I love my drakes....I have two. They never clog and are easy to clean. I just bought two more for my mountain house. we will see how clean they stay with the well water there. The current builder-grade toilets are dirty within a few days of cleaning due to the poor water. hopefully the toto sanigloss will help with that.

Thanks, jules, for the feedback, glad to hear that you like them. I am considering them, and need to place my order soon.

I'm getting Drake II's just based on the tons of positive reviews out there. Now I'm curious why someone wouldn't like the Drake, unless the II is an upgrade?

My parents put them at the beach when they renovated and then put them in their city house after that because they liked them so much. The only complaint they have is that they are loud - maybe because they work ;). We bought all Totos for our new build - 7 Drakes and a Soiree (which cost more than 3x as much as the drake but it has a window above and needed to be shorter than the window). They are not in use yet so don't know if it is worth the almost 600.00 upcharge . . .

Update- I went back and looked and it seems I dont have a drake. I have an ultramax. I was going to get a drake and have no idea why I went with ultramax- maybe b/c it is one piece. I dont remember Anyway- so I dont know about the drake but I saw reviews on the drake with the same problems I have on the ultramax so I think I will avoid toto.
Here is the actual model number- avoid!- Toto MS854114S Ultramax One-Piece Toilet (Elongated).

All high efficiency/low water toilets have a smaller "water spot" than the old 6+ gallon toilets. We changed out on of our 25 yr old toilets for a Drake II (ADA, elongated, sanagloss). It has clogged twice, but was easy to clear. You do have to clean your toilet every now and then; but it isn't bad. And, our water usage has gone down a LOT with this 1 toilet replacement (we didn't replace our second toilet at the same time...I wanted to see how this Drake II held up/cleaned, etc...and have a bathroom remodel in store for the other one anyway. Will replace it then).

If I had to change one thing, (if Toto is reading this thread to improve for next time), I'd figure out how to make the outlet be round as you are looking down on it from up top, rather than have the square-ish end to it (where the "jet" comes from). Over time, I believe that may be difficult to clean well (in the corners, since most brushes are round). But we haven't had ours long enough for me to see that yet.

Love our Drake. 6 years, no clogs, no issues. As it should be in toilet world.

I have a Toto Drake 1.6 and a Toto Eco Drake 1.28, both elongated, both "universal height", and both 10" rough in. (The 10" rough in really limits the choices! ) Overall I like both. They're good sturdy flushers and never seem to clog. Unfortunately, the Sana Gloss option is not available for 10" rough in. I previously had (and still have one) a 6 gallon old toilet. In the new small water spot toilets, bowl cleanliness is sometimes an issue (with solids), and more so with the 1.28. Ironically, the old 6 gallon toilet clogs more often than the Toto Drakes, and a clog is a little more scary since the 6 gallons come dangerously close to the top of the toilet when it clogs. I would recommend the Drake (rather than the Eco Drake) as a good option.

Pricklypear,
Thanks for mentioning you have a 1.28 and 1.6. I was wondering about the real life difference in performance and cleaning etc. Could you, or anyone else for that matter, elaborate on how much better the 1.6 might be for flushing or bowl cleanliness? The only advantage i can think of of going with a 1.28 is just saving a third of a gallon each flush. Not insignificant but maybe not worth a consistently soiled bowl.
Thanks,
Ken

When we were building I wanted a Toto toilet. My husband refused, based on bad reviews. At the time the American Standard Cadet had the best reviews, so we went with that. It's somewhere around 3 gallon per flush. They were being phased out at the time in favor of the 1.6 toilets, so we grabbed them.

They aren't fancy. They don't have a "designer" look. However, the plain style of them blends just fine with all my other "fancier" fixtures. I wanted a toilet that works. After all, it's a toilet. Toilets tend to go pretty much unnoticed once the newness wears off, unless they are dirty or clog.

What the Cadet does is flush, and it does it well. I've never had one clog yet, and believe me, they have been put to the test by grandkids. They stay clean if I'm a few days late with routine cleaning, and we haven't had a "racing stripe" in them yet.

We bought the elongated comfort height, and I really like them. If you aren't into designer looks more than function, and can still find one that uses 3 gallons, I highly recommend it.

Have one and loved it so much I ordered two more for our latest remodel. I was shocked to see them after install have the tank top BOLTED on. What the heck? Um, all I can imagine is the middle of the night emergency repair needing to get the top of the tank off and being S.O.L. Anyone know what this is about? This could make a hater out of me.

Ladycfp-

Your message is gibberish. IF you have one and loved it you would notice that the tank top is bolted to the bottom. These are NOT one piece toilets. What sort of in the middle of the night repair would be needed? Just turn off the water supply.

If you are saying that the lid of the water tank is bolted on then that is a new one on me. You can always get to the tank innards by lifting the lid.

-Babka

I love my Toto Drake-have had several years and not one clog. Replaced an older 5-6 gallon with another brand since then (plumber's idea) and have had numerous clogs. Will replace with another Drake eventually.

I just got a 1.28 Drake, round, regular height, no Sani Gloss. I love it. It has a nice big target area and I can't believe how it gets such a good flush with so little water. I also discovered the secret hold-down for a deeper flush for those special moments. :) I don't care if it's two-piece. It works for me.

The bolted tank lid mentioned a few posts up is an optional feature meant primarily for commercial installations to deter vandalism. They're not usually used in private homes.

My experience:
Drake 1.6 - mostly excellent, except that it send most of the water down the front in a large flume leaving very little for the sides and back of the bowl. Sometimes a piece of TP will remain stuck to the wall after flushing. But it never clogs, and flushes very fast.

Drake II 1.28 - has a small water spot just like other 1.28gpf commodes, but this one sends lots of swirling water down the sides so nothing sticks. Also has been flawlessly reliable in the short time I've had it. All the water emerges from only two large holes in the rim rather than lots of tiny holes, the latter which tend to get clogged and mildewy with time. (there's also a big underwater jet in front of the drain). Side flush lever a bit slippery but can be easily changed if you don't like it.

Babka, perhaps a photo would aid your comprehension, so I am including one. You actually cannot get to the tank, is the reason for my concern. Since I purchased the toilets from Vintage Tub, same source as before, and the description does not reference this feature at all, nor does the literature with it, I will call them and hopefully they will agree to send me a new lid for both of them. Apparently this is NOT a new feature, it is unattractive, confusing and as someone pointed out, useless in a residential installation. Now, let's just hope I don't need to get in that tank any time in the near future! Still interested to hear about what tool I would use, just in case.

As Lee points out above, it is a feature to deter theft. Since you did not order toilets with that feature, I say get on the phone right now and have the seller replace those lids. I wonder if the magic key for unlocking them was inadvertently tossed out with the boxes by the installer. Every plumber who has installed our several toilets has always lifted the lid to make sure everything was working before he left.

I don't like the way it looks either...sorta like a tiny flush button.

-Babka

It might just take an allyn wrench to open it up. See if the recessed area is a six(I think) sided key hole, to fit an allyn wrench into.

Just to add in another thought: when we did a partial remodel about 7 years ago, we chose a Caroma toilet. We'd been to Australia (this is an Australian product) and the dual flush models were everywhere we went. They worked great and the dual flush feature made a lot of sense to those of us who live in the water-poor west. So that's what we bought. All these years down the road, we still like them a lot. Worth considering.

Here is a link that might be useful: Caroma USA

I just received my Toto Vespin II. ItâÂÂs not installed yet but IâÂÂm so hoping to like it. From what l have read itâÂÂs the drake II but with an apron instead of side intestines. After the latest trip to Europe I became obsessed with toilets. While there, most water conservation toilets took three to four flushes for solids. What is the point of water conservation when it takes several flushes? Oh and then you also had to use a brush to clean the evidence. Not to say all toilets were like this but a lot were. I sure wish I would have paid attention to the brands of the ones that did as they should. Although I have never owned a higher end toilet I do have a whole new appreciation for toilets that work well. Hope I chose wisely considering my picks were limited due to the 10â rough -in, Toto luckily has the 10â rough-in part as an âÂÂextraâ option when ordering.

"side intestines" - I'm still laughing! That's exactly what it looks like.

I have to say that Europeans in general are still catching up on the whole indoor plumbing thing. Remember that post a week or so ago from the woman in Amsterdam who was renting a place where the shower was right on top of the sink and the whole (tiny) room got wet? I stayed at a home in NIce, France, where the toilet room was a converted closet. You walked the length of the room and then stepped up a step to the toilet. A real throne! The rest of the bathroom plus the laundry was down the hall in another room altogether.

jterrilynn, thanks a lot. :) I have a Toto Drake (I don't know if it's a II or not), and now the sides look like descending colons. Fortunately it's between the tub and vanity, minimal space, so I don't have that image every time I pay a visit.

Suz, Linelle, my boys are grown and on their own now but boy would I have loved a toilet with smooth sides for cleaning back then. Now I finally have one. Husband is pretty tidy but stillâ¦no more sticking my head, hands and body down there for extended periods of time all the time. Plus I have dogs so somehow dog hair would collect on the protruding tunnel parts. Ewee! I have a Jacuzzi brand toilet (came with the house) at the end of the hall in the guestroom bath and I bought a pretty ceramic garden bench to put beside it to hide the intestines that could be seen a mile away as there is no alcove. Someday that toilet will go.