The past decade has seen vast advancements in a plethora of household items. Coffee makers, which once simply dripped water onto grounds, now have turbo jet frothers. Beds, once just plain old mattresses atop box springs, now have remotes to control firmness. And the mother of all household technology, the TV set, has grown by leaps in bounds - multiplying in size and seeing immense improvements in picture quality. Yet somehow a key household item has been left out of the evolutionary chain. Often referred to as “the throne”, the toilet has remained surprisingly unchanged throughout the years. Now, one company is using new technology to update the classic porcelain bowl.
The Toto® Neorest 600 is basically what people in the 1960s probably imagined toilets would be like in the future. With a suggested list price of $5,200, the Neorest 600 is definitely a luxury - but it’s also equipped with innovative features out the wazoo (excuse the expression). The toilet includes a remote control that mounts on the wall. With the remote, Toto eliminates the dirty work from toilet use (again, please pardon the metaphor). A person can control all the functions of the commode without ever actually touching the toilet. Along with controlling flush, users also can raise and lower the seat, run the front and back water sprays, turn on the seat warming unit, activate the air dryer, trigger the deodorizer, and more. And, for those unsure what some of those functions are for, well, the Neorest 600 also functions as a mini-bidet – spraying water upward after use (don’t be afraid, the Neorest 600 enables users to adjust water temperature and pressure as desired) and then blowing hot air to dry the area. In addition, the lid can be set to automatically open when a person walks over to it and close after use.
But not only does the Neorest 600 have a lot of cool features, it's also eye-catching and environmentally friendly. It’s compact, sleek construction is the result of not having a bulky tank attached. With its revolutionary three-stage computer-controlled flush engine (called the Cyclone Flushing system), a tank is not required. Instead, a diverter channels incoming water, so it is not released directly from the main water source, eliminating noise and splash. When a user flushes, a nozzle fires a high-speed stream of water around the top of the bowl, initiating the “cyclone” action. The second stage increases water volume of the rapidly rotating current and generates a quiet flush, which scrubs the bowl clean. The third stage cleanses the top area a second time and restores the bowl’s water level. With its non-traditional design, the toilet has no under-rim indentation for jets – which makes cleaning the inside of the bowl a whole lot easier.
Toto, the world’s largest plumbing products manufacturer, designed the Neorest 600 not just to “get the job done”, but to create an entire “user experience”. As Lenora Campos, Public Relations manager for Toto, explains: “Today’s baths are interactive spaces where a fixture’s value is not determined by the fact that it can do its job, but by how much we enjoy our experience with it.” Unfortunately, despite all the “wow” aspects of the Neorest 600, it’s unlikely average people will be willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a remote-controlled toilet – no matter how cool it may be (and it is). And, if the price tag doesn’t turn them away, the bidet feature might.
The Toto Neorest 600 is available for purchase at select bath and plumbing retailers nationwide. Individuals can search for dealers who carry Toto products on the Toto Web site .
