Today’s article is a full review of the Alpha iX Hybrid bidet toilet seat. We’ll be looking at how the bidet performs in each category and how it compares to other bidets in the same price range.
While not perfect, the iX is as good as you will do for the money. Feature-wise, it’s a premium (mid-tier) bidet at an entry-level price. It scores an 8.3/10 overall which is highly uncommon for a bidet in this price range.
For example, the hybrid heater never runs cold (even after 10min) and it cleans as effectively as the TOTO S550e, the most expensive bidet on the market.
If you like what you see, I recommend purchasing through Bidet King, since they own and operate Alpha Bidet and will give you the best warranty and support–which you will likely need eventually.
And for an exceptionally low price, check out the open box special. These bidets were opened but not used for toileting purposes. The open box price is often less than $199. You can check current prices here.
Discontinued: All good things must come to an end, and the Alpha iX Hybrid is being replaced by the new and improved Alpha iX Pure, featuring an ultra-slim design, tankless heating, and a more durable build. We have explained the features of this amazing bidet as well, so be sure to check out the article.
Alpha iX Hybrid Bidet Toilet Seat Review: With Demos
Alpha iX Hybrid Bidet Toilet Seat w/ Remote
The Alpha iX Hybrid bidet toilet seat w/ remote from Alpha Bidet is the jewel of the value category.
We have extensively tested a wide range of bathroom products, with a primary focus on bidets. Each feature of this bidet has been rated out of 10 points, based on comparisons with other models in a similar price range and with similar functions.
To learn more about our product testing process, feel free to read our review articles in the Review category. Now, let’s dive into the detailed, practical review of Alpha iX Hybrid Bidet Toilet Seat.
Overall Performance (Fake Poop Test): 9/10
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Overall, the Alpha iX performed as good as the luxury JX when it comes to performance.
If anything, the iX seems to have covered a slightly larger area. Although, having used both bidets personally, I can’t say I noticed a difference in performance, one way or the other.
Both performed exceptionally well and better than the entry-level Alpha GX and GXR.
Compared to other bidets on the market (by different brands), the Alpha iX is right up there with the best, performance-wise. And that’s when comparing the iX to bidets that are 2-4x the price.
For example, it performed as well as the TOTO S550e, the most expensive luxury bidet on the market.
I think the efficacy of the bidet could probably be explained by the higher water pressure and angle of spray. Pressure-wise, the iX has a lower flow rate compared to the GX (about 0.7L per min vs 1L/min), but the iX felt stronger and cleansed more effectively.
I’m thinking this observation has to do with the nozzle position and angler, in that it’s closer to your bum when cleansing.
For more on pressure, see the section further down.
Hot Water Performance of the iX Bidet: 9/10
The short version is, the iX water heater performs nearly as well as the JX heater, and infinitely better than the GX/GXR. I say infinitely, because it literally never runs out of warm water, while the GX/GXR runs cool fairly quickly.
The Alpha iX bidet gets a high score of 9/10 for a few reasons.
The water remained in the low to mid 90’s Fahrenheit, never running cold for a single second. And the test went on for 10 minutes.
It never reached the max temp as listed in the manual, but it stayed plenty warm the entire time.
So you know, 10 min is 5-10x times the average cleansing session.
I’ve tested a lot of bidets at this point and I can say that, when it comes to warm water flow, the Alpha iX outperforms all other bidets in the same price range.
Rear and Front Cleansing, Adjustable Nozzle Position: 9/10
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The basic front and rear modes are very effective.
Together, they effectively cover the entire perennial area and allow for custom aiming. This is in part due to the 5 nozzle positions.
The nozzle doesn’t have a soft feminine feature (smaller dispersed holes) but the lowest pressure setting is plenty soft enough for feminine hygiene–which is important, given that softer pressure is thought to be more suitable for frontal cleansing.
Controls (Wireless Remote and Control Panel): 8/10
Entry-level bidets, like the TOTO C2, Alpha GX, and Bio Bidet Slim ONE come only with a side panel that can’t be detached from the bidet.
Premium and luxury bidets tend to come with wireless remote controls. The Alpha iX has a nice, sleek, aesthetic remote in addition to a minimal non-bulky control panel. The remote also comes with a wall mount.
The control panel is small and offers only three buttons: front, rear, and off. Hence, it’s non-bulky and won’t cause installation issues.
The remote is really nice. It doesn’t have an LCD screen and isn’t double-sided, so it falls short of a perfect score. But it has large, intuitive, easy-to-read buttons that make operating the bidet easier for first-time users, guests, kids, and older adults.
The labeled buttons only account for some of the functions. For example, holding the “+” button for 3 seconds activates the LED nightlight, and holding the Pulse button for 3 seconds activates and deactivates the safety seat sensor.
Water and Energy Efficiency: 6/10
Eco Mode
The Alpha iX does come with energy-saving modes, but they’re fairly basic. For example, there’s no smart energy saver function that memorizes when you’re least likely to use the bidet–bidets that have this feature keep the seat and/or water temp low during periods of infrequent use.
The iX has two energy-saving modes: Automatic and Powerful.
The Automatic Energy Saver mode keeps the seat and water temp at 89.6 ° F (32°C) until someone sits down, at which point the user settings will be restored. The settings will then revert back to 89.6 ° F when the user leaves the toilet.
The Powerful Energy Saver mode works much the same but keeps the seat and water temp off when the bidet is unoccupied.
The Hybrid Heater Provides Decent Energy Efficiency
Eco modes are nice, but the water heater is the main feature when it comes to how energy-efficient a bidet is.
We’ve touched on heater types. Tank-type heaters like those in the TOTO C2 and BB-1000 use the most energy since they draw power around the clock to keep the water reservoir warm.
Instantaneous heaters like those of the Alpha JX and TOTO S550e are the most energy-efficient since they only use power when the bidet is in use.
The Alpha iX has a hybrid heater. Since hybrid heaters incorporate a heated reservoir, they’re somewhere in the middle in terms of energy efficiency.
The iX Bidet Offers Aerated Cleansing
All Alpha bidets provide aerated cleansing.
Aerated water streams are always more efficient than non-aerated streams since air helps displace some of the water.
On an unrelated note, aerated water is thought to be more effective at cleansing since it makes for firmer yet more comfortable jet stream.
Warm Air Dryer: 9/10
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The Alpha iX dryer performed about as good as any dryer I’ve tried. It has 5 temperature levels to choose from, ranging from room temp to ~122° F.
Keep in mind, bidet dryers don’t usually finish the job in a single 1-min session unless the user has had time to practice.
They are great at drying the target area in a short period of time, but water tends to splash to other regions of the bum. Plus, the back of the toilet seat can get damp which can make it harder to dry the skin that contacts the seat.
With a dryer like that of the iX, you will be able to eliminate TP (for dabbing) as you better learn to use it over time.
TP savings alone can help the bidet pay for itself in ~2-3 years.
Convenience Features: 6/10
The iX gets an okay score in the category of convenience features. It has a nice child-friendly mode but lacks both one-push easy operation modes and user presets.
User presets allow users to save their preferred settings for water temperature, pressure, nozzle position, etc.
Now, it does save the most recently used settings. So, if you will be the only person using the bidet, or you and your housemate happen to share the same preferences, this isn’t an issue.
One-push easy operation modes are nice because they let the user hit a single button to get a generic wash or wash + dry cycle.
In any case, the iX lacks both of these features.
The child mode is nice and will come in hand if any little ones will be using the bidet.
Basically, kids need not know which settings to select, since they can simply hit the child icon and get all the appropriate settings:
- An extra-extended nozzle for shorter stature.
- Low water pressure/temperature, and seat temperature for max comfort and prevention of low-temperature burns.
- 1 min of soft rear cleansing
- 30 sec oscillation, which covers a wider area. This is useful for less skillful users since the user doesn’t have to shift around to get water to all the right places.
- 30 sec pulse spray.
- 2 min of drying
Nightlight: 10/10
The iX nightlight went a lot further to illuminate the toilet bowl compared to other lesser-quality bidets. Just check out this image comparing the iX light to the lower-tier alternative:
The idea is that in-bowl nightlights let you safely navigate the bathroom in the dark so that you can avoid having to blast your eyeballs with bright bathroom lights.
The iX has a bright blue light while the other Alpha bidets have white LED lights, the JX being brighter than GX/GXR light.
I wouldn’t say the light illuminates the bathroom, but it helps you make your way to the toilet in the dark.
Some folks, especially biohackers, prefer to avoid blue light in the evening. If that’s you, you may want to check out the JX which has an equally bright white LED light.
Cleansing Nozzle (Features and Sanitation): 9/10
The iX bidet gets a nice score in this area since the nozzle is made of durable stainless steel, unlike the plastic nozzles of TOTO bidets.
It’s a 2-in-1 nozzle, meaning that it’s a single cleaning wand with two holes, instead of dual nozzles as is common with other brands like Brondell. So, the iX can cleanse the entire front and rear areas with a single nozzle.
The iX nozzle has an automatic and on-demand self-cleaning function.
So, it automatically self-cleanses before and after each use, so you don’t have to remember to use the function.
The on-demand self-cleaning function is nice to have just in case you notice the nozzle is soiled or if you feel it needs cleaning for some reason (guests, etc.).
By pressing the nozzle clean button, the wand self-rinses a couple of times and remains extended in case you want to manually clean the nozzle.
Special Spray Features: 8/10
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Oscillation
The oscillation setting causes the jet stream to cover a greater area. This means less shifting around is needed on the part of the user since the nozzle does the moving for you.
The back-and-forth motion is one of the more important features that sets electric bidets apart from non-electric attachments/seats. After all, you wouldn’t wash a car by holding the hose in one spot.
Pulse/Massage
The pulse function is nice, too, providing a decent massage effect. There’s a good range of water pressure so you can really feel the pressure pulsing from soft to strong.
The Enema Function
We’ll get into this more in the very next section on water pressure, but the enema mode works. By cleansing with a strong, narrow jet stream, the water can be allowed to enter the rectum with the right technique. Of course, you can avoid this happening, as well, with the right technique.
The firm stream also helps stimulate bowel movement since it acts on the sphincters stimulating bowel movement.
This brings us to the next category.
Spray Pressure: 9/10
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The iX gets a 9/10, second only to the 10/10 offered by the Bio Bidet BB-1000 (an overall inferior bidet with extra-strong pressure).
There are 5 water pressure levels that provide a flow rate (nozzle output) from 0.13 to 0.21 gal (or ~0.5-0.8 L) per minute.
The iX has a high-pressure turbo mode labeled “Rear+”.
Maybe you can tell from the video, but I didn’t find the Rear+ setting to be any stronger than the regular rear mode with the pressure turned all the way up. I.e., with the pressure at the highest setting, I didn’t notice a difference between the basic Rear and Rear+ settings.
Either way, the pressure is exceptionally strong for an electric bidet.
The Alpha iX sprays an impressive 0.8L/min, about 0.21 gallons per minute. While it’s less than the 1L/min put out by the GX/GXR, the pressure feels much stronger with the iX.
The flow rate doesn’t tell the whole story. While the iX puts out slightly less water per minute than the GX, the stream is stronger and more concentrated. Plus, the angle of spray is more direct.
It’s much stronger than other electric bidets on the market.
Heated Seat: 10/10
The seat surface has four settings: “off” and three that range from 89° F (31.6° C) to 102° F (38.8° C).
This feature isn’t unique, since every electric bidet I’ve come across offers it. But it is amazing. Not only does it feel great, but a lot of folks find that it helps with bowel movements by helping relax the muscles of the rear (glutes and internal/external sphincters).
Seat and Lid (Size and Features): 6/10
Slow-Close Seat
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The slow-close seat and lid works really well and should help lengthen the life of the bidet by reducing wear and tear that would otherwise result from slamming.
Relatively Slim, Low-Profile Design
In general, slimmer/non-bulky bidets are more desirable, all else equal.
The Alpha iX is quite slim compared to other bidets on the market, with a rear height of only 5.8″. It’s kind of hard to tell from the image since the rear of the seat starts to taper off at almost 6″ to a slightly taller peak.
The iX is not as slim as the GX/GXR, perhaps because more room is needed at the back of the seat to house the advanced technology.
Anyway, 5.8″ is about average for modern bidets offered by other brands like TOTO and Brondell.
No Sittable Lid
One feature in this category that is missing with the Alpha iX is the sittable lid. Now, sittable lids are pretty rare overall, so this bidet isn’t uniquely lacking in this area compared to most bidets on the market.
But other Alpha bidets have sittable lids, so the iX is an exception when it comes to bidets in the Alpha lineup.
Sittable lids are nice to have but not essential. Some folks like to use the toilet for sitting when clipping their toenails, resting, etc.
Conclusion
Thirteen tests later, the Alpha iX bidet toilet seat scores an 8.3 overall, outperforming bidets several times the price. If money isn’t an issue, I’d go ahead and get the JX, since it’s more efficient, provides slightly warmer water, and has the antimicrobial wand.
But if you want to keep it under $300, I can’t recommend the iX enough.
I really can’t get over how much this bidet offers for the price. Plenty of inferior bidets are being sold right now for 2x the cost that don’t even offer a mid-tier water heater. The iX has an advanced hybrid water heater that never runs cold. It also performed as well as the TOTO S550e, the most expensive bidet on the market