Alpha UX Pearl Bidet Seat

Our last experience with an electronic bidet was in Japan years ago, and I can't believe we found a reasonable alternative at a good price. As seniors, the use of wiping is becoming more difficult, especially after my abdominal surgery a few years back, and this unit has proven it's worth. We did have to have an electrician install a GFCI near the toilet, but the rest of the install was easy, once we replaced the solid water line with a flexible braided line. Instructions were... Read More

Our last experience with an electronic bidet was in Japan years ago, and I can't believe we found a reasonable alternative at a good price. As seniors, the use of wiping is becoming more difficult, especially after my abdominal surgery a few years back, and this unit has proven it's worth. We did have to have an electrician install a GFCI near the toilet, but the rest of the install was easy, once we replaced the solid water line with a flexible braided line. Instructions were clear but it took awhile to learn all the options using the remote. The nightlight is handy as there are occasional trips to the loo at night, and I don't have to turn on the bathroom lights anymore. All in all, I'm very happy with the purchase, it will certainly make our lives easier. Read Less

In Japan, virtually every toilet, including those in public washrooms, is either a toilet bidet combo, or is fitted with a bidet seat. During a recent trip, I decided that I wanted to make the cleanliness of a bidet available at home. I have installed two Alpha UX Pearl bidet seats. One in our master suite, and one in our first floor powder room. They are installed on two different style 17 year old Kohler toilets. Here are, IMHO, the Pros and Cons of the Alpha UX Pearl: Pros: Seat comfort. Th... Read More

In Japan, virtually every toilet, including those in public washrooms, is either a toilet bidet combo, or is fitted with a bidet seat. During a recent trip, I decided that I wanted to make the cleanliness of a bidet available at home. I have installed two Alpha UX Pearl bidet seats. One in our master suite, and one in our first floor powder room. They are installed on two different style 17 year old Kohler toilets. Here are, IMHO, the Pros and Cons of the Alpha UX Pearl: Pros: Seat comfort. This is far and away the reason I am sticking with the Alphas, and why I am willing to live with my list of Cons. Before the Alpha, I tried an economical Kohler C3-325, and a top of the line Toto S7. They both worked fine, but were too uncomfortable to sit on for any length of time, especially the Toto. I would begin to lose circulation in my legs after just a few minutes. The Alpha seat, by contrast is flatter and wider, and while not as comfortable as the original Kohler seats that came with the toilets, it is much better that the other bidet seats. All of the functionality of the Alpha Bidet seat works very well. I’m still not really sure what the Pure Breeze Bowl Sanitizer does, but it seems to work. We don’t tend to sit on the lid, but can’t assume that guests won’t. The alpha has a sittable lid, which also looks better than the big plasticy lids on the Kohler and Toto. The remotes on the Kohler and Toto were pretty complicated to set up and Use. The Alpha remote seems much simpler to use, and the buttons are labeled both in English and with pictograms. Cons: The expansion nuts fit smugly on one of our toilets, and worked fine. But, on the other toilet, the holes were a little bigger, and the expansion nuts pulled right out when I tried to tighten them. I ended up using the nuts and bolts from the original toilet seat instead. I don’t like the way you can clearly see the supply hose and electrical cord coming out the sides of the seat. Especially the hose and elbow, which have a bright chrome finish while everything else in our bathrooms has a brushed nickel finish. On the Kohler and the Toto, the hoses and power cords come out the bottom, instead of the sides, and once I zip tied them, they were not visible from the top at all. For sanitary reasons, when people use the bidet, I would prefer they touch as little as possible, using the buttons as needed of course, but not actually handling the remote, which can also lead to accidentally dropping it on the tile floor, or even worse, in the toilet. The remotes for the Kohler and the Toto have a horizontal shape, which resemble the ones in Japan and look like they belong on the wall, not in hand. In fact, they both have the option of being instaled in anti-theft mode, which would make it virtually impossible to remove from the wall. The Alpha remote, by contrast, is shaped like a TV remote, and it sitting there in the wall bracket is like an invitation to pick it up and hold it.  Read Less

(No matter which brand you buy, KEEP THE BOX AND PACKING MATERIALS!) Here's a recap on my history with toilet seat bidets. I got my first Brondell before major surgery on my wrist. I loved it, but because it was my first bidet experience, I had nothing to compare it to. (A bidet toilet seat is amazing for someone who has had surgery or has limited mobility that makes it hard to just jump in and out of the shower.) I had installed an electrical outlet next to the toilet. You *can* use an extens... Read More

(No matter which brand you buy, KEEP THE BOX AND PACKING MATERIALS!) Here's a recap on my history with toilet seat bidets. I got my first Brondell before major surgery on my wrist. I loved it, but because it was my first bidet experience, I had nothing to compare it to. (A bidet toilet seat is amazing for someone who has had surgery or has limited mobility that makes it hard to just jump in and out of the shower.) I had installed an electrical outlet next to the toilet. You *can* use an extension cord but it is not ideal. (When I renovated the other bathrooms, I installed outlets next to all the toilets, even though I was not planning to buy bidet seats right away.) I had trouble with the Brondell Swash 1400s I'd purchased, finally deciding to give up and try another brand. Enter the Alpha UX Pearl. I did a ridiculous amount of research before deciding on this model. It seems that all of the reviews on Amazon and elsewhere mention issues with failure of various features on all brands and models. But the features and performance on the UX Pearl are superior to the Brondell. Pros & Cons for the UX Pearl: Pro: This may be the most significant difference between the Pearl and the Brondell, but I never saw it mentioned in reviews or comparison charts. The drying function on the Pearl works much better/faster than the Brondell. In terms of design, the dryers seem identical, but I always ended up having to use a fair amount of toilet paper with the Brondell. The dryer on the Pearl manages to dry faster and more completely. It isn't related to drying temp, so it must be the intensity and/or angle of the dryer fan. I have never seen "drying time and efficacy" mentioned in comparison reviews, but it's really important, imho. The Pearl is MUCH better in this regard. To be blunt, I don't need to use *any* tp for #1. Cons: The face of the Pearl's remote control is completely smooth. (The Brondell remote has slightly raised "buttons" for various functions. Once you get to know it, you can control it in the dark, w/o looking at the labels.) I expect I'll program it for #1 and #2 so functionality is just a single button. Installation was more challenging on the Pearl than the Brondell. I'd installed and uninstalled the Brondells several times so I knew what I was doing. Installation is very similar with the Pearl, but placement of the seat is likely to require adjusting (front to back & side to side) to make things line up properly. The problem with the Pearl is that you have to completely remove the seat to make those adjustments. Though both brands claim to have a "quick release" button to enable adjusting the seat's location. The "quick release" required a *lot* of effort. It would have been good to have another person to help because you have to push in the button, HARD, while simultaneously pulling the seat forward. Then you have to adjust the clips, making sure to tighten the bolts securely. (If the seat wiggles at all, it will be a problem down the road.) I'd actually gotten the placement right the first time, but I failed to tighten the bolts enough. The installation design of the Pearl makes it impossible to do that without completely removing the seat. I'd been afraid to over-tighten the bolts for fear of damaging the seat or the toilet. Hand-tightening the bolts is probably simple for man-hands. The average woman probably doesn't need to worry about over-tightening or damaging the parts. I did a little extra tightening with vice grips after not making them tight enough using just my hands. CLEANING: To properly clean both the Brondell and the Pearl, you have to remove the seat from its mounting plate. (Enter a 2nd pair of hands and something like the handle of a makeup brush to push in the "quick release" button.) The Brondell seat would get grossly dirty because stuff splashes, especially if someone has the runs. The Pearl has a piece of something almost like a horizontal gasket that *might* make the cleaning easier, but you will still have to uninstall the seat to clean thoroughly. Depending on how many users you have, this should probably be done several times a year. If I experience any performance problems with the seat, I will update this review.  Read Less