Ask a plumber to name two toilets worth buying and you'll almost always hear the same answer: the TOTO Drake and the Kohler Cimarron. Both are two-piece workhorses that have been refined for decades, both flush at a water-sipping 1.28 gallons, and both are widely available across Canada. But they get to "reliable" in very different ways — and depending on your bathroom, your water, and how long you plan to keep it, one of them is probably the better fit for you.
The short answer
Choose the TOTO Drake if you want the most proven flushing system on the market, the fewest moving parts, and a toilet that still looks clean between scrubbings. Choose the Kohler Cimarron if you want a slightly lower price, a more traditional North American silhouette, and easy access to parts at any hardware store. Neither is a bad choice — this is a comparison of two very good toilets.
Flushing: Tornado Flush vs. AquaPiston
The Drake uses TOTO's Tornado Flush — two nozzles that shoot water in a cyclonic pattern around a rimless bowl. Because there are no rim holes, there's nowhere for mineral deposits to clog, which matters if you're on hard water (common across much of Ontario and the Prairies). The system routinely earns a maximum 1,000-gram MaP score, meaning it clears far more waste than any household will ask of it.
The Cimarron uses Kohler's AquaPiston canister valve — a piston-style flush valve that releases water from 360 degrees around the canister for a strong, fast flush. It also posts excellent MaP numbers in its current 1.28 GPF versions. The practical difference shows up years later: canister seals are a known replacement item, while the Drake's simpler tower valve tends to generate fewer service calls over a 5–10 year window. Neither repair is difficult, but the Drake asks for fewer of them.
Cleaning and glaze
TOTO fires a glaze called CEFIONTECT onto the Drake's ceramic — an ultra-smooth, ion-barrier surface that keeps waste and mineral film from adhering. Combined with the rimless bowl, it's the main reason Drake owners report scrubbing less often. The Cimarron's vitreous china is well made but conventionally glazed; Kohler counters with optional skirted trapway versions that eliminate the dust-catching nooks along the bowl's side. If your priority is wiping down the outside, a skirted Cimarron is genuinely easier to live with; if it's the inside of the bowl, the Drake wins.
Fit: heights, rough-ins and bathroom reality
- Height: Both come in "comfort" versions — TOTO calls it Universal Height, Kohler calls it Comfort Height — at roughly 17 inches to the rim, ADA-friendly and easier on knees. Both also offer standard-height variants.
- Rough-in: Both are built around the standard 12-inch rough-in. The Drake family offers 10-inch and 14-inch options through its tank/bowl combinations, which is a lifesaver in older Canadian homes where the flange sits closer to the wall. Measure from the wall (not the baseboard) to the closet bolts before ordering — our guide to measuring rough-in covers it step by step.
- Bowl shapes: Elongated is standard for both; round-front versions exist for tight powder rooms.
Parts, WASHLET+ and the long game
A quietly underrated Drake advantage: TOTO sells the bowls and tanks separately, so a cracked tank ten years from now is a straightforward part swap rather than a whole-toilet replacement — you can browse toilet tanks and bowls individually. Drake models with the "T40" designation are also WASHLET+ ready, meaning a TOTO bidet seat connects with concealed water and power routing for a clean install. If a heated washlet seat is anywhere in your future, that's a real point for the Drake — see our smart toilet and washlet collection.
Kohler's counterpoint is ubiquity: Cimarron parts (canister seals, fill valves, trip levers) hang on a peg in every hardware store in the country, and any plumber has installed a hundred of them.
Price in Canada
The Cimarron typically undercuts the Drake by a modest margin at regular pricing, though promotions move both around. The bigger cost difference is configuration: skirted bowls, WASHLET+ versions and height options each nudge the price. Browse current pricing on our toilets collection — as an authorized dealer for both brands, what you see is genuine Canadian stock with full manufacturer warranty.
Verdict
Buy the Drake if you want the lowest-maintenance, hardest-flushing option and like the idea of adding a washlet later. Buy the Cimarron if the budget is tighter, you prefer Kohler's styling, or corner-store parts availability matters to you. Either way you're getting one of the two most dependable two-piece toilets sold in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
Is the TOTO Drake loud?
It's a fast, assertive flush — louder than a quiet-close washlet cycle but shorter in duration than most canister flushes. Neither toilet is disruptive through a closed door.
Do both fit a 12-inch rough-in?
Yes. The Drake also offers 10-inch and 14-inch rough-in configurations via different tank/bowl pairings, which the Cimarron matches only partially — measure before you buy.
Which is better for hard water?
The Drake. Its rimless Tornado bowl has no rim jets to scale up, and the CEFIONTECT glaze resists mineral film.
Can I put a bidet seat on either?
Yes — any elongated seat fits both. But only WASHLET+-designated Drake models hide the hose and cord routing for a factory-clean look.