SO SORRY I haven't been back here since my original posting folks, but my bathroom demo got started earlier than I expected, we're in the thick of it now and I'm a bit frazzled. Thanks to all who replied. Here's what happened. We decided to go with the Aquia III for the height, but ended up with the Aquia II. I had ordered the A3 last week, but only 24 hours later was informed it was back-ordered and wouldn't be available for anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks. After searching for an A3 elsewhere and talking to a Toto rep, I found that was true; nobody's got 'em unless they squirreled a couple away. The rep said the company seriously underestimated the popularity of the the A3. So that's how I ended up the A2. Now, I think I'm sorry. My plumber  even though I gave him info I downloaded on the A3  is now saying he didn't sign up to install such a difficult toilet and simply can't do it for the price we negotiated. (As part of the work he's doing in the bathroom, he removed a very small upright radiator and ran new piping up the wall for our hydronic towel bars, which he will come back and install, along with the other plumbing fixtures, once the tiling is done.) He didn't realize he would have to drill through my new tile floor to install the Toto...until I mentioned it to him this afternoon. I guess he didn't read the Toto install info I gave him. I've certainly run into this problem with other plumbers in the past, when they've been faced with, say, a Porcher toilet, or even Grohe fixtures. I can't tell you the ruckus that Porcher caused with my then plumber. He put it in, but complained about it vociferously every inch of the way. I work out of my house, so I hear a lot about whatever looks hinky to any of my guys. A tap on my office door these days just sends a shiver down my spine. Have any of you run into a problem like this with your plumber? I'm tired of being castigated for my plumbing fixtures. If a plumber only wants to work on American Standard and Delta I sure do wish they would say so up front. Today's work culminated in a waterfall leak through the kitchen ceiling from the demo'd bathroom above (not the plumber's fault) and a heated argument between my tile guy and the plumber. They both went away mad. And these guys are friends! Finally, I do have a question for any of you who are familiar with Caroma toilets: Is the Caroma install as difficult as the Aquia II seems to be? Caroma was our second choice when we considered toilets  the Adelaide Cube 270 was the one we liked. At this point, if the Caroma Adelaide install doesn't involve drilling into what will be my new travertine floor, I would return the Aquia and buy the Adelaide. Please advise. Now I think I'd like a hot shower. Oh. I forgot. I don't have one.

Moccasinlanding, you are so sweet to have run around your house with your tank lid for me! You gave me an idea to do the same, as I realized I have both a Toto and an American Standard toilet elsewhere in the house. I am assuming that they would use the same white across models; of course that may not be the case, but I will take any data points I can in my obsessive bathroom frenzy. I lined up my tile, my vessel sink, and the two toilet tank lids. It turns out that the A.S. lid is a slightly creamier white than the Toto, but I think it is a better match for the sink and tile. The Toto is whiter than my other elements. So now I am back to thinking that the A.S. is the way to go. I do like the cleaner lines of the skirted Toto, but I'm not sure I like it $200 more, when this is a bath for a teenage boy. Plus I think that the skirting may make it look even whiter, since there will be more flat surfaces to reflect light. And it is not a one-piece. I think I'm reaching a decision here.... The next big thing I need to look at is seat size and "target" area. Have to say that toilet research has been enlightening, and has made me laugh a few times. Thanks so much for your help.

Clorox will not harm sanigloss. Any disposable brush that won't scratch the finish will be fine. I usually use Clorox and leave it there for at least 10 minutes in all the toilets, put on rubber gloves and use either wads of paper towels or inexpensive sponges. They allow you to get under the rim and everywhere else and the gloves prevent you from getting wet. If you have horrible water that leaves bad stains and Clorox won't work, use CLR. But if you are just cleaning to disinfect pour in a little clorox and swish it with a disposable brush. Greg

Well, I called down to the plumbing office... and sure enough, I'm wrong! I was thinking of the original AS Cadet, thus everything I said about it is about the original AS Cadet, not the "3" version, which is apparently a totally different animal. Siphon-jet, gravity-based, no expensive/failure-prone/noisy pressure-assist tank. They're still not real hot on American Standard 'though, but that comes from many in-field failures and lack of good quality control on others like the AS Champion toilet and some of their other plumbing fixtures, such as tubs & sinks. From what I'm told, AS has claimed several times that a toilet model was "Better than a Toto Drake", like their Champion toilet, but what they've seen in the field, especially with the leaking tanks, proves otherwise. I do find dchall's comments interesting and plan on doing a little excursion to the local home improvement store to take a look at this Cadet 3 toilet. AS switching to a gravity-based system with standard parts is a huge step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned, BUT, my AS Compact Elongated & AS Rennaisance toilets are gravity-fed and use standard parts and don't work worth a damn, BUT both of my AS toilets are washdowns and not siphon-jets, so I'm willing to give them a chance... BUT not in my bathroom -- both of my AS toilets will be replaced with Toto toilets. I'd rather pay more and get the real thing rather than skimp and get a knock-off of unknown quality. The Cadet 3 has been on the market for less than a year and their Champion toilets became rather problematic after the first 6 or so months. The one thing I'd be really curious about is the distance the AS Cadet 3 can move the waste down the waste pipe. I donated a few Toto Drake toilets to my church after they were calling Roto-Rooter every 3-4 months to unclog the lines. Previous toilets were 6 gallon models. Since the Drakes were installed in Feb, no clogs/backups have occured. Commercial-grade products and standards/codes *ARE* of higher quality/standards than residential. Electrical codes, structural engineering design, ventilation codes, and plumbing codes are all more strict and demanding for commercial applications than residential. In the case of toilets, this would be performance, durability, and weight-handling capacity. There's a reason that both AS & Toto list far fewer toilets for commercial applications than residential. This isn't dissimilar from being able to use 15-amp receptacles & Romex wire in houses whereas you must use 20-amp receptacles and hard-pipe conduit in commercial buildings. As far as the disclaimers go, they came about from homeowners buying $50-75 toilets @ Lowe's/HD and expecting the plumber to install them, then calling & complaining that the toilet was installed wrong b/c it didn't work like their old 6-gallon toilets did. This requiring a call-back, which ate more time & money, and of course, customers who were buying $50 toilets are going to complain even louder when you come out a 2nd time and have to charge them for the 2nd trip when there's nothing wrong with the install. Their $50 toilets are junk and there's nothing the plumber can do to make it work better. The disclaimer simply states, "I have been informed that not all low-flow toilets perform equally and wish to install something other than what ________ Plumbing has advised me of and that ________ Plumbing does not guarantee the performance of this toilet." Ever since coming up with that, the # of false callbacks have dropped to almost zero. As far as wanting to sell toilets (as I have been accused in the aforementioned link), my degree's in EE and do electronics design/engineering and currently going back to school to study medicine, my father's is in law, the plumbing business is simply an investment, not an occupation. My specific plumbing knowledge was taught to me by one of the plumbers and consists of "hot on left, cold on right, gas goes up, s**t goes down", said like a true plumber. The plumbing business really don't make THAT much on parts, however labor is billed at actual cost (~$100/hr) rather than a more appealing rate other plumbers charge ($65-75/hr) and 50% markup on parts. So, they sell a Drake for ~$220, Carusoe goes for ~$120. I doubt you'll be able to find them for much less than that. The high labor rate also tends to weed out the less-desirable clientelle who are most concerned about price and not quality or performance. They've worked on numerous repairs and renovations for the local 5-star resorts (I won't say which, but one of the resorts selected Toto Drake toilets and Speakman dual-head showerheads; most road-warriors probably know which chain this is), numerous 4-5 star restaurants, and plenty of high-end houses. At this level, performance is your reputation, NOT price. As a last parting shot :), the AS toilets are made in Central & South America, whereas most of the Toto toilets sold in the US are made in the US. Like I've said, I've had Totos in my other residence for 5 years now, used a plunger 0 times, no leaks/quality control issues. For my money and posterior, there shall be a Toto beneath it. I'll gladly pay more for a product I know will work the first time, every time.