TOTO MS854114SL-01 Ultramax ADA One Piece Toilet (Cotton White)

The toilet was istalled by my husband for my mother in law who is 81 yrs old. She loves it. The added height helps and she likes the extra room on the enlongated model. It flushes so nice and quiet and you only have to flush once! My husband used a wax free seal and he says it works very well, not so messy. We did a lot of research on toilets and this is rated the very best by plumbers and users. We agree.

The Toto brand was written into the requirement specs by my architect, and for good reason. They make the best toilets.

I purchased two toilets: this Toto and an American Standard toilet to match another bathroom. After five years of use, I can report this: the only time the Toto backed-up was when a group of ill-behaved teenage guys were guests in the house. The American Standard has backed up many times, although I would not say it happens frequently. Also, the Toto always clears the bowl on the first flush. The American Standard sometimes needs two flushes and I always limit the amount of toilet paper to three per flush.

The only thing to be aware of is that the Toto's flush is loud. Not really a problem unless you use it often at night, have light sleepers and put it near that bedroom. The loud flush is what makes the flush powerful than others.

One more thing to be aware of: A recent article suggested that higher toilet seats, while more comfortable and easier to use, puts the user in an unnatural position for use and can cause gastro-intestinal problem in the long runs. The natural position is crouching. But many of us really need the extra height.

Should I buy this? Yes. I've been happy. If not this one, then at least a Toto. My architect knew what he was talking about.

Helpful? Click yes, if so.

Toto Ultramax MS854114SL (SL means it is the tall version)

I researched toilets for a couple of months back when we put in our first bathroom. This had great reviews back then and from the reading I did it was the clear winner. I bought this almost 3 years ago and we, a family of 4, have been happy users all this time.

I'll start with the most important paragraph then hit the other points in a more logical way...

The Flush: I have HATED low-flow toilets ever since they came out. My Grandmother put one in several years before I got this one and it has had nothing but trouble. We have to flush it 2 or 3 times for anything solid. Plus it had weak internals and randomly leak-flushed. After experiencing that P.O.S. toilet I was dismayed at the thought of having to buy my own low-flow and pined for the robust flushes of my youth. Toto had some 1.28 GPF toilets but when I saw they had this 1.6 GPF I marked that down as "necessary". I have no idea how the 1.28s work, but this 1.6 one is GREAT. I have put some monsters down this toilet and there has never even been a slight hiccup. We have never plunged nor double flushed. It is a dream toilet with a supreme flush.

Installation: I used a wax-free toilet seal (3 inch) since we have in-floor heating and a wax seal would melt. That was easy as all you do is peal the sticker back off the rubber seal, flip the toilet upside down, paste the seal over the column-hole thingy, flip the toilet back around and lower it onto the hole in the floor while guiding the two screws up through the holes in the toilet base. It took about 4 minutes and there was never a problem afterward.

Over all presentation: The lines are clean and it is attractive. The single piece design is super easy to clean and I no longer have to fish sponges, wipies or rags through the tank crack. I originally wanted an enclosed trap design so I could just sponge off the sides, but this is so smooth and easy to clean that it is just as good.

Seat height: This is one of very few toilets that I liked that has a seat height above 17 inches (the SL in MS854114SL). I am 6 foot, 180 lbs. My wife is 5'9" (and nobody knows how much she weighs). We are both tall with long legs and the seat height is PERFECT. I feel like I'm squatting when I use standard height toilets now, so be careful if you get this, it will spoil you.

Seat: The seat that comes with it is brilliant. You can "drop" the seat (and/or cover) and it will slowly and quietly lower itself into the closed position. Or you can push it down of you are doing the wee-wee dance and don't feel like waiting. Either way, it never slams down and I love not hearing that crash anymore. Additionally, the seat is molded in a way that if you have small children who are learning how to urinate while sitting it somehow catches the pee that passes between the stool and the seat. The underside is curved upward but other than that it is a mystery how it works. I have never cleaned urine dribbles off the front of the toilet but I frequently have to paper off the underside of the seat after my son misses the water. It is a small but nice feature. Lastly, it is amazingly comfortable. My wife wanted to get a padded seat but we waited for some reason and after we used the toilet for a week we have never thought about the padded toilet seat again.

The tank: There have been no problems so the only times I've looked into the tank was back when we didn't have running water for a while and I had to manually fill the tank from stored water. My only gripe with the design is that the glue holding the Velcro onto the lid was not stronger than the Velcro, so both pieces of Velcro now stay on the tank side and serve as a cushion for the lid. I would have preferred a tank lid that was molded to fit so the Velcro wouldn't be needed. But it looks nice and it has never fallen off, so it isn't a big deal.

I just bought our second Toto Ultramax MS854114SL today to put into our 2nd bathroom which we are finally finishing up this week. I don't know a better way to endorse this than to buy another one. Oh, my Mom loves this toilet now, too, and will be getting several when she and my Dad remodel their bathrooms this summer.

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