What Is a TOTO Drake Transitional Toilet?
A TOTO Drake Transitional toilet is the Drake two-piece toilet fitted with a different tank. TOTO describes a tank that flares gently as it rises to support a generous lid with a distinct lip molded into a shelf, which gives you a usable surface for toiletries or tissues rather than the flat slab most tank lids offer. Underneath it is the standard Drake bowl, so the flush, the water use and the plumbing connections are unchanged. Only the silhouette is different.
What carries over from the standard Drake
Everything that is not styling. TOTO keeps the TORNADO FLUSHING SYSTEM, which uses two nozzles instead of a ring of rim pinholes to create a centrifugal, cyclonic rinsing action around the bowl — TOTO's stated result is less trapped matter and less time spent cleaning the toilet. It also keeps CEFIONTECT, TOTO's nanotech glaze, which seals the porcelain with an ionized barrier to create a super-slippery, non-porous surface that repels waste. Both are why a Drake bowl tends to need less scrubbing than a 1.28 gallon flush would suggest.
Two pieces, and why that still matters
The tank, cover and bowl are separate items on a Drake Transitional. A failed fill valve, a worn flapper or a chipped lid is a parts order, not a new fixture, and the toilet arrives in two liftable pieces instead of one heavy unit. The visible seam between tank and bowl is the trade-off a one-piece design removes. The rest of TOTO's two-piece range works the same way.
Drake or Drake Transitional?
The difference between the Drake and the Drake Transitional is the tank, and nothing that affects performance. Both use the same bowl, the same TORNADO FLUSH and the same 1.28 gallons per flush, so this is a styling decision rather than a specification one. The standard Drake tank is squarer and reads modern. The Transitional tank is curved and reads traditional, which is the point of the name — it suits a bathroom with paneling, a legged vanity or older trim.
There is one practical reason to cross-shop inside the family, and it is rough-in. The Drake and the Drake Transitional both offer a 10-inch version on selected models. The Drake II is 12-inch only. If your drain measures 10 inches, that rules the Drake II out before styling enters the conversation.
Which Drake Transitional Should You Buy?
Choosing between Drake Transitional models comes down to four decisions: your rough-in, the seat height, the bowl shape, and whether you want the toilet bare or as a complete WASHLET+ set. The flush, the glaze and the water use are the same across all of them.
1. Measure the rough-in before anything else
Rough-in is the distance from the finished wall to the center of the closet bolts, and it decides which models fit. Measure to the wall, not the baseboard, and use the back pair of bolts if your toilet has four. The Drake Transitional models stocked here are 12-inch. TOTO also builds selected models in a 10-inch version, marked with .10 in the model number — that is a separate toilet, not an adapter, so it fits a 10-inch drain only and is not a variant of anything here. The rough-in size guide covers the measurement, and 10-inch rough-in models are grouped separately.
2. Universal Height or standard height
Universal Height puts the seat about two inches higher than standard and meets the ADA seat height requirement; TOTO's own announcement puts the Drake Transitional at 17 inches from base to seat. TOTO encodes the height in the model number — an F in the SKU means Universal Height, so CST786CEFG is a Universal Height model. This collection lists both heights, so check the SKU. Taller adults and anyone with knee, hip or back trouble generally prefer the higher seat; households with small children often prefer the lower one. Universal Height versus standard height has the full breakdown.
3. Elongated or round bowl
TOTO makes the Drake Transitional bowl in both shapes, though the models stocked here are elongated, which gives more seating area. The round Universal Height bowl, model CST785CEFG, is roughly two inches shorter front to back, which matters where a door swing is tight. Measure your current bowl from the seat bolts to the front rim: about 16.5 inches is round, about 18.5 inches is elongated. Compare TOTO's other round toilets if space is the deciding factor.
4. Bare toilet or WASHLET+ set
Two configurations are stocked here and the model prefix tells you which is which. CST models are bowl and tank only, seat sold separately — CST786CEG is the bare Drake Transitional in this collection. MW models are WASHLET+ sets, where the bowl routes the bidet seat's power cord and water supply hose out of sight so that no water or electrical connection shows. That concealment depends on the bowl, so it is the one thing you cannot add later. TOTO also builds MS versions that bundle a SoftClose seat; this collection does not carry them.
Choosing the WASHLET for a Drake Transitional WASHLET+ Set
The bowl and tank are identical in every set, so the WASHLET decides daily use. TOTO's ladder runs S2, S5, S7, S7A.
- WASHLET S2 — TOTO's feature table lists EWATER+, PREMIST, a deodorizer, an air dryer, a heated seat, front cleanse, and rear and soft rear cleanse. No wide front cleanse, no night light, no automatic lid.
- WASHLET S5 — TOTO's table gives the S5 the same functions as the S2, air dryer included, and marks the same three unavailable. Do not pay up for the S5 expecting a longer feature list.
- WASHLET S7 — the newer S7 series seat. TOTO lists continuous warm-water cleansing, a warm air dryer, a heated seat, an in-bowl catalytic deodorizer, an instantaneous water heater and a night light, plus EWATER+.
- WASHLET S7A — the S7 plus sensor operation with auto open and close. TOTO lists five heated seat settings, five dryer settings, an automatic deodorizer, a remote with up to four memory settings, and adjustable spray position with oscillation and pulsation.
EWATER+ runs in the background on all four, and TOTO lists PREMIST on the S2, S5 and S7A sets. PREMIST wets the surface of the bowl before use, which aids in the removal of waste; EWATER+ electrolyzes water to produce hypochlorous acid, which keeps the wand and bowl hygienic. The S7 and S7A sets are also auto flush capable with TOTO's optional THU857 kit.