American Standard Cadet 3 Compact-Elongated 1.28 GPF Toilet

The American Standard Cadet 3 Compact positioning

The Cadet 3 Compact (270AA.001) is American Standard's compact-elongated variant of the volume Cadet 3 — designed for bathrooms where the full-elongated 18.5" Cadet 3 bowl doesn't fit the floor plan but the buyer wants more than a round-front 16.5" bowl. At $220-$290, the Cadet 3 Compact occupies a specific niche: apartment, condo, and tract-house bathrooms with engineered tight floor plans that need elongated comfort in a compact 17.5" front-to-back footprint.

The Cadet 3 Compact is the AmStd answer for the apartment-spec niche where Edgemere ($420-$580) is over budget but full-elongated Cadet 3 won't fit. For property managers running apartment construction at scale, the $200-$300 difference between Cadet 3 Compact and Edgemere matters meaningfully across 50+ units.

Cadet 3 Compact vs Cadet 3 vs Edgemere — picking between AmStd compact options

Choose Cadet 3 Compact when: (a) bathroom floor depth is constrained, (b) standard ceramic glaze is acceptable, (c) Comfort Height (vs Right Height) is sufficient, (d) sub-$300 budget. Choose standard Cadet 3 when bathroom has full-elongated space. Choose Edgemere when EverClean glaze + Right Height are worth the $200 premium.

The Cadet 3 Compact variant matrix

What's in the box

• Tank with pre-installed 3-inch FloWise flush valve, Fluidmaster-pattern fill valve, chrome trip lever
• Compact-elongated bowl (17.5"), pre-drilled for 12" rough-in
• Tank-to-bowl gasket and brass bolts
• Wax ring NOT included
• SoftClose seat NOT included — Bemis compact-elongated 1500EC ($35) or AmStd compact-elongated seat ($55-$80) recommended (verify "compact elongated" seat — standard elongated seats overhang ~0.5-0.75")
• Installation manual

Install requirements and procedure

• Rough-in: 12 inches (standard).
• Weight: ~78 lbs total (tank ~30, bowl ~48). One-person install comfortable.
• Standard two-piece install — same procedure as full-elongated Cadet 3.
• Universal aftermarket parts — Korky 2032BP (3-inch flapper) and Fluidmaster 400A fill valve fit directly.

What owners report

• The compact bowl fits where full-elongated wouldn't. Apartment and condo owners specifically mention this as the buying reason — full-elongated Cadet 3 wouldn't fit the bathroom floor plan.
• FloWise flush at MaP 800g is solid for normal-use households.
• Standard ceramic glaze shows hard-water spots — EverClean upgrade variant is worth the $30-$40 premium in mineral-heavy regions.
• Comfort Height (16.5") feels slightly low compared to Edgemere's Right Height (17.25"). For taller adult users, the 0.75" difference is noticeable.
• Service life: 20-25 years porcelain.
• Common upgrade path: when Cadet 3 Compact wears out, owners often replace with Edgemere for the Right Height + EverClean standard upgrade.

The verdict

Buy Cadet 3 Compact if:

• Apartment, condo, or tract-house bathroom with limited floor depth (need compact-elongated 17.5")
• Landlord rebuild or property management spec where $20-$30 savings per unit matters
• You want AmStd brand + FloWise flush at sub-$300 with compact bowl
• Standard ceramic glaze is acceptable (or you upgrade to EverClean variant for +$30-$40)

Skip and choose Edgemere if:

• You want Right Height (17.25") for tall adult comfort
• EverClean glaze standard matters
• $200 premium is justifiable for the upgrade package

Skip and choose standard Cadet 3 if:

• Bathroom has space for full-elongated bowl (18.5") — standard Cadet 3 has same FloWise flush at same price

Warranty

American Standard Cadet 3 Compact residential warranty: 1 year on tank trim, lifetime on porcelain. Standard AmStd customer service.

Pricing reality (2026)

Cadet 3 Compact 270AA.001 (White): $220-$280. Home Depot: $239-$269. Lowes: $219-$259. Build.com: $209-$249. Linen/Bone variants +$30-$60. EverClean variant (270AA.014) +$30-$40. Property-management bulk purchases discount to $189-$219 per unit through Ferguson trade accounts.