How a TOTO NEOREST Toilet Works
A TOTO NEOREST toilet works by combining a toilet bowl and a bidet washing system into one fixture that senses you and runs most of the cycle without being touched. The lid opens as you approach. Before use, PREMIST mists the bowl. When you are finished, a stick-style remote starts a warm-water wash from a retractable wand, a warm air dryer follows, and the toilet flushes and cleans itself afterward.
That last part is what separates a NEOREST from a bidet toilet seat. On a NEOREST, TOTO controls the bowl as well as the seat, so the glaze, the flush and the wash are engineered to work together rather than bolted onto whatever fixture you already own.
The technologies TOTO names on the NEOREST
- TORNADO FLUSH — TOTO describes it as a system that "utilizes 360° cleaning power to reach every part of the hole-free rim design bowl."
- CEFIONTECT — a ceramic glaze that "minimizes waste from sticking to porous ceramic surfaces."
- PREMIST — mists the bowl before each use. On its NEOREST range page TOTO states that PREMIST wets the NEOREST bowl's surface, which aids in waste elimination approximately 80% better than a dry bowl.
- EWATER+ — auto-cleans the wand, the bowl and the underside of the seat after every use.
- ACTILIGHT — CLEAN LIGHT technology built into the lid. TOTO lists it on the NX2 and the WX2.
NEOREST or a WASHLET on the Toilet You Already Own
A NEOREST replaces the fixture; a WASHLET replaces the seat. That is the whole decision, and it usually gets settled by whether you are remodeling. If the bathroom is already coming apart, an integrated toilet gives you the seamless look, the auto flush and the matched bowl technology. If the toilet is staying, a TOTO WASHLET adds warm-water washing, a heated seat and a dryer without touching the bowl.
There is a middle option too. A WASHLET+ set pairs a TOTO toilet and a WASHLET that were designed for each other, with the supply hose concealed, for less than a NEOREST costs. What you give up against a NEOREST is the single-piece silhouette and the model-specific extras like ACTILIGHT.
Which NEOREST Model Should You Choose?
Choose a NEOREST model by three things: whether the toilet stands on the floor or hangs on the wall, which silhouette you want, and whether you want ACTILIGHT in the lid. Every model here shares the same core wash, flush and self-cleaning package, so nobody is choosing between a good NEOREST and a basic one.
NEOREST RS and AS
Both are floor-standing and both flush at 1.0 GPF / 0.8 GPF. The difference is the styling and the remote. TOTO describes the RS as having "soft curves without sharp corners" and a "softly rounded silhouette," while the AS runs to sharper, straighter lines and ships with the multifunction stick-style remote. Bidets USA's own RS-versus-AS comparison puts the AS as the more premium of the two, notes that its EWATER+ cycle also covers the underside of the seat, and points out the RS sits slightly taller at the seat.
NEOREST LS
The LS is the low-profile one-piece in the range, also 1.0 GPF / 0.8 GPF, Universal Height and ADA compliant. TOTO lists an instantaneous water heater on it, so the warm wash does not run out partway through the way a small stored tank does. If that matters more to you than styling, compare it against the bidets with instant and unlimited warm water.
NEOREST NX1 and NX2
The NX pair sits at the top. Both are 1.0 GPF / 0.8 GPF, Universal Height, ADA compliant, with four-user memory settings. The published difference is ACTILIGHT: TOTO lists "ACTILIGHT® CLEAN LIGHT technology built into the lid" on the NX2 and not on the NX1. If you want that, the NX2 and the WX2 are the two models that carry it.
NEOREST WX1 and WX2
The WX models are the wall-hung version, and they change the plumbing job rather than the feature set. TOTO rates them at 1.2 GPF / 0.8 GPF on TORNADO FLUSH and requires the WT175MA In-Wall Tank System behind the wall. The WX2 adds ACTILIGHT. Compare them against the rest of the TOTO wall-hung toilets before you commit, because the carrier decision is harder to reverse than the toilet choice.
Does a TOTO NEOREST Need Special Plumbing?
A TOTO NEOREST does not need special water plumbing on the floor-mounted models, but it does need electricity. TOTO specifies a 120V GFCI outlet at the toilet for the NX1, NX2, AS and LS, so if there is no outlet behind your toilet the trade you need is an electrician, not a plumber.
The wall-hung WX1 and WX2 are a genuinely different install. They mount to a carrier and need TOTO's WT175MA In-Wall Tank System, which means the wall has to be open. That is remodel work, not a swap.
Two things to settle before you order. First, TOTO does not publish rough-in dimensions on the NEOREST range page, so pull the spec sheet for the exact model and measure what you have — the rough-in size guide walks through it. Second, Bidets USA's guide to what a smart toilet is notes that full smart toilets may require professional installation, which is worth budgeting for alongside the fixture.