Review Explorer

UPDATE: You know all the lint and other dirtiness that accumulates under and around the toilet seat hinges? The design of this bidet seat eliminates that. End of update. I have had this bidet seat for ten days now. I purchased it due to mystery undiagnosed issue that causes me wild irregularity for up to months at a time. I needed something less abrasive than the softest of bathroom tissue. It took a while to justify the purchase, but I am super happy I di... Read More

UPDATE: You know all the lint and other dirtiness that accumulates under and around the toilet seat hinges? The design of this bidet seat eliminates that. End of update. I have had this bidet seat for ten days now. I purchased it due to mystery undiagnosed issue that causes me wild irregularity for up to months at a time. I needed something less abrasive than the softest of bathroom tissue. It took a while to justify the purchase, but I am super happy I did when it was time to replace the cheap toilet seat we had for only a few years. Amazon Prime shipping was fast. Packaging was secure. Installation was quick and simple, but I have replaced several toilet seats, fill valves and supply lines before. It's almost as simple as connecting a garden hose. You will need thread tape and a wrench. It is important to not over tighten the connections, but that's important when installing most anything. The heated toilet seat is crazy awesome, even if it's not cold. My kids love it, too, though they do not get to use the cleaning functions yet. The actual cleaning nozzle retracts when not being used. It flushes itself with a tiny bit of water before and after use, and again when you stand up. The rear cleaning function is very effective. The adjustable temperature, pressure, and position allow me to pinpoint the cleaning. I have the temperature and pressure set fairly low, so there is certainly a setting for each person's personal preference. The water flow begins warm and can finish its cycle without getting cold. The "massage" feature oscillates from side to side for more thorough cleaning, though it seems to have its own pressure settings. Being a man, I have not had opportunity to try the feminine wash cycle myself, but I did test the feature when I completed installation, so I know the nozzle and spray function properly. After cleaning, the warm air is very pleasant to dry. Because of my own hygiene OCD, I personally won't trust any bidet 100%. I have been able to completely eliminate use of flushable wipes and the chemicals on them, as well as reduce toilet paper consumption by up to 75%. A great feature of this one is that you can actually sit on the lid. I checked reviews on many bidet seats before making my decision. Many had complaints that lids were flimsy and broke. Since we sit on the lid to trim toenails, etc, a sturdy lid was a must. The nightlight is very helpful in the middle of the night. You can see the light peeking out from under the seat as you try to locate the toilet, then when you raise the lid, the entire bowl is illuminated, allowing you to aim by sight, not sound. But no technology is perfect. This seat has idiosyncrasies common to all bidet seats: Bidet seats need space for their tanks and retractable nozzles. This reduces the opening at the back of the toilet bowl, but it doesn't seem to affect anything. There can be a little clear water splashed up on the back of the seat, but maybe I need to adjust nozzle position or sit back more. The power cord could be a bit longer. I happened to have outlets on either side of my toilet, so no issues with reach. Warm water tanks have limited size, so you need to allow time for water to heat after a cleaning cycle. These aspects aren't exclusive to this model. They will happen with all bidet seats using tanks, etc. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my decision to purchase a bidet seat. Finding such a nice one at a very reasonable price was icing on the cake. One suggestion I would make is that they include a small roll of thread tape with the seat. It's super cheap and would potentially eliminate a run to local hardware or box store. Read Less

Since our first trip to Japan over 20 years ago, we have been bidet toilet seat believers. We have always used Toto products in our home. When we first built our home in Hawaii, we omitted the bidet and have missed the comfort and cleanliness they provide. We knew nothing about Brondell or the "Toto clone" bidets until seeing them on Amazon. The SE400 seemed to have a good balance of features at a "value" price, so we took the plunge. In all, it is a ni... Read More

Since our first trip to Japan over 20 years ago, we have been bidet toilet seat believers. We have always used Toto products in our home. When we first built our home in Hawaii, we omitted the bidet and have missed the comfort and cleanliness they provide. We knew nothing about Brondell or the "Toto clone" bidets until seeing them on Amazon. The SE400 seemed to have a good balance of features at a "value" price, so we took the plunge. In all, it is a nice unit for the money. Shipping was fast, packing was very good, and installation was a snap. The mounting plate design is fairly standard on most bidets, so the installation took less than 15 minutes from the time the box was opened. Installation instructions are simple and clear. The included nylon "T" adapter makes water hookup easy. The unit requires standard household power, and the 3 1/2 foot power cord must be plugged into a GFCI outlet or GFCI extension cord for safety. (Don't ignore this important precaution.) In fact, the hardest part of the installation for me was installing a convenient electrical outlet and wiring it into the bathroom's GFCI circuit. (I chose an outlet with integrated USB charging ports to take the place of the magazine rack in the modern bath.) The unit has nice "fit and finish". The controls are well laid out and fairly easy to understand, even at first glance. There are some subtleties to the unit's operation, and the contol of them, that make the time invested in reading the manual worth while. The factory settings for temperature, position, etc., are middle of the range, and adjustable. The user adjustments are remembered, even if the unit is unplugged. The side-mounted control arm is conveniently located. The profile of the arm mounting make it easy to install in a tight space. (See picture.) Some folks may wish for a detached remote unit however, so take this into consideration if comparing features with other models. Being a "value" unit, the array of operating features is basic for a bidet seat, but fairly effective at their job. The single water jet is has the two essential modes: Rear Wash, and Front Wash. Each mode is adjustable in front/back positioning. The jet's water pressure is adjustable across a small range, which is less than the Toto's I have used in the past, but generally adequate. Missing from this model is an adjustment for jet spray width. Its a minor compromise, but you may find yourself "wiggling for position" on occasion. The wash modes do have a "Move" function which oscillates the jet back and forth. A nice feature in a value model. The wash cycle, when manually activated, lasts two minutes then shuts off. You can restart the cycle immediately by pressing the wash button again. You can shut off the wash function (or also the dry function) at any time by pressing the Stop button. The wash system uses a small reservoir tank for storing and a small electric element for heating the water to your selected temperature. We have always used tankless units with "On-demand" heating, and the reservoir system is somewhat of a disappointment in comparison. The principal shortcoming is the inconsistency of delivered water temperature. As the washing proceeds the water cools off as the heating element struggles to keep up. The issue is most noticeable at the maximum temperature and pressure settings, as one might expect, but is evident at all settings. When the reservoir is replenished, the water does reheat relatively quickly (however, our standing water temperature is probably around 70 degrees. Colder water will take longer, of course.) The drying function is fan forced, heated air. The air temperature is adjustable, and the fan is relatively quiet. I was pleasantly suprised this was more effective than the same drying function on my Toto units. This model does not include a carbon deodorizer filter that other models have. A "luxury" feature that did find its way onto this model is a heated seat. Very nice for those trips to a cold bathroom! There is no time-of-day control, so the seat is heated continuously when the function is engaged. This model includes a switchable LED "night light". A nice feature for finding the toilet in a pitch black bathroom. Its probably just me seeing too many horror movies in my youth, but the blue glow reminds me of those scenes where we would shout "Don't go in there!" There are three "specialty" buttons: Auto, Eco and Massage. Auto initiates a one minute rear wash/dry cycle with settings for temperature and pressure at the middle of the range. Eco sets the water and seat temperatures to 85 F. Massage is designed to cycle the wash jet pressure up and down. I didn't really notice much of a effect in this mode, however. Our home is 100% solar powered, so energy use is a consideration. When plugged in, not heating water in the reservoir or heating the seat, and not in use, this model draws less than 1 watt. The water heater draws about 600 watts when activated. How long and often the water heater turns on depends on temperature setting, feed water and room air temperature. The seat heater draws 20 - 60 watts, depending on temperature setting and Eco mode use. The wash function uses about 5 1/2 watts (when not heating water) and 10 watts when the Move function is engaged. The Dry mode uses about 120 watts on medium temperature setting. A 2 minute wash, 2 minute dry cycle at medium temperature and pressure with an unheated seat consumes less than 0.03 kwh (kilowatt hours). By my reconing, the seat heater is the biggest energy consumer. It can be turned off, of course, but it would be much nicer if there was a time-of-day setting to help conserve energy. The Eco mode setting consumes 20 watts while heating the seat. This is a new model, and we've used it for about a week, so I can't speak to durability and longevity. It has a 1 year warranty. Pros: • Clean, simple design, and decent appearance. • Nicely thought-out functions for the price. • Simple installation. • Comfortable ergonomics. • A seat lid sturdy enough to sit on. Cons: • Reservoir system struggles to keep water at consistent temperature. • No wash jet width adjustment. Overall, we are happy to have a bidet seat back in our lives. The balance of quality, features, and price make the SE400 a good value. Read Less