in, says Danielson. “A standard rough-in is 12 inches, but maybe you're doing a renovation on a historic home where rough-ins can be anywhere from 10 to 14 inches,” she explains. If you’re not sure what size your rough-in is, you may need to consult a plumber.
Older residential toilets were predominantly two-piece models consisting of a bowl and tank. “These are a lot easier to bring inside,” says Danielson, “Especially on a second-floor level, because you're actually physically carrying the tank and the bowl separately.” They're easier to ship because they're in two separate containers, and they offer flexibility if you want a different tank style, as some manufacturers offer collections with varying options.
One-piece toilets, on the other hand, are often more compact and easier to clean. “It's one continuous piece of porcelain or vitreous China you can just simply wipe down, there's no groove to get stuff stuck in,” explains Danielson. They also offer more options for concealed trap ways. The downside is they tend to be more expensive than two-piece toilets and, of course, heavier. “The installation is a little bit different because it's all concealed in one piece. So, the drain has to be normal for a one piece to work,” she adds.
Modern toilets come with features like ambient lighting, heated seats, automatic flushing sensors, and self-closing lids. Many can even be controlled via an app or your Smart Home System (Alexa or Google). Obviously, these models cost significantly more than their non-smart counterparts.
“There's one that's $10,000,” said Danielson. “It has a foot warmer and music if you're a sensitive pottier–maybe you have anxiety about going and people hearing you. It has its own symphony that's been orchestrated for it. It has a remote control. There are some crazy bonkers toilets out there that are up into the thousands!”
Many newer toilets offer a “comfort height” akin to that of your average chair. A standard seat height is considered to be 14 to 15 inches and usually works well for people with a smaller stature. Taller folks may find a height of at least 17 inches more comfortable.
Danielson sees a lot of customers who want a specific looking toilet—something minimal or traditional or maybe even a wall-hung option for a contemporary space. “This helps guide us to the right manufacturer,” she says.
She adds that many people want a very specific color of toilet, saying that, “We're seeing a lot of color trends come back into play.” Some manufacturers are known for offering a color array: Kohler has reintroduced its heritage colors, for example. (Remember those pinks and greens from the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s?) There are also cool black toilets available, as well as matte finishes. “Our consultants can help guide a customer based on the aesthetics of their space,” she explains.
I come from a handy family: My grandfather was a plumber and my dad performed all home improvement tasks in the family home and small businesses (restaurants) himself. I’ve installed a few toilets and recently renovated my outdated bathroom in a pre-war NYC apartment (the latter not by myself, as co-op rules dictate the need for professionals with proper insurance coverage). I combined my experience with the expertise, advice, and recommendations of an industry professional, as well as the opinions of numerous online reviewers to come up with best toilet choices for a range of styles and budgets.
If you found this guide helpful, consider also checking out our guides to the best bath towels, and the best bathroom exhaust fans.
You can buy toilets at a variety of online retailers, most of whom also have showrooms or physical storefronts. These include Ferguson, Home Depot, and Lowe’s, among others. If you know what brand of toilet you want, manufacturers like Kohler and American Standard also sell direct to consumers.
Danielson says they’ve seen a huge rise in interest for bidet seats, especially when Covid hit. During that time, their bidet seat sales were incredible and this continues to be the case. “You can buy a reasonably priced toilet that works great and add bidet functionality to it by getting a bidet seat that goes on a normal toilet,” she says. When she started in the industry, the norm was to sell a separate bidet and toilet, but today, the retrofit ability to put a seat on a toilet is easy.
Start by purchasing a bidet seat with the same shape as your current toilet. To connect the bidet seat, first turn off the water supply to your toilet, then disconnect the flexible hose/supply line from the tank. The bidet kit should include a tank adapter, which is simply a t-connector that allows you to hook up two flexible hoses to the tank. Use the bottom connector for the line coming from the home water supply, and the one on the side to connect the hose that leads to your new bidet seat.
Next, attach the bidet seat base plate (after you’ve removed your current seat) using the two bolt holes in your bowl. After the plate is secure, slide the seat itself into place, connect the water hose and plug in. “You may have to have an electrician put an electric outlet close to your toilet so it can plug in,” Danielson says, but otherwise, this is something most people can do on their own.
Danielson says to expect to pay somewhere between $350 to $600, depending on if you want a two- or one-piece toilet. “If you're looking for a specific color, you might want to add a little bit more, but I think you can get a great toilet at that price point that works beautifully,” she says.
A pressure-assisted toilet has a mechanism inside the tank that helps it flush faster and quicker, explains Danielson. She says they’re not as common in residential applications as they are in commercial settings–toilets in places like the airport, for example, often have a wall carrier equipped with a pressurized assist that pushes into the toilet basin and down. “It's an additional mechanism that sits inside the tank and physically forces water down, instead of letting gravity do its part,” she says.
If asked this question 15 years ago, Danielson would’ve said most plumbers like Toto toilets, but that’s no longer the case. Preference is also determined by region, she adds. “Lots of people suggest they have to get a Kohler, American Standard, Toto, or Signature Hardware–it’s very regional for that, so I won't say that there's one specific toilet.” She does say that plumber recommendations are fewer and farther between than they were five to 10 years ago, when flushing was a huge topic.
The reason Toto had such great name recognition previously, Danielson explains, was because they figured out flushing technology early. The great news is that while Toto makes a great toilet, there are lots of other brands today that make beautiful, amazing toilets with the same flushing capacity and capabilities. “The cool thing is that as far as that technology goes, everybody's on a level playing field these days,” she says.
“If you would've asked me 20 or 15 years ago, I would've said there are ones with a stronger flush, but today all the brands we sell are highly reputable,” says Danielson. There’s a flushing test, she shares, where they actually flush toilets with a certain compound that looks like a certain something, and all of them have a great rating with that. “I would say for the normal consumer, anything that fits your style aesthetic with a normal flushing capacity would be what we recommend.”
The ones with two options are great, says Danielson. A smaller flush would be for liquids versus a larger for solids, usually something like a 0.8 gallons per plush (GPF) versus a 1.28. (most flushing today is at about 1.28 GPF). Manufacturers also use a lot of rim-jet technology, which helps it feel like it's that old big tank three-gallon flush, she adds, explaining that toilets have internal technology in the tank, in the bowl, or a flapper size to mimic that larger flushing capacity while having water-saving technology that a lot of states require.
The insides of all toilets are really the same, Danielson says. They all have a p-trap, so clogging has to do with the gravity, which is what pushes the flapper (in the tank) back down. “Most toilets that have great flushing capacity have a jet that sits in the bottom of the p-trap that helps push the paper and solid waste back,” she explains. Most toilets these days have that because they're all trying to compete with each other as far as the right flushing capabilities and mechanisms.
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