I’ve heard it said that you should spend at least as much time researching a stock as you would a refrigerator. That’s probably good advice. I’d add the same thought to looking for a new toilet. While this isn’t a subject many people write about (with good reason) there are lots of good things about having a great toilet. I’m not going to belabor this but in spending a couple of hours this weekend scouring Consumer Reports, Home Despot, and Lowes’ websites I’ve made my choice…the American Standard Champion 4. It’s a good height, is low flow, low noise, but my number 1 and number 2 reasons were that it apparently does it’s main job well. But the best part of my thankless product research was this review:
Overall Rating:
5 out of 5
Mother-In-Law Trouble,
April 20, 2010
By MikeBrenMan from Atlanta
“I love my wife. And she loves her mother. And so when my mother-in-law is in town, we treat her as we would any guest and let her use the bathroom. Over a 7 year period, she has clogged the toilet no fewer than 30 times (often twice in a day) No, this is not a letter to WebMD but rather a note of acknowledgment that the Champion 4 has not only saved my marriage but possibly a woman’s life.
It was after her last visit to my house to offload what I can only assume is a steady diet of broccoli, cabbage and gravel that I decided to take matter in my own hands. Vowing to solve the problem once and for all, I strode in to the local Home Depot and after pausing to price the cost of a tarp, a shovel, a large bag of lye and 7-10 years in federal prison I spoke with a nice man in plumbing. After letting me vent and shed a few tears, he directed me to the Champion 4 toilet. You know those moments in your life when the world slows down and all the ambient noise gives way and you are filled with a calm feeling of fulfillment? The birth of my children, hitting the game winning double in the state quarterfinals, college graduation and now this. The Champion 4. Read the other reviews that talk about ease of installation, water flow and seat height–they are all true. It is a great toilet and has operated flawlessly for sometime now but to me it is much more. It is so much more.”