Please restore some sanity into my search for a new toilet!

[inigo]

Hi, I am in the process of buying a new toilet and just spent 5 hours surfing the net trying to find out what I need! I don't know whats wrong with me.

The prices vary wildly for what looks exactly the same...I would be grateful for any knowledge shared on what the good brands are; where to buy and what to look out for (i have at least decided on a close-coupled; with waste horizontal). I mean is the cheap takeaway toilet from b&q, homebase etc pretty much fine in terms of quality? (i can always replce the seat).

Thank you!
Inigo

 

[bell824]

a crapper is a crapper the basic white close coupled system would do, only thing to point out is to check if the washer between pan and cistern is rubber and not of the foam style that european imports are coming with (couple of quid if it isn't).
Shanks are quite cheap and never really had to much of anissue with them!!

 

[HERTS P&D]

I fitted a new toilet for a customer last week, it was only £55 and I was surprised how good it was. (screwfix)

My one I fitted in my bathroom was a lot more money because I wanted a different style.

Andy

 

[ChrisOxford]

Some of the £50 ones from the big DIY sheds are OK if you want cheap and cheerful, but there seem to be quality control issues, for example, cracks or manufacturing faults that only make themselves known after installation. For this reason. they're probably a fair bet if you can install (then possibly remove and replace) yourself, rather than have to pay a professional.

The one I fitted for a family member worked well enouigh but the float valve and syphon were weird & wonderful Chinese stuff and would be impoossible to get spares for. I'm not even sure they could be replaced with the types we can buy over here, without extensive modifications (i.e. botching!).

And I would avoid the "back-to-wall" designs too. They look great and there are no nooks and crannies to gather dust, BUT they are a complete pain when things go wrong, requiring removal of the whole thing in a lot of instances. My mother in law had one installed recently (not by me!) and a tiny leak between the cistern and pan because of a faulty doughnut washer went un-noticed, until the hall ceiling fell down on Christmas day

Stick to well known brands if you can afford to, ideally UK made

 

[inigo]

Got it - crapper is a crapper but dont be too cheap; british brand better for expectations here; no back to wall as it can become a nightmare if not properly fitted.

Great - thanks that helps. Which brands are British??

 

[spraggo]

The one`s marked "Made in China"

 

[ChrisOxford]

Which brands are British??

Many from builders' merchants seem to be, AFAIK.

Most from the big DIY "sheds" aren't.

Some of the European ones are fine too, BTW, but don't be fooled by cheap tat with German-sounding names!

 

[Tipper]

Watch out because some cheap ones from the likes of B&Q are from continental suppliers and the shape of the pan below the 'target' area is out of alignment with respect to the release site...if you get my drift. This means the pan is always soiled and needs constant use of the brush.

(I'm told this because the Germans in particular have a peculiar fascination with seeing what they've just done. They even have Christmas decorations in the form of small round twists of turd! )

We have two of the B&Q blighters, loos that is, and you have to use the brush every dump. I keep threatening to rip them out and replace with some decent British chinaware but somehow never get round to it!

It's a real PITA!

 

[muggles]

We have two Kohler Patio toilets and one Twyford Galerie Optimise, both are excellent and very very rarely need the full flush even with a big richard the third in the pan.

Cheaper toilets often seem to flush less efficiently than more expensive ones, all modern loos are 6 litre full flush and 3-4.5 litre reduced flush as a maximum, but some don't always clear the pan first time even on their 6L full flush. Kohler do a 4/2.6 'eco' version of the Patio and based on my experience with ours I'd happily fit this with the confidence that it would clear the contents of the pan without any issues, and similarly if Twyford did an eco version of the Galerie Optimise

I've not experienced the issues with needing to clean up every time that Tipper has described either.

Duravit and Laufen are also supposed to be good makes, but are also expensive!

 

[inigo]

I am starting to think there is more to a crapper than meets the eye (so to speak!)

I will checkout these kohler and twyford loos - thanks for the tip - I'm not german and might not appreciate the post crap cleanup operation

 

[inigo]

Ps -other specific suggestions welcome!

 

[Charnwood]

Lecico. Although it comes from T'Egypt, our sister company sell it, along with Armitage, Twyfords and Shires, they say it is as good as if not better.

For health/mobility reasons I have an Atlas higher than standard close coupled suite. Excellent piece of kit.