Does this $3000 bidet/toilet combo value its striking looks over functionality?
Check the updated KOHLER Karing’s price HERE.
KOHLER have been making some of the most eye-catching toilets and bidets in recent memory – opting for pushing the envelope of futurism and art in their designs, but sometimes sacrificing performance in the process.
Does the KOHLER Karing integrated toilet suffer from the same design-over-practicality predicament?
One look at the Karing integrated toilet by KOHLER evokes images of yourself shitting in a sci-fi wonderland. This is obviously not a traditional toilet in any sense of the word.
What KOHLER has created here is a toilet that’s meant to be a centerpiece – something that will change your bathroom into a space as beautifully adorned as any other in your home. This toilet is trying to do what decorative soaps and shower curtains from H&M could never fully imagine.
The lack of any straight lines or reservoir tank give this column shaped unit a ridiculously small footprint (perfect for tiny bathrooms) and also make it incredibly easy to clean and an absolute pleasure to catch out of the corner of your eye as you’re getting ready for the day or night ahead.
It can also be a wonderful experience to use – MOST of the time.
On paper, the features list is pretty stacked with an auto open/close seat and lid, a dryer, deodorizer, auto flush and your standard bidet features (adjustable temperature,pressure, position, a seperate wand for feminine cleansing, self cleaning wands and a nightlight), however, it still lacks some of the things that entry level TOTO bidet seats offer such as a pre-mist spray (coats the bowl with water before you drop your load and prevents cling-ons) or any sort of extra hygiene features like TOTO’s Ewater+ or the silver nanoparticles that Brondell uses on their nozzles.
What I meant above by saying the features list is impressive “on paper” was that sometimes, due to the computer systems controlling the unit, not everything works flawlessly.
Unfortunately, this is another example of KOHLER releasing a product without properly debugging it first.
Some examples of what you MAY (key word here, many units seem to have no issues, although the number of people encountering software bugs is not insignificant) encounter are: a flush that just doesn’t work, and with no tank, no manual way to get that poo outta here; a flush that gets stuck in a repeating cycle and won’t stop until the system is unplugged and restarted; various bugs with button presses on the remote not registering.
FORTUNATELY, KOHLER has a track record for stellar customer service, so you should be able to return the toilet if you run into problems that just can’t be fixed. This can be a major annoyance, but surely it’s less annoying than spending $3000 on a faulty device.
In the end, what you’re buying with the KOHLER Karing integrated toilet is a beautiful toilet that may or may not suffer from annoying issues. If you get a unit that works flawlessly, you’re going to love the Karing. If not, and you’re the patient type, you can roll the dice again and hopefully get a unit that works eventually. If you aren’t patient, I’d suggest snatching a TOTO Neorest 500H instead for a more reliable toilet with a similar shape.