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What Kind of Bidet Should You Buy?
Elongated or Round?
Best Overall
Kohler C3 455
Best Upgrade
Toto S550E
Runner-Up
Moen 5-Series Electronic Bidet Seat
Bidet seats are one of those luxuries you can live happily without until you realize what you’re missing. My first encounter came at a ramen spot on the West Coast of the US that had imported a high-end Toto washlet from Japan, where they’ve been a part of daily life for decades. I might have been an early adopter, but bidets are getting more common in the US. Toto’s American sales doubled in the first quarter of 2020 and have continued to climb since. (The pandemic and the infamous toilet paper outage surely played a role.) But maybe more people are starting to realize that American bathroom habits are … gross. Think about it: When you get something on you that smells foul and is full of germs, do you want to wash it off or smear it off with a piece of paper?
OK, I convinced you. So what should you buy? Never fear. The WIRED team has swapped out plenty of toilet seats in search of the best bidets. We spent at least a week using each model—some for far longer—and managed the installations ourselves without the help of a professional plumber. We’ve got budget bidets, bidets with heated seats, and ones that automatically open up, happily inviting you to empty your bowels. We’ve got your bum covered.
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Photograph: Rudy Meyers/Brondell
What Kind of Bidet Should You Buy?
Elongated or Round?
Think of the shape. Most American home toilets come in one of two standard sizes: round or elongated. A round toilet bowl is 16.5 inches long while an elongated bowl is about 18.5. The bidets on this list are generally made for one or the other. Measure twice, buy once. All bidets we reviewed are attachments that go on existing toilets, but there are also toilets with built-in bidet seats.
Electric seat or simple sprayer? The bidets on this list are either whole seats that you attach and connect to an AC outlet or, in the case of Tushy, a sprayer that mounts below your existing seat and taps into your water lines. The seat-top bidets are generally more expensive and have more features, but they also require electricity. You need to have a shock-blocking GFCI-protected outlet within a few feet of the toilet to use them safely.
What’s your budget? You can get an attachment that fits on your current seat and taps into the cold water line filling your toilet for about $100. Some high-end bidet attachments can cost $2,000. The sweet spot tends to be at a price point between $500 and $1,000, where you get a sturdy seat with nice features but without over-the-top extras like voice commands (yes, really) and a backup battery.
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Photograph: Kohler
Best Overall
Kohler C3 455
After a decade of happily using Toto washlets, I was surprised to find that my favorite bidet came from Wisconsin-based Kohler. The C3 455 looks sleek and is several hundred bucks cheaper than Totos, and it has the same extra features, including backup buttons on the seat itself and a UV sanitization light. The sprayer and dryer work well and will leave you feeling fresh and clean after use. The blue UV nightlight is a game changer for using the bathroom in the wee hours too. The seat is comfortable and sturdy, and the minimalist design with almost no branding allows it to blend in anywhere. Installation is easy, and some may find the included stainless steel splitter you use to attach the bidet and toilet to your water supply more trustworthy than the plastic splitters included with the Toto.
There are some negatives. For starters, the controls aren’t super intuitive. There are five water settings controlled by one button—I could never tell whether I was making the water hotter or cooler. The placement of the hose and power plug in the middle of the right side of the seat instead of the back is also awkward, and the magnet on the remote isn’t strong, and you may worry about it falling off.
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Photograph: Toto
Best Upgrade
Toto S550E
Toto’s large line of washlets includes models with a dizzying array of features, and they can cost as much as a total bathroom remodel. The S550E is on the lower end of the luxury class—think of it as a sensible midsize Lexus sedan. However, among the premium features are a much appreciated auto-lift seat that senses your presence and rises to greet you, plus water that’s heated on demand so you’re never shocked by a cold jet stream. The S550 is also semi-self-cleaning, using a mist to make the bowl more slippery before use and spraying it clean afterward. You will still need to use a toilet brush on your bowl, but the difference was immediately evident when I switched the S550E out for a more basic bidet after two weeks of testing.
The S550E’s remote control system has been dialed in perfectly and shows off Toto’s expertise—it’s extremely intuitive to use. You can set up preferred oscillation patterns and pressure for two users (!) that activate at the touch of a button. The water stream is adjustable but never too hard or soft, as was common on some cheaper models I tested. The S550E is a nice bidet seat with every feature most people will want, and the brand’s long track record suggests it will be durable over the long haul. If you’re torn between this and the Kohler and won’t miss a few hundred bucks, it’s a great upgrade.
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Photograph: Moen
Runner-Up
Moen 5-Series Electronic Bidet Seat
This Moen electric bidet came with an overwhelmingly big manual, but after watching a YouTube video, the installation was pretty easy and took less than 20 minutes. The seat does not automatically lift up, but that’s the only feature it’s missing. It has it all—temperature controls for the seat, water, and dryer, where you can change it from cool, lukewarm, and warm. There’s also a night light, along with varying water pressures and nozzle positions. There are even backup buttons on the side of the seat in case the remote dies at the worst time. The highest water pressure setting is a little choppy, and my wife and I both wish we could adjust the nozzle a tiny bit more, but we’ve been thoroughly happy not relying on toilet paper anymore.
You can mount the remote holster onto your wall, and the remote sits in the cradle, with a bit of magnetism to keep it in place. It’s super intuitive to use, and there are beeps that change the tone to indicate when you’re already at the highest or lowest setting. Speaking of, the bidet does beep when you sit down on it. I’ve seen some customers complain about this, but after several weeks of using it, I barely even register the sound. —Julian Chokkattu
