TOTO UltraMax II One-Piece Elongated 1.28 GPF Toilet

The TOTO UltraMax II positioning

The UltraMax II (MS604114CEFG for the volume Cotton White Universal Height variant) is TOTO's volume one-piece in the US market. Sitting above the Drake II in price ($720-$920 vs $400-$470) and below the Carlyle II and Neorest tiers, the UltraMax II is what you buy when you want one-piece silhouette + Tornado Flush + CeFiONtect glaze + SoftClose seat all in a single SKU. It's the "I want a great TOTO without the Neorest investment" answer.

What "one-piece" actually means here

The UltraMax II's tank and bowl are molded as one continuous piece of porcelain. There's no tank-to-bowl gasket because there's no joint. No tank bolts to corrode. No seam to harbor grime. Cleaning the back of the bowl is a single wipe. Visual silhouette is unbroken from top of tank to base of bowl. The trade-off: install weight (~115 lbs as one piece vs ~50+60 split on a two-piece) and the inability to replace just one half if something cracks.

The skirted trapway is the second one-piece design choice — the trapway (the curved drain channel underneath the bowl) is hidden behind a smooth porcelain skirt rather than visible from the side. This makes the bowl easier to clean (no exposed trap curves to dust around) and visually cleaner. Skirted-trapway design has migrated through the TOTO line from premium models down — the UltraMax II was an early adopter.

Tornado Flush — what changed from Double Cyclone

The UltraMax II uses TOTO's Tornado Flush, which is one engineering step beyond the Drake II's Double Cyclone:

• Double Cyclone (Drake II): two angled jet nozzles at the rim creating a centrifugal vortex.
• Tornado Flush (UltraMax II, Neorest): three angled jet nozzles + larger 3-inch flush valve + tighter water-distribution geometry.

The performance difference is measurable but modest — Drake II tests at 1,000g+ MaP, UltraMax II at the same 1,000g+. The Tornado's advantage is quieter flush, slightly better bowl-cleansing under the rim, and the visual show of the flush vortex (which some owners genuinely care about).

The CeFiONtect glaze — what it does in practice

CeFiONtect is TOTO's hydrophobic ceramic-bonded glaze (formerly called SanaGloss). At the microscopic level, the bowl surface is ~10× smoother than standard ceramic glaze. The practical effect: waste and mineral deposits have less to grip; cleaning intervals stretch. TOTO claims "75% less cleaning vs unglazed surfaces" — translating to "scrub monthly instead of weekly" in real-world households.

The UltraMax II ships with CeFiONtect as standard (the -CEFG in the model number). All Drake II SKUs do too, but the original Drake (CST744SL) does not — you'd pay $50 extra for the CeFiONtect Drake (CST743EL). The UltraMax II's pricing already includes it.

Install requirements and the procedure

• Rough-in: 12 inches (standard). 10" and 14" variants are available as special-order SKUs.
• Weight: ~115 lbs. Plan for two people during install. A single person can manage it with a furniture dolly and careful positioning, but it's not recommended.
• Floor flange: standard. The UltraMax II's mounting bolt holes are spaced for the universal US pattern.
• Wax ring: standard wax ring with horn (the kind with the protruding rubber/plastic flange-fit horn) is recommended. The UltraMax II's bowl outlet is tighter-tolerance than a Drake — a horn helps center the seal.
• Front clearance: bowl is 28.5" front-to-back. Plan for 18"+ clearance to opposite wall.
• SoftClose seat (SS113): included. No separate purchase. Pre-installed at the factory in most variants.

Install caveats specific to one-piece UltraMax II

• The bowl must be set onto the wax ring straight down — no twisting. One-piece bowls are unforgiving of wax-seal damage during install. If you twist while seating, you'll break the seal and create a slow leak.
• An out-of-level floor can crack the porcelain. If your floor is not flat, use shims or a setting compound to fill the gap and distribute load before tightening the floor bolts. The Korky setting compound ($6 tube) is the right choice for this.
• Tank lid replacement (if cracked) is more expensive than two-piece equivalents. TOTO UltraMax II tank lid runs $180-280 vs $90-130 for Drake II.

What owners report — the long-term reality

• The Tornado Flush is genuinely impressive to watch. Owners frequently mention this in reviews — the swirl of the flush is visually distinctive in a way Drake II's Double Cyclone is not.
• CeFiONtect performs as advertised. Cleaning intervals stretch noticeably — most owners report scrubbing the bowl less than once a month in normal use.
• The skirted trapway dramatically reduces dust accumulation. The exposed trap on a Drake II collects dust and grime on its outside curves; the skirted UltraMax II has a flat outer surface that wipes clean in seconds.
• Average service life: 25-30 years for the porcelain. Flapper replacement at 7-9 years, fill-valve at 10+ years, soft-close seat hinges at 10-12 years.
• The downside owners note: the one-piece weight made the install harder than expected. Several reviewers mention having to enlist a neighbor's help to lower the unit onto the wax ring.

Where UltraMax II wins vs Drake II

• Silhouette. One-piece visual cleanness vs two-piece tank-to-bowl seam
• Easier to clean — no seam, no tank bolts, skirted trapway
• Tornado vs Double Cyclone — slightly better cleansing, visually impressive
• SoftClose seat included (saves $45-75 separate purchase)

Where Drake II wins vs UltraMax II

• Lower price ($430 vs $820 — $400 difference is real)
• Lighter install (50 lb tank + 60 lb bowl, separately handled)
• Tank lid replacement is cheaper if you ever crack one
• Tank components can be replaced independently if the bowl or tank cracks

Where UltraMax II wins vs competitors

The verdict — should you buy an UltraMax II?

Buy if:

• You want one-piece silhouette + Tornado Flush + CeFiONtect in a single $800 product
• This is your owner-occupied primary bathroom and 25-year service life matters
• You don't want to spec a soft-close seat separately (it's included)
• You have a hard-water area where CeFiONtect's cleaning-interval extension is genuinely valuable
• You can handle the install weight or have a friend who can

Skip if:

• The $400 price premium over Drake II is hard to justify and you're fine with the two-piece silhouette
• You're rebuilding a rental property — the UltraMax II is overspec for tenant use
• The Neorest 700H or Carlyle II is in budget and you want the next tier up anyway
• You have a 10" or 14" rough-in (special-order add weeks to delivery)

Warranty

TOTO UltraMax II residential warranty: 1 year on tank trim, lifetime on porcelain. The SoftClose SS113 seat carries its own 1-year warranty. Tornado Flush mechanism is covered under the lifetime porcelain warranty (the engineered flush is considered part of the bowl). Parts are stocked at major plumbing-supply houses; OEM parts ship 5-7 business days from TOTO USA Atlanta.

Pricing reality (2026)

UltraMax II MS604114CEFG (Cotton White): $720-$830. Sedona Beige and Bone variants typically +$50-100. Ferguson and Build.com Pro Desk discount frequently to $680-720 for trade buyers. Home Depot stocks the UltraMax II at $799 standard, with periodic 15% off promotions. Most US owners pay $720-780 before tax.