SlimEdge BioBidet (Review/Giveaway)

Bathroom functions can be embarrassing to talk about, provoking snickers and providing raw material for countless adolescent movies, laxative commercials and schoolyard jokes.

Underneath the emotional discomfort, though, is a serious subject: hygiene. It’s a fact of biology that everybody poops, and cleaning up afterward is part of it. That is usually accomplished with a wipe of tissue paper and maybe a daily rinse in the shower. There is a better way, though, a technology that we might encounter occasionally in an expensive hotel, if then—the bidet.

Bidets are essentially standard equipment in much of Europe. Italy and Portugal each made them mandatory in 1975. Why the bidet isn’t routinely installed in American bathrooms is a mystery to me. The device sprays your hindquarters with a well-aimed jet of water, efficiently and thoroughly cleaning away the material left behind in your behind. You stand up from the act with no lingering dirt, ready to continue your day in comfort and cleanliness.

BioBidet has a solution for the bidetless—a series of aftermarket products that easily add a bidet to your existing toilet, without the need to undergo any extensive remodeling. Their least expensive products, the Economy line, are simple inserts that mount onto the rim under the seat and retail for either $59 or $69, and two toilet seat replacements for $79 or $129. All of these models are unpowered, so the intensity of the water stream is limited by the water pressure in your water supply line.

Most of these connect to your cold-water line and provide room-temperature water. One model, the BB-270 Duo, retailing at $69, provides a warm water stream, but it has to be connected to both hot and cold water lines. (Higher-priced models provide warm water without the additional plumbing work. More details on those below.)

For this review, BioBidet provided me the SlimEdge, an insert that sells for $59. I put off trying it for a few days, expecting a messy and difficult time installing it, but that turned out to be really easy. 

There are a couple of simple plumbing connections, and you will need to remove and reattach your toilet seat to secure the insert beneath it. All the hardware you need is included in the box. 

I was also sent two squeezeable poop emojis, available separately at their website for $10 -- we passed these on as stocking stuffers for a couple of our grandchildren.

Installation took me about a half hour working alone, and the only tool I needed was a screwdriver to remove and replace the seat. 

Using the provided thread tape, I was able to get tight, leakless connections with just hand tightening. 

If this seems like more than you want to take on yourself, a handy friend can do it for you, however I found it to be very simple even in the tight quarters of a tiny bathroom.

Because you don't need access to pipes hidden behind walls, most BioBidet products are suitable for renters as well as homeowners. When you move out, just remove the BioBidet system and put the original toilet seat back on. Your landlord will be impressed with how little wear you put on it. 

The controls for the SlimEdge are simple: It’s a single knob that you turn in one direction for a powerful stream aimed at your posterior, and in the other direction for a more gentle stream intended for delicate female parts. 

There is no warm-water option on this particular model, which might be uncomfortable for some, although I don’t mind it. The water is room temperature, cool but not (to me) cold.  My wife expressed a stronger desire for warm water.

Because we were just installing this to test it and didn’t have any particular expectations of whether it would work well or be a pleasant experience, we installed it in our secondary bathroom. 

Now I find myself going to that room whenever the need arises, which is messing somewhat with our distribution of bathroom reading material.

After a few days of using it, getting used to its particular operation and how it feels, I’m sold on the concept. It feels luxurious, even without the advanced features of higher-priced models. 

At the same time, I will probably buy one of those higher-priced models for our primary bathroom because having experienced the SlimEdge, I can see the potential pleasure, comfort, and hygienic value of some of the enhancements.


What you get at higher prices

The next level above Economy, the Luxury class, features full toilet seat replacements priced from $199 to $499. The Premiere class offers more toilet seat replacements ranging from $549 to $699. Topping the list is the IB-835 Integrated, a complete toilet replacement with the company’s most robust set of features, priced at $2,299.

The feature set increases at higher price levels, offering more spray and stream options, increasingly powerful and versatile control panels, and self-heating warm water options that don’t require the dual plumbing connections of the BB-270. Some models offer warm air drying, night lights and easy cleaning features. Most of these models require power, so look at your bathroom layout and figure out how you’re going to plug it in.

Features, depending on model, may include:

·        Warm water heated in a tank, so no plumbing connection to the hot water line is needed;
·        Options for oscillating and pulsating jets
·        Deodorizer
·        Bubble infusion (making the cleaning jet more effervescent)
·        Warm air drying
·        Heated seats
·        Remote control

The remote control features look particularly interesting to me, as it allows for placement anywhere that is convenient and removes jutting out controls on the seat itself.  

BioBidet also sells an array of accessories and spare parts on its website. It offer warranties on all of its products, but only when purchased from an authorized retailer. Warranties range from 1 to 3 years, depending on the product. 

The SlimEdge provides an inexpensive and simple introduction to the joys of using a bidet.  BioBidet is offering a giveaway for RCH readers located in the United States. The lucky winner will receive the SlimEdge, the same model featured in this review. Read on to see how you can enter to win!

https://biobidet.com/

https://www.facebook.com/biobidet/

https://twitter.com/BIOBIDET

https://www.instagram.com/biobidet/

One winner in the US will win a SlimEdge BioBidet, valued at $59.00.

This Giveaway ends at just before midnight ET December 23, 2018

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

The winner will be notified by email 24 to 48 hours after the end of the giveaway by email. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

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