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Oct 31, 2024

The 3 Best Toilets of 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Doug Mahoney Doug Mahoney is a writer covering home-improvement topics, outdoor power equipment, bug repellents, and (yes) bidets. As the classic Taro Gomi children’s book states, “everyone poops.”

By Doug Mahoney

Doug Mahoney is a writer covering home-improvement topics, outdoor power equipment, bug repellents, and (yes) bidets.

As the classic Taro Gomi children’s book states, “everyone poops.” But unfortunately, not every toilet offers a good flush. And even fewer have features that add comfort, work efficiently, and make the bowl easier to clean.

We spoke with three toilet manufacturers, four plumbers, and the two people who oversee the independent evaluation of toilet water use and flush performance. We surveyed colleagues on their toilet lives and spent days sorting the endless model options at retail. In the end, we found one toilet that sits above the rest: the Toto Drake MS776124CEFG#01.

Comfortable, stylish, long-lasting, versatile to configure, easy to clean, and equipped with a powerful flush, the Toto Drake is a toilet beloved by many.

Similar in features to our top pick, this American Standard model has a strong, swirling flush, and it usually costs a little less. But it lacks the Toto toilet’s reputation.

This Kohler toilet offers a strong flush, wide availability, and a solid record of reliability, but it lacks some of the finer details, such as washlet compatibility, that help distinguish our top pick from Toto.

Comfortable, stylish, long-lasting, versatile to configure, easy to clean, and equipped with a powerful flush, the Toto Drake is a toilet beloved by many.

The Toto Drake MS776124CEFG#01 has all the features that make for an excellent toilet. With a 1.28-gallon flush, it meets the water-usage criteria for all 50 states, including California. The unique flush of the Toto Drake flows water into the bowl through two holes along the upper edge, putting the water into a swirling pattern that cleans the bowl as it travels around. This flush system incorporates a redesigned bowl rim, one that is easier to clean than a toilet with a traditional flush. The Drake’s seat height is 17.625 inches off the floor, higher than average, which not only helps to make the toilet ADA approved but also makes it more comfortable for most people.

The Drake comes in two aesthetic styles—regular and transitional—so it should be suitable for a wide array of homes and looks. The elongated bowl is comfortable. It also integrates easily with Toto’s line of washlets, with a hole at the back of the bowl to hide the power and water lines (if you don’t have a washlet, the hole is covered by the included seat).

Other than the washlet integration, this feature set is not unique to the Drake—it’s more or less found on all of our recommendations—but what’s unique about the Drake is the enthusiasm surrounding the toilet. Most of the plumbers we spoke to called it out by name, it’s all over the internet as one of the best toilets, and a Wirecutter colleague referred to his Drake as “my most trusted friend.” The reputation of the Drake is outstanding. This Toto toilet costs more than similar models from other manufacturers, but as one plumber told us, you get what you pay for.

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Similar in features to our top pick, this American Standard model has a strong, swirling flush, and it usually costs a little less. But it lacks the Toto toilet’s reputation.

If the Toto Drake is not available, we also like the American Standard VorMax 238AA104. It offers a similar set of features, including a 1.28-gallon swirling flush, a taller height, a variety of aesthetic styles, and ADA compliance, but it’s generally less expensive. The flushing mechanism in the tank is a little more complicated, so any repairs may become more involved than with a regular flush valve. We’ve read many good things about the VorMax, but it doesn’t have anything close to the vocal support of the Drake.

This Kohler toilet offers a strong flush, wide availability, and a solid record of reliability, but it lacks some of the finer details, such as washlet compatibility, that help distinguish our top pick from Toto.

The Kohler Cimarron K-31621-0 is another great choice. Combining a 1.28-gallon circular flush with a tall seat and an elongated bowl, it’s similar to our other recommended toilets, but like the American Standard VorMax, it lacks the reputation—and the washlet integration—of the Toto Drake. Although the Cimarron doesn’t offer the stylistic options of our other two picks, Kohler sells additional toilet lines with similar feature sets, such as the Betello and Corbelle.

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To get a sense of the decisions that go into designing a toilet, as well as insights into individual lines, we spoke with representatives of Toto, American Standard, and Kohler. From Toto, we talked to Bill Strang, president of corporate strategy, ecommerce, and after sales consumer experience. We had an email exchange with Sal Gattone, vice president, global program management, R&D for Lixil International (the parent company of American Standard). From Kohler, we spoke with Luke Bartel, senior product manager, and Andrew Van Gorden, product marketing manager.

We also spoke with a number of plumbers, through both email and phone interviews. Their insights gave us a sense of the features they recommend to clients, as well as specific models they prefer. Their hands-on experience was crucial to our research. (Speaking about the value of a plumber’s opinion, Toto’s Strang told us, “I mean, frankly speaking, if a plumber has got to go back to a house and replace something, that plumber will dog-cuss you for the rest of their career.”) These folks included:

We also had an extended conversation with Mitch Smedley, of Smedley Plumbing, based in the Kansas City, Missouri, area. In addition to his plumbing work, Smedley runs a YouTube channel devoted to plumbing; one of his videos is an extensive flush test of three commonly available toilets. Smedley also does a podcast, The Void, that offers advice to tradespeople on how to successfully operate their business.

We spoke with John Koeller, of Koeller & Company, and Bill Gauley, of Gauley Associates, the two people responsible for developing and maintaining the MaP toilet-testing program, the certification that evaluates a toilet’s flush strength and water usage. Although they no longer conduct the actual testing themselves, they still oversee the program, which currently lists more than 6,000 toilets in this spreadsheet.

Finally, I spent weeks doing general research, reading online reviews, digging into manufacturer websites, and roaming around plumbing message boards, most notably the Terry Love Forums. I also spent a little time in the toilet aisle at a big-box store and perused the wares at a kitchen and bath showroom.

During all of that, I renovated a bathroom and went through the toilet-purchasing process myself, getting a firsthand look at the overwhelming number of available toilets. I also saw how aesthetic style and the size of the bathroom factor into the decision.

Prior to my time at Wirecutter, I spent 10 years in construction as a carpenter, foreman, and jobsite supervisor, building high-end homes in the Boston area. Additionally, I’m a chronic DIYer, and at this point I have renovated three homes, doing much of the work myself. These experiences have given me a decent knowledge of plumbing systems. Since I first picked up a hammer, I’ve installed at least five or six toilets in my own homes and those of family and friends. I also write about bidets for Wirecutter.

You already know that you need a toilet—but when do you need a new toilet? If you have one you like, and it doesn’t clog, our general advice is to stick with it. A good toilet with nice features costs a few hundred dollars, and professional installation costs another few hundred on top of that. So if you don’t need to make the purchase, there’s no sense in it.

But if you have an older toilet, maybe one with a 3.5-gallon flush, you may consider upgrading. The current national standard for toilet water usage is a 1.6-gallon flush, but we found good models that meet California’s stricter 1.28-gallon limit. If your toilet consistently needs a double flush, it’s a good candidate for replacement.

We’ll help you figure out how much toilet is worth investing in. Our research confirmed that you can get a decent toilet with strong flushing power for about $100. But there’s a lot more to a loo than just evacuating the contents of the bowl: Nicer toilets offer aesthetic variety, they’re easier to clean, they’re more comfortable to sit on, and they can make it easier to upgrade to a bidet.

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We recommend a toilet with a 1.28-gallon flush. Toilets are currently mandated to have, at the most, a 1.6-gallon flush, but we found many toilets with a smaller, 1.28-gallon flush with excellent flush-test scores. A 1.28-gallon flush is the maximum amount for a toilet to meet the EPA’s WaterSense certification, and all of our research has led us to believe that a mandate of 1.28 gallons is on the horizon. Some places, such as California, already require a 1.28-gallon flush.

But low-flow toilets have a bad reputation. This is a lingering perception due to a botched initial rollout in the early 1990s. “A lot of the public still doesn’t trust the low-flow toilets of today,” plumber Mitch Smedley told us. He explained that when faced with the mandate of using only 1.6 gallons to flush, as opposed to the 3.5 gallons they had previously been using, “all the manufacturers did was put less water in the tank, without changing anything else.” This led to a lot of customer dissatisfaction and a stigma that persists even today, despite considerable evidence (including our personal experience) that a 1.28-gallon flush is plenty strong.

Toilets that use even less water are available. You can find models with 1-gallon and 0.8-gallon flushes, but although many of them perform well on flush tests, there is a concern about what happens in the drain line. “The more we try to conserve water, the more we highlight the fact that our drain lines need a certain amount of water to work properly,” Smedley told us. Without enough water, solids can stall in the drain line, and “if TP stalls out down the line long enough, it really sticks to the side of the pipe.” Smedley continued: “And so, the next flush, it doesn’t wash it down, so more TP sticks to it, and more TP sticks to it.” So when a flush is reduced to “just enough liquid to clear the bowl,” then the main drain isn’t getting a periodic rinsing that a more substantial flush provides. Smedley is even cautious of 1.28-gallon flushes; during our conversations, he highlighted how they may present issues in older homes with aging cast-iron drain lines. This is especially important in a half bath, which lacks the water of a shower or tub consistently washing the drain line clear.

A toilet should have a high MaP score. A MaP score is an evaluation of a toilet’s flushing ability and water usage. It’s a voluntary program, but one that all quality toilet manufacturers participate in. An independent lab flushes 50-gram logs consisting of soybean paste in a latex sleeve down a toilet in increasing amounts, all the way up to 1,000 grams, which is where the testing is capped. To achieve the EPA’s WaterSense certification, a toilet needs a minimum score of 350 grams. This video of a toilet failing to pass the 500-gram mark offers a sense of the process. (Be warned: The soybean-paste logs look extremely realistic.)

Most toilets can handle more than you might think. Many toilets achieve the 1,000-gram benchmark, which is a lot of material, considering what the average person produces. “We found out that approximately 95% of people's visits to the washroom are 250 grams or lower,” MaP’s Bill Gauley told us. Many toilets, including the models we recommend, have a 1,000-gram score, which, given what Gauley said, should overshoot the mark by quite a bit—1,000 grams is about 2.2 pounds. “If you're putting 1,000 grams in on your visit, you don't feel well, right?,” Toto’s Bill Strang said. But as excessive as it is, a high MaP score also leaves plenty of room for instances such as a child who is learning to use the toilet and may be using an excess of toilet paper.

There’s more to a flush than oomph. Although MaP testing is a good way to compare toilets, it concerns only flushing power; you can find plenty of basic, inexpensive toilets with a 1,000-gram score. The testing does not involve bowl cleanliness, seat height, or bidet integration, nor does it take into account all of the human variables that go into a trip to the loo. “I’ve seen some toilets advertised that they flush 1,000 grams, and they suck. And then I’ve seen other toilets advertise that they flush 800 grams, and they’re awesome,” Smedley told us. “In reality, when you have actual human waste in real TP, they may not perform as well as in the results.”

Circular flushes help keep the bowl clean. Water enters a traditional toilet bowl through a series of holes on the underside of the rim, “like 20 small squirt guns spraying the inside of a bowl,” said Kohler’s Luke Bartel. Plenty of efficient flushers use this system, but a circular flush, in which the water enters through one or two holes that send it horizontally along the edge of the bowl, adds a number of cleanliness benefits.

Each manufacturer has its own nomenclature for its specific circular flush, and each system is a little different, but the overall effect is similar. Speaking of Toto’s system, Strang told us that, compared with a traditional flush, “the water travels eight times further around the bowl in a jet action that then scrubs that surface much more effectively than just a rinse.” And without water coming from the underside of the rim, that part of the bowl can be redesigned to be much easier to clean.

We prefer single-flush models to dual-flush toilets. Dual-flush models, those that have two options for flushing—a larger amount of water for #1 and a smaller amount for #2—sound great in theory, but they have issues. As Gauley pointed out, their flushing mechanism is more complicated, and resulting problems can lead to more expensive repairs. Strang noted that the pool of water is typically smaller on dual-flush toilets, an observation echoed by one annoyed Wirecutter colleague, who regrets his purchase of a dual-flush toilet. Smedley told us that people often use the wrong flush, which then causes problems in the main drain line. A dual-flush model was “responsible for one of the worst residential drain clogs I have ever seen,” Smedley told us. “It took us hours and hours and hours to get the line free and clear of all the TP.”

The aesthetics of a toilet should fit the space. “First and foremost, you want to make sure that you’re getting a toilet that fits your aesthetic needs and your specific household needs,” Strang told us. We looked for toilets that offered a variety of looks, ranging from modern to traditional. Having just gone through a bathroom renovation, I’m well aware that a toilet has to fit with not only the bathroom but also the entire aesthetic of the home. Keep in mind too that the whites of each manufacturer may be slightly off from one to the next, so if you have an American Standard tub, for example, you may want to consider an American Standard toilet for that bathroom to maintain visual consistency.

We looked for a taller toilet and an elongated bowl. The major manufacturers all sell toilets that are taller than average—and, again, each has its own naming system, from “comfort height” to “universal height” to “chair height.” Regardless of what they’re called, these models all position the toilet seat at 17 to 19 inches high and are thus at least 2 inches taller than a traditional 15-inch toilet. That taller height is required for an ADA-approved toilet (more on that in a moment), but many people, particularly those on the taller side, just find it a more comfortable height. We’ve spoken to people who refuse to go back to a regular-height toilet after using a taller model. Some manufacturers, such as Kohler, are releasing even taller, 19-inch models, and they’re doing so based on the feedback they’ve gotten from customers. People like tall toilets.

An elongated bowl is not necessary for ADA compliance, but the shape is more comfortable for most people, as it’s longer than a round bowl and offers more room to maneuver. “Most people prefer an elongated toilet. They’re a little bit easier for ingress and egress,” Strang told us. He also noted, though, that smaller bathrooms certainly benefit from a smaller, round bowl.

We wanted at least one of our recommendations to be ADA compliant. And as it turned out, all three are. For a toilet to be ADA compliant, the height of its seat must be 17 to 19 inches from the floor, and the trip lever must activate with 5 or less pounds of force. Bartel told us that the general rule of thumb is that such a toilet can be flushed with a closed fist; as Bartel pointed out, dual-flush models with top-mounted button flushes are not in compliance. There is also a tank-height requirement to accommodate a grab bar.

Full ADA compliance also requires that installation specifications be met. In particular, the trip lever of the toilet must be on the open side of the room, “so if there’s a wall adjacent to it, either the left side or right side, the trip lever has got to be on the other side,” Strang told us. “This makes it accessible to someone in a wheelchair.” This requirement caused us to favor toilet models that offer a right-mounted trip lever.

Our recommendations are unskirted two-piece toilets. Two-piece, unskirted toilets are easier to install and less expensive, and they have a more traditional look. One-piece toilets have the advantage of being easier to clean and tend to take up less space, but they’re harder to maneuver around when you’re putting them in. Skirted toilets (an option available with both one- and two-piece toilets), in which the front and sides of the toilet exterior are smooth, are also easier to clean but have a less traditional look.

Our picks are for a 12-inch rough-in, but some are available in a 10-inch version. This has to do with the location of the drain line; it’s either 12 inches off the wall or 10 inches. If you’re replacing a toilet, you should know which one you’re dealing with before ordering.

We wanted easy availability and proven performers. We wanted our toilet recommendations to be available for pickup nationwide, as the most common complaint we saw in the hundreds and hundreds of buyer reviews we read is that a shipped toilet arrived broken. The major manufacturers’ models are all available in big-box stores and reliably sold in kitchen and bath showrooms or have ship-to-store options in which you can open a box and reject a damaged unit on the spot, rather than having to get it home only to discover it’s in a hundred pieces. We have more buying advice below.

For a great toilet, we landed on a price between roughly $300 and $600. Depending on some aesthetic choices you make, the toilets we recommend typically cost $300 to $600. The least expensive toilets available cost less than $100, and some of them have 1,000-gram MaP scores, but they’re very basic, with little in the way of aesthetic options, and they don’t offer a circular flush, a taller height, or an option to move the trip lever. We’ve concluded that something you may be sitting on a couple of times a day for decades is worth investing a reasonable amount. On the other end, you can find plenty of models that cost more, but the upgrades are mostly aesthetic at that point.

We did not run any head-to-head tests, but we are set up for long-term observation of a number of models. Although it would make for an impressive bathroom, we did not collect a dozen toilets and test them side by side. Instead, to make our picks we relied on the years of experience and expertise that folks have accumulated with these toilets. But as I was writing this guide, I had an American Standard Heritage VorMax installed at my own house, and I have plans to install the recommended Toto Drake by the end of the year. We’ll update this guide as we continue to use and observe the toilets.

Comfortable, stylish, long-lasting, versatile to configure, easy to clean, and equipped with a powerful flush, the Toto Drake is a toilet beloved by many.

We could not find a toilet more universally loved than the Toto Drake. It’s available in a variety of models, but the one that fits our criteria is the Toto Drake MS776124CEFG#01. It has all of the features that we look for in a toilet, including some not found on competing models. But what is most impressive about the Drake is the sheer amount of praise this toilet gets from both owners and plumbers. It’s rare to find such a consensus that a specific product is “the one,” but in the case of the Drake, that’s what we discovered. Echoing the sentiments of many people, plumber James Velez said, “It seems to be the perfect toilet.”

It has all of the right features. This model hits all the marks that, according to our research, make an excellent toilet. It has a circular flush (Toto calls the system the Tornado), it uses 1.28 gallons of water, and it has an elongated seat with a height of 17.625 inches. It’s available with the trip lever on either side, which makes it ADA-compliant (for the right-mounted trip lever, you need to specify the ST776ER#01 bowl and cover). And it has a 12-inch rough-in dimension. This set of features is not found on most toilets, and it makes this Toto model water-efficient, easy to clean, and, for many people, easy to get on and off of.

There is a Drake model for you. Toto currently has 65 Drake models listed on its site (although many of them are just models sold without the seat or models paired with a bidet). Our preference is the version with the feature set listed above, but if you have other needs or preferences, such as a 10-inch rough in, a round bowl, or a lower seat, Toto has you covered. It’s just a matter of going to the Toto site and using the filters to get the Drake toilet that matches your preferences.

It has a strong flush. The Drake uses Toto’s Tornado flush, which sends water into the bowl through two openings positioned along the upper edge of the bowl (competitors, in contrast, just use one opening). The water enters horizontally—instead of straight down, as in a regular toilet—and swirls around the bowl, cleaning as it goes. If you’re concerned about the relatively low 1.28-gallon amount of water per flush, don’t be: This video shows the Drake flushing down 1,000-grams, about 2.2 pounds, of MaP material (be warned, though, that the test material looks quite realistic). The flush-comparison test in the video also shows that the Drake has a stronger pull force in its flush than competitors.

This is a washlet-ready version. This version of the Drake comes with a washlet-ready bowl, which has a cutout in the porcelain to the rear of the seat that hides the plumbing and electrical connection to the bidet. In our experience testing washlets, we’ve found that one of the drawbacks is the unsightly cord and hose, so this bowl design offers an excellent way to tidy that up. Different bidets have the cord and water inlet in different locations, so the only washlets we recommend using with this toilet are Toto models. You may also be able to get a package deal of the Drake with a washlet; Toto sells such bundles on its website.

You have a lot of aesthetic options. Versions of the Toto Drake are available in five different colors, including bone, beige, and black (though the white bowl is the only color available that is washlet-ready). Toto offers trip-lever location and finish options as well. As for the overall look of the toilet, Toto also sells a transitional design, which may suit an older home better than the regular model. The difference is in the tank shape and lid design. If you want to get the other recommended features, including the washlet integration, in the transitional design, choose the MS786124CEFG#01. Note, however, that the transitional version does not have options for colors or a right-mounted trip lever.

We found a lot of high praise for the Toto Drake. During our weeks of researching toilets, one thing became clear: The Drake has a stellar reputation. While no product of any kind will ever get unanimous praise, the enthusiasm for the Drake is at such a high level, it’s impossible to ignore. Many of the plumbers we spoke with mentioned either the Drake specifically or Toto in general as a brand they trust.

In our conversation, plumber, YouTuber, and podcaster Mitch Smedley referred to the Drake as the “front-runner on a high-end, good professional toilet.” Jim Fromholz, YouTube’s Grumpy Plumber, recommended Toto toilets, telling us, “They may cost a little more, but you get what you pay for.” Plumber James Velez said he’s seen people having clogging issues with their old toilet, and once the Drake is installed, the problems go away. The plumber in this video, from Pershing Plumbing of Pasadena, California, installs a Drake and calls it “the best flushing toilet,” twice praising its design and looks in the process.

Our Drake-owning Wirecutter colleagues agree. “I’m obsessed with it,” said one who recently installed two as part of a renovation. “It has a very authoritative flush but doesn’t use a ton of water. Our old low-flow toilets were such junk.”

This r/Plumbing Reddit thread asking about the Drake offers a good summary of the sentiment we encountered. Responses include statements like, “Toto Drake is the GOAT toilet,” “I LOVE my Toto toilets,” and “I got one recently, loved it, and got another.” The thread includes plumbers who recommend the Drake, and others who say they’ve thrown away their plungers since getting one.

It may come without a seat. Many retailers sell the Drake without a seat. This is because of the prevalence of washlet owners, who will simply take the seat off anyway. So if you want a seat, you may need to make a separate purchase.

It can be expensive. The pricing on Toto’s website puts the Drake roughly between $400 and $650, at the high end of the toilet range (but by no means at the top). During our research, we priced out the toilet at a South Pasadena, California, kitchen and bath showroom, and it came to about $300, less expensive than our other recommendations. Considering this experience, we think it’s a good idea to call around to compare pricing.

It has a very large footprint. Mitch Smedley does not use Toto Drake toilets, due to the design of the base. On most toilets, the rear of the bowl footing is a few inches off the wall and inset from the back line of the tank. But on the Drake, the rear of the footing extends so far back that it’s in line with the rear of the tank. This design should still work in most situations, but as Smedley told us, “If you enter a house that has significant base trim, thick base trim, and let’s say you might have, like, an 11½-inch rough-in, maybe not quite a 12, if you get into those tighter scenarios, the bowl of the Toto Drake will run into the back wall.” He continued, “We’ve just got to go with the toilet that works in every application. And so, for us, it was a business decision, and it stinks, because the Toto Drake is a really good toilet.” His preference is the Gerber Avalanche.

It has a smaller water spot than most models. Compared with many other single-flush toilets, the Drake has a smaller water spot (the pool of water in the bowl). According to Toto’s spec sheet, the pool measures 9 by 6.875 inches, which is about an inch narrower than that of the American Standard VorMax and an inch all around smaller than that of the Kohler Cimarron. Drake owners we’ve spoken to have noticed the smaller size of the water spot, but no one has found it prohibitive in any way. Still, this is something we’ll be keeping our eye on as we continue to use these toilets.

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Similar in features to our top pick, this American Standard model has a strong, swirling flush, and it usually costs a little less. But it lacks the Toto toilet’s reputation.

Another option is the American Standard VorMax 238AA104. This Drake alternative offers many of the same features as that Toto toilet, such as a taller height and a circular flush (American Standard calls its flush the VorMax system). This toilet comes in a variety of styles and, unlike the others, offers one-piece options. Some versions are available only at Lowe’s. We’ve found many good reviews of this toilet, as well, but it lacks the devoted following of the Drake.

You have a few styles to choose from. If you have an antique home, the Heritage VorMax a similar toilet with the same base features but with a different aesthetic. The company also sells other VorMax lines, but look closely at the products’ details, as some don’t offer the circular flush.

The VorMax flush valve is unique. Inside the tank of a VorMax toilet, you can see not one but two flapper valves that open when the trip lever is pressed. This unique mechanism sends some of the water into the circular bowl wash and directs the rest to the bottom of the bowl to get the siphon started. It’s an interesting system, with the downside being that it involves more moving parts that can malfunction, and it will likely be more challenging for a DIYer to fiddle with in case a repair needs to happen. Like the other toilets we recommend, the VorMax toilet has the highest MaP score, 1,000 grams.

It’s well liked, but its reviews are no match for the Drake’s enthusiastic following. We’ve found many people saying positive things about the VorMax line of toilets, but that feedback doesn’t come close to the Drake’s widespread praise.

We’ve installed a Heritage VorMax, and we will update this guide accordingly. We installed a Heritage VorMax as part of a bathroom renovation, and we plan to keep an eye on its performance over time; so far the first couple of weeks have been successful. Mitch Smedley told us that he has pulled out a number of VorMax toilets due to excessive mineral buildup in the trapway. He said that he has seen it only with VorMax toilets and theorized that it might have something to do with the bowl coating, though he also noted that it could be related to local water quality. In searching online, we didn’t see any other people discussing this issue, but it’s certainly something we’re going to track.

The underside of the rim is not glazed. Honestly, this omission is a bit baffling, and it’s one of the little touches that explain why this toilet lacks the sterling reputation of the Drake. One of the biggest benefits of a circular flush is that it makes cleaning the rim of the bowl easier, but because American Standard has left that small strip unglazed on the VorMax, it’s rougher and thus more apt to collect gunk and bacteria.

It is available only with a 12-inch rough-in. The VorMax does not offer a bowl option with a 10-inch rough-in. It’s vital to know which measurement you’re dealing with in your home, and if it’s 10 inches, our other recommendations provide such an option.

This Kohler toilet offers a strong flush, wide availability, and a solid record of reliability, but it lacks some of the finer details, such as washlet compatibility, that help distinguish our top pick from Toto.

We also like the Kohler Cimarron K-31621-0. This toilet shares all of the most important features of the Toto Drake and the American Standard VorMax, including a 1.28-gallon circular flush, a taller height, a 12-inch rough-in, an elongated bowl, and ADA compliance (the version with the right-side trip lever is model number K-31621-RA-0). It’s also available in a variety of colors. Like the VorMax, the Cimmaron is a well-liked toilet, but we didn’t see the same kind of enthusiasm as we did for the Drake. It consistently costs a few hundred dollars less than the Drake. Kohler toilets are typically available on the shelves of Home Depot, even in versions with a seat included, so this model may be available at a moment’s notice (but please read our buying advice before purchasing a toilet from a big-box store).

Not all Cimarron models offer the same flush. While the Cimarron toilet we recommend utilizes a circular flush (Kohler calls its system the Revolution 360), you can find other, one-piece and skirted Cimarrons that do not.

The Cimarron gives you limited stylistic options, but other Kohler toilets use the circular flush. Unlike the Drake, which comes in both modern and transitional styles, the Cimarron toilets that use the Revolution 360 flush are limited in their aesthetics. But Kohler has other lines, such as the Betello and Corbelle, that offer a different look with the same flush.

It offers a powerful flush, but not a complete cleaning. This version of the Cimarron has a 1,000-gram MaP score, so in a controlled test it can clearly empty out a full bowl; in this video of a flush test, the Cimarron takes down a lot of material. However, later in that video, in a different test using dirty water, it needs a second flush to achieve full cleanliness. We know that this is just one test, but it’s something we’ll be keeping an eye on.

We’ve seen repeated claims that the Cimarron’s flush doesn’t adequately clean the inside of the bowl. This thread on the Terry Love Forums is particularly scathing, though all of the posts there are prior to 2017, and most of them are from before 2007. Kohler redesigned the Cimarron in 2020, adding the Revolution 360 flush, so these criticisms no longer apply, but if you have any issues with bowl cleanliness, we recommend this silicone spray.

It doesn’t have the near-unanimous love of the Toto Drake. Smedley said that Kohler products “always work great and always look great,” but he mentioned that servicing them can be difficult due to Kohler “changing their parts every couple years.” We’ve read many other positive reactions to the Kohler Cimarron, as well, but like the American Standard VorMax, it lacks the enthusiastic following of the Toto Drake.

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We strongly recommend purchasing a toilet through a plumbing-supply house or a showroom rather than a big-box store. Doing so is the best way to guarantee getting an intact toilet packaged in a way that makes it easy to transport. This approach also makes it much easier for you to dial in the specifics and get the exact toilet you want.

As Mitch Smedley describes in a video called “Box Store Toilets Need to Change,” a toilet purchased at a plumbing-supply house comes in three boxes: one with the bowl, one with the tank, and one with the lid. These boxes are all manageable in weight and size and packed accordingly. He told us in an interview, “I think we’ve only had one piece broken from a supplier” in four years of business.

Ordering a toilet at a supply house also puts you in touch with someone who has a thorough understanding of the toilet line and the available options, so you can more easily get the trip lever on a particular side of the tank for an ADA installation, for example. Many variations like that aren’t in stock at a big-box store.

Places such as Lowe’s and Home Depot, on the other hand, typically sell a toilet in a single box—and a poorly padded one at that. “The toilet tank is, like, at the edge of the cardboard box. It’s not like there’s a big buffer of cardboard,” Smedley told us. In his video, he explains how he once went through three broken box-store toilets for a client before he finally gave up and bought one from a supplier.

Smedley understands the logistical and shelf-space limitations of a big-box store, so he gets why they operate this way. “Can you imagine the nightmare if they tried to sell all three different pieces at a box store? People would be walking out with a toilet bowl thinking they have a whole toilet, or they would be crossing brands, and they’ve got a Kohler tank on a Gerber bowl, right? The box store really doesn’t have a choice but to pack them all into one box.”

This isn’t to say that every toilet in a big-box store is broken, just that damage is far more likely to happen, and it’s not always immediately evident. You might not see a hairline crack until the toilet is installed and leaking water. A big-box store purchase may be the most convenient for a variety of reasons, but we think that for the best experience—both with ordering and receiving the product—sticking with a supply house is worth the effort.

The worst option is to have a toilet delivered to your home. In our research, we found that the majority of negative reviews left for toilets with various retailers stated that the toilet arrived broken. Due to its size, a broken toilet is not an easy thing to repackage and ship back, not to mention the time you spend waiting for a second delivery (which may also be broken). At least with a big-box store, you can open the box in the parking lot and return the toilet if you see that it’s clearly broken.

We did not spend much time investigating smart toilets such as the premium Kohler Numi 2.0 or the Toto Neorest. Offering features such as an automatic flush, an automatic open and close, and an integrated bidet, smart toilets range in price from around $1,500 all the way up to over $20,000. They’re clearly not a mainstream choice at the moment, but all of the manufacturers we spoke with indicated that they only see the category growing, especially as people in the US continue to adopt bidets into their bathrooms. We’ll continue to monitor interest in this style of toilet.

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A great many toilets are available (the current updated MaP spreadsheet lists more than 6,000 toilets), so we can’t cover them all here. But in looking at models with a 1.28-gallon circular flush, we’ve concluded that the toilets we recommend offer the most in terms of stylistic options, availability, and proven reliability.

The Gerber Avalanche GWS21818 is a favorite of Mitch Smedley’s, and it sits alongside our recommendations with its circular flush. (If you can’t find the GWS21818, look for the similar GWS31818.) Gerber has a great reputation, but the downside is that it doesn’t match the stylistic options of Toto or the other manufacturers whose models we recommend. Otherwise, we think this toilet would be a nice choice.

Toto’s Drake II is similar to our top pick but with further refined aesthetics, including a rimless bowl. It’s typically a few hundred dollars more than the original Drake.

Toto’s overall reputation extends to the rest of its toilets, even though the Drake seems to be a particular favorite. The Promenade II and Vespin are among the lines that utilize the Tornado flush.

Niagara makes a number of low-flow toilets with a 0.8-gallon flush. Many of these models are on the MaP premium list, meaning they have a flush of less than 1.1 gallons and a MaP score of over 600. The downside is that they’re not as widely available and they offer limited aesthetic choices.

One of the plumbers we spoke with, Dusty Hoerler of Craftsman Plumbing, prefers Caroma toilets. These are all dual-flush models with a modern look. For reasons described above, however, we don’t recommend dual-flush toilets.

Glacier Bay is a Home Depot brand known for inexpensive toilets, some, like model N2824E, selling for under $100. A lot of its toilets have a 1,000-gram MaP score, but they’re fairly standard otherwise, lacking the aesthetic options and the overwhelming reputation of the Toto toilet.

Among other toilets, American Standard sells the Cadet 3 and Champion 4, both well-known toilets. Neither model has the circular flush.

We did not look at pressure-assisted toilets. Considering the success of the regular toilets, even those that use as little water as 1.28 gallons, we didn’t feel the need to enter a category that is louder and more difficult to work on.

This article was edited by Harry Sawyers.

Doug Mahoney

Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning.

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