How to Chose a Bidet Seat
The Bottom line (up front for once!)
- What's the best value seat we carry: Galaxy 4000 and Galaxy 5000
- What is the most feature-packed seat: Novita BH-90/93
- What is the best entry level seat: Nova 1000
- What is the best overall seat (durable, features, effective, attractive): Blooming NB-R1063
It's the number one question we get "how do I decide what's best for me?" There are many bidet seats on the marketplace these days and truth be told, many of them come from the same factories. Different model numbers, different features and different prices, but they all do basically the same thing, wash (and in most cases) dry you after using the toilet. So how do you decide?
What's your budget? You can purchase cold water only devices for as little as $59 for the BioBidet Simplet BBC-70 or up to $149 for the GoBidet 2003C. You can purchase a great seat in the $350 to $400 range and a top-of-the-line seat for $599 to $750.
Do I want a remote control or side panel control? The difference in cost is normally not much more than $50 but the actual usage of the two units is dramatic. If you have trouble twisting or with your balance when twisting and looking down, the remote control is a better option. If you have low light in the toilet area and/or it's difficult to read small type at arm's length, the remote control is the way to go. However, some people just don't want to have to deal with where to mount the remote, finding a misplaced remote or changing batteries. The side panel control is always where you expect it to be and many people get used to what buttons they like to press so they don't even have to look down to use it.
Moving on to features: Warm Air Dryer: A blow dryer for your butt basically! It takes about 2-3 minutes to completely dry using the warm air dryers. Using the dryer will dramatically cut down on the need to use toilet paper. Almost all of the seats we sell have a dryer. The only exception is the Nova 1000 Bidet Seat and of course the non-electric BBC-70 and GoBidet 2003C. Nightlight: Sounds like a luxury but think about the placement of your toilet. Do you have to turn on a light at night to find your way to the toilet? If so, the models with the night lights (Galaxy, Blooming and Novita) are VERY handy. They cast enough light around the toilet to make it easy to navigate to, no matter how sleepy you are! They have a pleasing blue/white LED bulb which is activated automatically via a photoelectric sensor and draw very, very little energy. Warm Seat: Every bidet seat we sell (and most on the market) have a heated seat so this is just a bonus you're going to come to love. You can always turn it down or completely off, but trust us, they are nice in the wintertime! Adjustable spray and temperature: Again, this feature is on every seat so the question becomes how many adjustments do the various seats offer? Some offer three settings, some offer five. We've found it really doesn't make much difference so go with the lower price one, all things being equal. Deodorizers (odor neutralizers): The Clean Sense, Brondell and Novita pull air from the toilet bowl and exhaust it through a carbon filter. These filters really do help keep the toilet room pleasant. Construction: Most seats on the market are made of ABS plastic. Some are Polypropylene. We've found the Polypropylene models to be sturdier and a brighter white, however they are prone to scratching more easily than ABS. The ABS will yellow over time (albeit slightly) and tend to crack easier. The Blooming, Galaxy, Novita and Brondell models are made of polypropylene, with the others being ABS. Sitable lids: If you sit on the closed toilet seat lid now, you'll want to make sure you buy a seat that is built for that. The Galaxy, Brondell and Novita BN-330 models we carry have lids that can be sat upon. Durability: A bidet seat will generally last 5-7 years, although we have some customers that bought seats 15 years ago and are still using them. The more expensive the seat is, the better the construction is (at least with the lines we carry). Also, the higher dollar seats (Blooming, Infinity and Novita) have longer warranties (3 years).
Still having trouble deciding? Give us a call, we'll walk you painlessly through the steps we use with customers in our showroom. We'll help you decide what fits your needs, toilet and budget! Call us at 1-888-670-9389