Shopping for a new toilet is one of the most challenging things you can do for your home. You have a primary expectation: Successful flushes in all usual circumstances with one flush. But you ultimately have no way to tell if a new toilet will perform in its hoped-for fashion until it’s installed, and then it’s really too late to change your mind. You can’t simply return it like an ill-fitting garment or a defective device.

I searched on and off for weeks and weeks for a new toilet to replace an old cracked one. There are so many variations and claims that it’s hard to sort through and know what to believe or expect.

I settled on a 1.6 gallon flush because I feared that less water would not perform to expectations. I then relied on reviews, both good and bad, and tried to draw consensus conclusions. But then I had to find a product that could be delivered to my area, and that added additional challenges.

I settled on a TOTO Drake Two-Piece Elongated 1.6 GPF TORNADO FLUSH Toilet with CEFIONTECT, Cotton White – CST776CSG#01. This is a standard-height 2-piece product (tank and bowl are separate pieces). There is a taller option. So far, it has performed admirably. Flushes are short, but powerful and thorough. The short flush still gives me concerns, but that’s a result more of habit.

This is not described or designed as a “dual flush” unit, but you do kind of have that option. A quick activation of the lever is actually adequate for all flushes (so far), but if you feel comfortable with a longer and stronger flush, just hold the lever down a second or two longer.

The bowl is described as having a non-stick coating of some sort, and so far (it’s been several months) performs as advertised.

Toto advises against using chlorine bowl cleaners and says that soft bristle brushes should be used with gentle swipes of the bowl.

Keeping the bowl clean of mildew has also been a concern. I have long used chlorine tablets (I hate blue water cleaners), and they have performed admirably, but I’ve had to get used to periodic changes of the flapper and become inured to watching the tank bolt heads corrode. Given the caveats by the manufacturer against chlorine tabs, and the atypical flush/flapper design, I didn’t want to invite early parts replacement challenges, so I looked for an alternative.

I’m hoping that the warning against using chlorine bowl cleaners is more of a legal CYA than an actual warning, but be advised.

For the new toilet, I went with the Fluidmaster 8300 Flush ‘n Sparkle Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaning System with Bleach Cartridge. (That system has a “blue water” septic-safe option.) When properly installed (pay attention to the water going into the fill-tube and not the tank), It has the advantage of sending chlorinated water directly to the bowl while totally bypassing the water in the tank. Again, so far, this has worked extremely well. The only drawback so far is knowing when the cartridge must be replaced. With a tab, you just lift the tank lid and look. The Fluidmaster cartridge must be removed (a simple twist) to be examined. That’s not necessarily a big deal (I haven’t tried it yet), but I can see it being an annoyance. The Fluidmaster claim is 90 days of typical use as they define it.

An alternative I’m looking at for other toilets in the house for using up my current supply of chlorine tablets is Kaboom Scrub Free! Toilet Bowl Cleaner System, which works with a similar logic to the Fluidmaster, again bypassing the tank water. (This system also has a “blue water” septic-safe option.) It uses what appears to be a smaller tablet than the ones I’ve been using, but I think that can be adapted by quartering the current tabs.

I hope that this review has been helpful and that it eases your purchasing choices.

NOTE: I’ve included Amazon links for ease of reference, but I do not receive anything if you purchase through these links.