TOTO Drake Two-Piece Elongated 1.6 GPF Universal Height TORNADO FLUSH Toilet with CEFIONTECT, Cotton White - CST776CSFG#01

Okay, so after doing some research during a bathroom remodel, replacing an old, low, janky "rounded" toilet, I decided to buy the TOTO Drake [original] single-flush 1.6 GPF [gallons per flush] "universal height" [slightly higher sitting for us tall folks] "elongated" toilet with Tornado Flush, or whatever it's called, here on Amazon. And I picked up a nice Bemis elongated slow-close toilet seat/lid with nickel hinges (same as the other toilet) from Home Depot, since I used it on another toilet and liked the design, materials, and slow-close.Anyway, had my handyman brother install it with a Better Than Wax rubber gasket between the toilet and flange. Seemed like it was done relatively quickly. So, presumably, if you know what you're doing, it's reasonably easy to install?So far, I've not had to actually scrub / clean it yet. It's only been installed a week or so. But, so far no problems, no tank flange/seal leaks, no external drips/leaks, etc. Time will tell if any develop. But, so far, it seems to be doing nicely.Some advertising materials indicated a large "water spot" in the bowl [as opposed to some where there's nearly no water in the bowl], but I couldn't ever really get a good sense of what that meant from online materials. So, I've included a picture with the general water level in the bowl when the tank & bowl are filled and off, for reference, in case it helps anyone else.It's a reasonably large "water spot," contra some where the water just sits down at the very bottom and the rest of the bowl is dry, which can lead to bits hanging on for dear life. So far, that hasn't been an issue with this toilet. In the old bowl (with regular rim holes that just point downward), it was. With the new bowl it has kinda' like two swirly jets from the tank toward the top of the bowl, with another jet that pushes stuff directly into the drain pipe and a relatively rimless design, and it's stayed pretty free of bowl debris so far. And it seems like it'll be easy to clean without having to guess whether the under-rim area is clean or not (since it doesn't have an overhang for stuff to get under, just the bowl sides and two water jet outlets that swirl water into the bowl). Whether it will remain free of clinging debris over the long term remains to be seen, but so far so good...Since it hasn't clogged yet, I can't tell if the space between the existing "water spot" [which takes up about half the bowl height (+/-)] and the lip of the bowl is sufficient to hold the water contents of the tank, if it did clog, or if it would overflow, strictly between the "water spot" + water from the tank. Kind of hope never to have to find out. (o_0)The tank seem to refill fairly quickly. Can't say whether it's louder or quieter than other tank refills. There's definitely refill sound. Don't know that I'd say that it's overly loud, which I guess means it's reasonably quiet. You definitely still hear it, so it's not like it's silent. But it's not terribly obtrusive and tends to be fairly quick, IMO.Overall, so far, I'm not disappointed by it. It's cleared everything I've put in it so far, as far as toilet paper and such and hasn't clogged one yet. Unlike the old small round toilet which would have a hard time clearing much of anything and frequently clogged with fairly, I think, average amounts of T.P. As far as that goes, I'm pleased so far, not having had to plunge it yet once. That's a nice change of pace. Hopefully that keeps up. Haven't explicitly tried flushing huge piles of T.P. like some advertising suggests it's capable of to see if it actually clogs, or of the swirling action successfully clears it. Maybe I'll try it sometime and get back to you... ;)[Update (after about a year): Overall, quite happy with this toilet. So far so good. No leaks, as yet, and generally good flushing power. That said, it's not "uncloggable," though it fares far better than the old small low-flow toilet, which clogged regularly. Too much TP *can* still apparently cause a clog. Generally, once I got the technique right, any clogs have been fairly easy to clear without too much effort. The glaze seems to make it reasonably easy to scrub off any stubborn particulates, or bacterial "pink mold" (who knew adult life would be a constant battle against pink mold in toilets, sinks, bathtubs, and showers?). So, yeah, no real complaints to-date.]

Installed this about a month ago after I decided to try it myself rather than use a task rabbit. I am 33 and only a little handy when it comes to this stuff. Watched a youtube video to walk me through. Will say that using a rubber seal rather than a wax saved my life because my place is older and the screws didn't line up perfectly so I had to pick it up and put it down a few times, which it is not light! I am 200 6'4 and still thought it was a bit heavy so I recommend 2 people if smaller than that. The flush is great and it is higher than my old toilet which has been wonderful.

Love the new flushing system as I first bought Toto toilets more then a decade ago. Got these for my new house. The price is unbeatable as I looked at stores around me that sold the same toilets for a much higher price. Got three. Really can't beat Toto toilets. It was packaged with plenty of support and unless it was tossed around during delivery I don't know how it could be damaged.

The media could not be loaded. This toilet was long overdue at my dad’s house. I did a lot of research, and plumbers seem to laude the Toto Drake as the gold standard in mid-priced toilets. To that end - it’s indeed fantastic. It looks clean and sleek in cotton white. The elongated bowl is better for large-bottomed folks, but also men, I’m told. (It isn’t ridiculously elongated - just seems like a standard residential toilet.) I AM glad I ordered the universal/chair height — which is a couple inches taller than the standard version. I’m 5’8 and it doesn’t seem noticeably tall at all. Moreso, I appreciate my dad doesn’t have to struggle as much sitting down or getting up off of it. I highly recommend this height more than the standard version. Also, the flush isn’t overpowering as others have said - yes, it’s on the strong side but the sound isn’t any louder than a standard home toilet flush.HOWEVER… the installation was awful. Granted, I’ve never installed a toilet but I’m a sharp gal who’s comfortable with household repairs. (Plenty of YouTube videos to teach you - and these were infinitely more helpful than the folded paper instructions.)Here are some important tips for first-time installers, or if you’ve never installed this type of toilet. FIRST - you need to buy mounting hardware/screws for the floor (I anticipated this as the small print and reviews stated this kit does NOT come with them. The screws/nuts/metal and rubber washers for the tank are included, as are the plastic caps to cover up the screws on the floor.) The floor mounting screws are usually included in the new wax seal or “Better Than Wax” seal that you will also need to buy ($9). I also HIGHLY recommend getting an extra tank mounting kit/set of screws and rubber washers - mine cost like $6 at Home Depot - AND a small tube of silicon sealant ($8–12).As others have noted, after I installed it the first time, the bottom of the tank started leaking - BADLY - as soon as I turned the water on. I’ll add that I followed directions to the letter - and carefully tightened each side of the tank screws little by little to ensure an even fit. It was hard gauging how tight to screw everything because you don’t want to crack the porcelain and ruin your toilet. So, after failed installation #1, I went through the tedium of scooping the water out of the tank and unscrewing the tank mounting bolts to try again. After installation attempt #2, there was still a tiny bit of leaking when I turned on the water - which I thought I fixed by tightening one of the tank screws. However, when I flushed - same problem. Water would seep out of the bottom of the tank. This is when I cried. You know that scene in “Christmas Vacation” when Clark Griswold freaks out when his Christmas lights fail? I felt like that times 26.My dad, an expert family handyman, extolled me to try the silicon. He said it looked like tightening the screws sucked part of the rubber washer into the mounting hole, creating a faulty seal. This was surprising because the toilet comes with *thick* rubber washers, but I had better luck with the store-bought ones. Because I mentally couldn’t handle a third failed attempt, my dad showed me how to apply a thin layer of silicon under the rubber washer before affixing the inside-the-tank screws. We also applied a thin line of silicon along the outside of the rubber gasket where it affixes to the plastic ring around the bottom hole in the tank. You want to use the bare minimum amount of silicon to create a good “all the way around” seal - while wiping up any excess, which could dry and create a lumpy barrier that might prevent things from fitting as intended. I was irritated to have to wait 24 hours to let the silicon dry - but I’m glad I did. (In other words, the screws were affixed to the tank, but we let the tank and components dry completely before attaching it to the base of the bowl.) FINALLY - hallelujah - when I affixed the tank the third time, THERE WERE NO FRICKING LEAKS!! Just be sure to look carefully at the two tiny upward, porcelain mounds at the front of the toilet bowl, and the one in the back of the toilet. Once you’ve tightened enough so that all three are gently touching the tank - and the tank doesn’t move when you try to wiggle it - you should be set. That said, I would never, ever, ever attempt this again without the silicone to reinforce the seal.

I love this new toilet! I decided to get rid of American Standards Champions 4 defective toilet and bought this to replace it. It assembled easily and worked perfectly the first time I set it up. As opposed to the Champion 4 which the plumber installed and never worked correctly from the1st day. This toilet is a game changer as I could see that the water swirls at the very top of the bowl...like a tornado and flushes smoothly and quickly. Refill of tank was about average but that's not a concern for me. I would definitely buy this toilet again. Finally, a toilet that actually works