If you've ever visited Japan, your behind probably still has fond memories of the pampering that the local high-tech toilets gave it. The Brondell Swash 1400 is a bidet built into a toilet seat that brings that Rising Sun luxury to your full moon. With the ability to customize the spray's width, pressure and temperature, and a buttload of other features to refresh your rear, like an air dryer, deodorizer, seat heating, and an in-bowl nightlight, toilet paper will probably drop to option number two.
As Brondell's most feature-packed bidet/toilet seat, the Swash adds a bit of bulk to your throne, but it seems a small price to pay for the extra hardware crammed in there. The business end is made up of dual stainless steel nozzles that can be sterilized on demand and are guided to the target via remote control. Water temperature, pressure and the width of the spray can all be handled from there, too, as can the air drying and seat-warming. Preferences can be saved to one of two programmable profiles, so the rest of the family's bathroom habits won't interfere.
Before meeting with the rear admiral, the water is warmed through a ceramic-core heating system as it feeds through from the cistern. Brondell says the seat can be retrofitted to any existing toilet, and while it may involve a little amateur handiwork, it shouldn't require a plumber: the instructional video lays it all out pretty clearly.
The bidet and seat-warming features may be geared towards the current user's comfort, but a deodorizer ensures the next person to use the bathroom can enjoy it equally. Like the Kohler Purefresh, a compartment in the back of the seat's bulk houses a carbon deodorizer that apparently captures the smell at the source and only needs to be replaced once every six months. To round it all out, a nightlight can help sleepy midnight visitors find their path without blinding themselves.
One potential issue is that to power all this, the Swash needs to be plugged into a power outlet. That might be fine if your toilet is in a bathroom, but not a lot of water closets have outlets, so it might be a pain in the butt to set up.
Brondell is currently seeking funding for the Swash 1400 on Kickstarter, where it's already exceeded its US$30,000 target with 34 days remaining on the campaign. Pledges start at $474 for a Swash – and a t-shirt – and if all goes to plan, the company hopes to start shipping them in March 2017.
Check out the campaign video below.
Source: Brondell
