Eric: Thanks for the thread. I will check it out.

Good to know it doesn't affect performance.

Jani

I completely agree with poster Eric:
I purchased a 1.28 gallon Toto toilet, love it (as much as one can love a toilet!), and just bought another for our in-progress second bathroom remodel. The lesser amount of water is a complete non-issue.

I am thrilled to be using less water and have a toilet that doesn't run and takes about 20 seconds to fill. I got 2 Toto Aquia and 1 Toto Eco Drake.

Thanks, Sue B.

I'll put in another word for my St. Thomas Creations 1.28 gallon toilet. We've been using it for 3 1/2 months now without a single problem.

Suellen:

Thanks for your comment on the 1.28 gallon. This is good news.

Someone on another thread, said you have to hold the handle open during the entire flush to get a full flush. Is this true?

What model did you get? Did you order online?

Jani

We got the St. Thomas Creations "Palermo" one-piece toilet. We bought it from a local dealer for $285. If you press and release the handle immediately, you will not use the full 1.28 gallons. If you press and hold the handle for approximately 5 seconds, you will get the full flush. We've never had an incomplete flush either way, but I just feel better about using the full flush for solids.

Below is an amusing and impressive video of another model St. Thomas toilet in action.

Here is a link that might be useful: St. Thomas Toilet

Wow!!!! Thanks for the link....very impressive.

Another good thing about the St. Thomas toilet is that the water surface area is larger than many other 1.28 gallon toilets. That makes for a cleaner toilet.

That's interesting....good to hear.

Thanks again for all the info.

Jani18: did you decide on a particular toilet?

Hi Karena:

After considering, the AS Cadet 3, AS Champion 4, Kohler, etc., etc. I ordered a St.Thomas today. My bathroom is going to be Vintage, and they have the best selection of this type of toliet. They also have modern looking ones, like Suellen's St. Thomas Palermo, which I like also.

I wanted the 1.6 gallon, but they are now only manufacturing the 1.28 gallon now, so on Suellen's recommendation, I went for it.

I have my fingers crossed, I will be happy with it. It won't be installed soon, but bought it today as I got 20% off.

What type toliet are you looking for?

Hi Jani:

I originally thought that I had to have a Toto toilet. However, after looking at Toto toilets and trying them out in person, I'm not so convinced. At one local dealer, I had to flush the Toto dual-cyclone twice. Also, a skid mark is not acceptable, either.

Here are my thoughts/desires:

~HET flush to get the local water company rebate
~map score of 800 or better
~single flush mechanism
~sanifloss finish for ease of maintenance
~soft close seat
~traditional looking (I like the looks of the Kohler Memoirs and Toto Soiree or Genevieve)
~moderately priced, not to exceed $450, less if possible

Right now, I'm leaning towards the American Standard Town Square, it meets all of my conditions above. I found a two-piece with the soft close seat at my local plumbing store for $450. I don't know if that is a good price or not. I have heard that the soft close seats cost over $100 themselves, yikes!

What are the relative benefits for a one piece versus a two piece toilet? I was surprised to learn that sometimes you have to buy each piece separately?

Is the St. Thomas a one-piece or two-piece? I'll be interested in hearing about your experience once it's installed.

I also considered the 4 toliets you mentioned above. The 2 Toto's MAP score were not very high. The Kohler Series 5, I have read Pro and Con reviews. I liked the AS Champion 4 Townsend toliet for its traditional look. Lukkiirish has a Champion 4 and has had good luck with it. I have read Pro and Con reviews on the AS Town Square, which I also liked the traditional look of. I don't think it has the same flushing as the Cadet 3 or Champion 4 though.

The St. Thomas has a 3 inch flush valve, and I've been told is like a copy of the Toto Drake.

They say the 1-piece is easier to clean.

Here is a link to St. Thomas Creations:

http://www.stthomascreations.com/products/cat.aspx?catID=1

Hi Jani, So what model St.Thomas did you get? Now I feel responsible for your successful flushes! I hope that you are as happy with the model that you bought as we are with the Palermo. Let us know how you like it once it's installed.

Hi Suellen:

I got the Richmond....fingers crossed for many successful flushes!!!! LOL!!!!

I'll let you know how it performs, but may not be very soon.

Thanks again for your responses.

Jani

Hi Jani:

That is a beautiful toilet. Like Suellen and yourself, I've never heard of the St. Thomas brand before. The AS Town Square does have a 3 inch flush valve as well. I will take a look and inquire about the price and the functionality at my local plumbing store.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, Karena

Maybe they have updated the AS Town Square toliet. I do like the looks of it. Let me know what you find out.

Jani

We installed two 1.28 Gpf chair high oval Glacier Bay (Home Depot) toilets last year. They will flush most anything first try. They were around $100 each, complete with all hardware and seat. Only gripe: Water surface small; occasionally need a scrub to eliminate stains.

We got a Kohler 1.28. It's great. No problems at all. We picked it up at Home Depot--and maybe everyone does this, but Home Depot rates each toilet based on the strength of its flush on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being strongest). We saw some 1.6 toilets that were only rated 3 or 4; meanwhile, this 1.28 Kohler was rated 8 or 9, I forget which. The amount of water is only one factor that goes into flushing strength; there's also the shape and size of the "tube" or channel that the water goes down through, and to some extent the bowl design also affects it.

So if you can see toilets rated in terms of the strength of their flush, get a 1.28 one that's rated highly.