It's ok to be a TOTO potty mouth

Last weekend (while under the influence of broken water pipes) the question was raised, "Why don't we replace that old toilet at the same time"? Mission creep had begun...

I've been doing lots of research on green products, but admittedly I'm not up on commodes, especially low water ones. California is already drying up and if resources get really tight, having a low water toilet might become a Condo selling point.

Since I HATE shopping as much as my husband, I headed for the keyboard and typed in COMPARE low water toilets. Up came Terry Love's toilet review site.

I was impressed as you can be about toilets. Terry is the master and commander of commodes. Not only did he give great reviews from his professional, plumber point of view, but also encouraged "users" of such to comment on them. They did. Learning how people value their toilets and why was something on the side of scary.

In the past, I'd go to the store, pick something aesthetically functional and go home. The operation system was pretty much the same from one to the next. Not so on a low water version. The old ones had 3.5 gallons of water per flush, these only use 1.6 gallons - BIG difference on details I won't describe.

Terry was in love with the Ultra Max Toto. He also provided installation papers on every style. Seeing it in such detail took away more apprehension. You want to make sure, once it's in, it's not one of those items you change. Good advice, good reviews, good technical info... that was good enough for me. Now, where can I get one TODAY. (Plumbing doesn't wait) I went next to the main Toto site and found that although I never heard of Toto, it's as standard in Japan as American Standard is here. Plunking in my zip code gave me two store options within 20 miles. DONE.

Terry's up in Seattle and we needed something fast otherwise I would have ordered from him. But since I didn't and he set me on the right path, I'll tell others and be a potty mouth on his behalf. Terry now has one more permanent, searchable place advertising his services and products.

What have we learned here, besides where to buy low water toilets? That I'm a typing profile (or pyschographic) of the new, green buyer.

- Need, not want, drove the buying action.
- Terms, not pictures, drove me to his site.
- Professional advice, not a slick sales person provided the first level of selection.
- Personal advice from real uses, cemented the decision.
- Charts filled out missing information, eliminating the fear factor as to how these new gizmos worked compared to the old ones.
- I was cost aware, but it wasn't a determining factor.
- Justification... When we sell the condo, a low water toilet will become a selling point more so than a new paint job.

#1 thing... I did all the searching/shopping for it. My husband didn't care.