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If you're looking to buy a Toto toilet, it's important to remember which specific features give certain products an edge over their competitors. We touch on that in this review of the Drake II collection.
We want to ensure that our readers fully understand its flushing mechanism, how many gallons of water is uses, the advantages of its design, any potential flaws, and much more. In fact, you can compare it to other good toilets on our home page to see where it excels and where there is room for improvement.
The CST454CEFG#01 seems to be a popular choice among consumers and plumbing professionals. It's highly rated in the majority of customer feedback we've found to date and has strong flushing performance going by Maximum Performance scores (800 grams).
Its CEFiONITECT glazing will cover the ceramic china and give it a lubricious surface that stops germs, bacteria, debris, and waste sticking to the bowl. With the powerful, dual nozzle tornado flush, this will improve the effectiveness of its cleaning and rinsing.
It also saves users money through water conservation. The eco friendly flush uses 1.28 gallons, which allows it to meet the Environmental Protection Agencies WaterSense Standard.
What's more, this is a ADA height model. Once a seat is purchased and attached, it will measure just over seventeen inches from the base to the seat, making it easier to sit down on. However, users will still need to budget for buying a seat seaparately. We suggest getting one with slow closing properties. The SS224, SS214, SS204, SS114 are all compatible and will fit.
All things considered, the strong flush performance combined with the comfortable, elongated, ADA bowl have ensured this model made our best overall list.
Other collections - If you're not a fan of this particular model, but still want to stick with this brand name, check out the Clayton, Neorest, Entrada, Maris, Carlyle II, Nexus, Connelly, Soiree, and UltraMax II ranges. If you like this style, we recommend checking out what the CST744SL and CST454CUFG does differently.
Rough in size - The most common sizes you'll come across are 12", and slightly less so, 10" and 14". You may be under the impression that if yours doesn't fit a 12 inch, your choices are quite limited. That may of been the case in the past, but now there are innovations that overcome this. The UniFit adapter attaches on to very specific product ranges, but allows consumers to fit it to any of these three sizes.
Bowl height - ADA approved toilets are the way forward in our view. They are more inclusive and designed specifically to provide greater access and comfort to those who need it. It's only an additional 2-3 inches, but it can make a huge difference to many peoples everyday routine. Especially the disabled and elderly.
MaP score - We always search for the MaP score wherever possible. It's an unbiased and accurate way of finding out how powerful each units flushing system is. These tests are undertaken by a 3rd party, who give each product a score between zero and one thousand grams. Most modern mechanisms achieve more than 500 grams on this scale, so try to avoid anything below that if you can.
One or two piece - If you're on a tight budget, we recommend sticking with a two piece model. Which is exactly what the CST454CEFG#01 is. However, installation difficulty goes up a notch, which can be time consuming and bothersome for the inexperienced. However, if you're happy to spend a bit more, we're of the opinion that one piece toilets usually look better and the installation and maintenance tasks are simpler.
Customer reports - If you ever find yourself having difficulty deciding if the product you have your eye on is the right choice, take a quick glance at the user feedback on various shops and stores online. They can give you a early warning about any potential red flags, or they can further cement your belief that it's a good match for your bathroom. Either way, it's a sensible step, and one which all readers should take.
The Drake II toilet is one of our favorite models. Whilst we're not fans of the design externally, it has all the functionality required for handling day to day use in a family household. It's powerful, efficient, and comfortable. Three very important pieces of information we look for.