Today’s article looks at the difference between the TOTO S300e and S500e Washlet bidets. Did you know that there are two versions of the S300e and four of the S500e? I literally spent hours poring over manuals for each of the versions, to take notes of which models have which features.
The S300e and S500e are quite similar. The main difference between the S300e and S500e is that the latter is available in Contemporary and with AutoFlush compatibility. Overall, they offer roughly the same features and are second only to the S350e and S550e.
Neither are available for round toilets.
While similar, the two toilets tend not to vary much in price, so I’d suggest whichever one happens to be cheaper if and when you go to make a purchase.
On that note, the Washlet S550e is the absolute top-tier TOTO bidet and it’s available for around the same price as the S500e and S300e (affiliate link). Since it does come with a few notable perks, I’d recommend that one if you can get it for around the same price.
If you have a round toilet, check out the TOTO S350e Washlet (Affiliate link).
TOTO S300e vs S500e: Quick Summary Table
| Feature(s) | TOTO S300e | TOTO S500e |
|---|---|---|
| Endless Warm Water (Tankless Heater) | Y | Y |
| Bowl Shape | Elongated and Round | Elongated Only |
| Warm Air Dryer | 5 Temp Settings | 5 Temp Settings |
| Heated Seat | 5 Temp Settings | 5 Temp Settings |
| Self-Cleaning Nozzle | Automatic | Automatic |
| Self-Sanitizing Nozzle | Ewater+ | Ewater+ |
| Wand Positions | 5 | 5 |
| Wand Material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Wireless Remote w/Wall-Mounted Cradle | Y | Y |
| Night Light | N | N |
| Auto Flush Compatible | N | Only with SKU’s SW3044AT40 and SW3046AT40 |
| PREMIST of Bowl Before Use | Y | Y |
| Self-Cleaning Bowl (After-Mist) | Y | Y |
| Nozzle Oscillation | Y | Y |
| Nozzle Pulse/Massage | Y | Y |
| Personal Settings | 2 User Presets | 2 User Presets |
| Air Deodorizer | Y | Y |
| Energy Saver Functions | 3 Eco Modes | 4 Eco Modes |
| Water Temp | 86 to 104 °F | 86 to 104 °F |
| Water Pressure | 0.07-0.11 gal/min or 0.27-0.43 L/min | 0.08-0.11 gal/min or 0.32-0.43 L/min |
| Nozzle | Single, Plastic | Single, Plastic |
| Aesthetics | Classic Design Only | Classic and Contemporary Designs |
| Bulkiness (Rear Height) | 3.84″ or 9.75cm | Classic: 5.04″ or 12.8cm Contemporary: 4.92″ or 12.5cm |
The TOTO Washlet S500e – Classic
TOTO S550E Electronic Bidet Attachment – Classic
TOTO S550E Electronic Bidet Toilet Seat with Cleansing Warm, Nightlight, Auto Open and Close Lid-Classic
First up is the TOTO S500e Classic on Amazon and at BidetKing.
Pros:
- All the features of the S300e plus an extra function or two.
- Costs about the same price (sometimes cheaper) despite offering slighly more functionality.
- Easier to find than the S300e.
Cons:
- Looks more antiquated than the S500e Contemporary.
- For about the same price, you can get the S550e with a nightlight and auto-open/close seat and lid.
- Only available for elongated toilets.
The TOTO Washlet S500e – Contemporary
TOTO S550E Electronic Bidet Attachment – Contemporary
TOTO S550E Electronic Bidet Toilet Seat with Cleansing Warm, Nightlight, Auto Open and Close Lid – Contemporary
Next, is the TOTO S500e Contemporary (also available on Amazon).
Pros:
- Same features of the S500e Classic.
- More of modern, minimalist look than the S500e Classic without a noticeable increase in price.
- Easy to find.
Cons:
- Around the same price as the S550e despite offering a fewer features.
- Only available for elongated toilets.
The TOTO Washlet S300e
TOTO S300E Electronic Bidet Attachment
TOTO SW573#01 S300E Electronic Bidet Toilet Cleansing, Instantaneous Water
Thirdly, is the TOTO S300e Washlet (Amazon).
Pros:
- Offers the most important features of the TOTO luxury bidtes.
- One of only two luxury TOTO bidets that are available for round and elongated toilets.
Cons:
- Harder to find and thus equally if not more expensive than the S500e and S550e bidets.
- Despite the cost, it’s only available in Classic and offers fewer features compared to other TOTO luxury seats.
- Only available in the Classic design.
- The more sophisticated S350e can be found for about the same price.
Sure, the S300e is still a TOTO luxury bidet, so it’s still one of the best and most sophisticated bidets on the market.
But in the end, I’d only recommend the S300e in the event that the S500e and S550e bidets were sold out for whatever reason, which isn’t likely.
The Main Differences
The S300e Is Available in Round
This is the most significant difference, IMO, because having a round toilet completely rules out the S500e and S550e.
Luxury bidets for round toilets are less common because they’re designed with ultra-modern bathrooms in mind, which tend to be larger in size with elongated toilets.
The S500e Has a Contemporary Option
TLDR: both started out with the Classic design, and the S500e has since added a Contemporary option meant to have a more minimalistic appearance. Otherwise, the Classic and Contemporary are the same in terms of operation.
In terms of bulkiness, the Contemporary version is usually only about 0.1” shorter in the rear. So, it’s not necessarily less bulky, despite looking much better overall.
A lot of bidets on the market stick out like a sore thumb. In general, bidets are often designed to be big and bulky, and some have logos and colorful decals plastered on the lid.
Of course, it’s a matter of taste, but a lot of consumers prefer bidets that don’t look like bidets.
Generally, TOTO makes bidets that are low-profile, aesthetic, and streamlined and the S300e and S500e are no exception.
They come in solid white or off-white, have remote controls instead of side panels, and tankless heaters making them less bulky in the rear.
With lower-quality entry-level bidets, a big water tank is housed at the back of the seat making the unit bulky and causing it to slope downward.
The S300e and S500e have tankless instantaneous-type heaters which take up less room.
Hence, Classic or Contemporary, both are among the most aesthetic bidets on the market.
If you look closely at the S300e which is only available with the classic design, you’ll see a divot along the outer edge of the lid. It doesn’t look bad, but the contemporary version of the S500e looks a lot more like a normal toilet seat.
The S500e Has an Extra Energy-Saver Mode
Both offer energy-saver modes, but the S500e Eco mode is slightly different.
The main energy-zapping components of a bidet are the heated seat and water heater. Since the two bidets share the same water heater (the most efficient kind), that leaves the heated seat to consider.
Both the S300e and S500e come with these Eco modes:
- Timer Energy Saver. This mode turns off the heated seat during a specified time. It’s for those who want to save energy during a preset length of time—maybe during work hours or when you’re away from home traveling, etc.
- Auto Energy Saver. The bidet detects and memorizes time periods of infrequent use and automatically lowers the toilet seat temperature during these periods.
The S500e has a third Eco mode called the Auto Energy Saver + mode that turns off the seat during periods of infrequent bidet use, instead of just turning the seat tempt down. It also has a fourth mode that combines the above Eco modes for max savings.
The S300e has third mode that combines the two modes above (standard Auto Energy Saver and Timer Energy Saver) for increased energy savings.
All Versions of the S300e Lack Auto Flush Compatibility
The other main difference between the two is that the S500 series bidets (S500e and S550e) are available with auto flush capability.
Basically, if you have a certain type of toilet, you can sync it up with the wireless control to be able to flush the toilet remotely.
I’m not really sure this matters that much. The auto-flush feature is only available with certain TOTO toilets:
- The Aimes, NEXUS, Legato, and Aquia IV Dual Flush WASHLET+ one-piece toilets.
- The Nexus, Aquia IV Dual Flush, and Connelly two-piece toilets.
Most reading this article won’t need to consider this extra “perk”.
People purchase TOTO bidets for use on all sorts of toilets from other manufacturers, so most won’t be able to use this feature.
Plus, those that have TOTO toilets may have different models than the ones just listed–TOTO toilets that are not Auto Flush capable.
Finally, auto-flush toilets flush automatically (as the name implies), when the user gets up, so I’m not sure why you’d need a remote control for manual flushing.
Features Both Bidets Are Lacking
So, the S300e and S500e are pretty much the same, just as the S350e and S550e are basically the same. Which is why I recommend the S550e if it’s around the same price (it usually is).
With the S300e and S500e, there’s no night light to illuminate the bowl and no auto-open/close seats and lids, two features offered by their more sophisticated successors.
They do light up the toilet bowl for certain functions, but there is no continuous night light feature with either.
With the S350e and S550e, you can open and close the bidet seat and lid using the wireless remote. Instead, the S300e and S500e come a slow-close seat and lid.
With a slight-nudge, the slow-close seat and lid take it from there, softly closing on their own. This helps save wear and tear in the long term.
Still, having auto-open/close seats and lids would be nice.
Quick note: if you check the product page and spec sheet for the S500e, you won’t find a soft-close seat/lid advertised, but it does come with this feature.
TOTO S500e vs S300e: Comparing Features and Specs
So, there’s not a huge difference between the two bidets in terms of the features offered. But they do differ in certain specs.
Water Temperature
Both the S300e and S500e:
- Come with a tankless water heater for instant and endless warm water.
- Allow you to choose between “Off” and settings that range from 86° F to the highest of 104° F.
Water Pressure
The S300e:
- Adjustable pressure allowing you to choose between 5 settings.
- Decent water pressure with an output of 0.07 to 0.11 gal (or 0.27 – 0.43 L) per minute.
- There’s no “strong” or “turbo” mode, but the bidet isn’t known for complaints of low pressure.
The S500e:
- Adjustable pressure w/5 settings.
- Good water pressure with an output of 0.08 to 0.11 gal (or 0.32 – 0.43 L) per minute.
- While, there’s no strong turbo mode, some have noted extra-strong pressure with this model and the S550e. I’d imagine the same is true for the S300e.
Comfort and Convenience
The S300e and S500e both come with:
- A warm air dryer with five variable temperature settings.
- An illuminated wireless handheld remote with easy-to-read controls and magnetic wall-mounted cradle.
- User presets, allowing two regular bidet users to save their preferences for things like water pressure, temperature, and wand position.
- Continuous contour for plenty of sitting room upfront.
- Built-in air deodorizing system.
- Heated seat with adjustable temperature. You can choose between “OFF” and settings that range from 82 – 97 °F.
The S500e only:
- If you see “AT” in the SKU, then the bidet will be compatible with Auto Flush toilets.
- The two compatible versions include the SW3044AT40 (Classic) and SW3046AT40 (Contemporary).
Seat and Lid
The S300e and S500e both come with:
- Quick-release docking station for easy bidet removal and cleaning.
- Soft-Close seat and lid to save wear and tear.
Spray Capability
The S300e and S500e both come with:
- A single spray wand with multiple spray holes for posterior and front feminine hygiene. The wands are adjustable to 5 positions for max accuracy.
- The wand is made of high-quality plastic, not stainless steel.
- Multiple spray settings: Rear (regular), Rear Soft, Front (regular) and Front Wide.
- There is no Turbo or “strong” spray mode, though the water pressure is decent.
- The Rear Soft mode is for soothing irritated skin and for those who prefer a softer spray. It’s similar to the Sitz Bath mode you’ll see on other bidets.
- The Wide Front spray pattern covers a wider area.
- Both come with an oscillating spray function. When activated, the oscillating mode causes the wand to move back and forth for a more thorough wash and greater coverage.
- Massage/pulse spray setting provides a massage-like effect by rotating hard and soft water pressure.
Safety and Sanitation
The S300e and S500e both come with:
- Automatic self-sanitizing nozzle(s). Like with most luxury bidets, the wands on the S300e and S500e self-rinse before and after each use and allow for on-demand self-rinsing via the wireless remote.
- The wands can be extended for periodic manual cleaning.
- In addition to self-cleaning, the wands self-sanitize by rinsing with EWATER+, which is water that contains electrolytes that form sodium hypochlorite. NaOCl is a natural antimicrobial substance and helps prevent waste (read: poop) from sticking to the wands by creating a slippery surface.
- Both the S300e and S500e spritz the toilet bowl with EWATER+ using PREMIST technology. PREMIST creates a slippery surface keeping waste from sticking to the inside of the toilet bowl.
- And, unlike the TOTO K300 which only pre-mists the bowl, the 300 and 500 series bidets go a step further by spraying the bowl after each use.
- Finally, both bidets have a safety sensor which, when activated, prevents the bidet from being operated when the toilet isn’t unoccupied. This prevents unwanted surprises in case someone accidentally hits one of the controls. This feature is especially useful for kids and senior adults.
Recommended Reading:
- Best Bidets for Elongated Toilets
- TOTO C5: Every Feature Tested Practically
- TOTO K300: Every Feature Tested Practically
TOTO Washlet S300e vs S500e: The Bottom Line
So, there you have it.
The S300e and S500e are essentially the same, with the S500e slightly edging out the S300e in one or two areas. The main difference is that the S500e offers an extra version with a more contemporary look. If you can do with the Classic look, then go with the cheaper of the two.
The two bidets tend to be found for the same price and prices can fluctuate. Hence, you should go with whichever happens to be cheaper at the time of purchase.
The only exception is if you really like the look of the contemporary S500e enogh to warrant any added cost. Again, prices fluctuate and the contemporary S500e may not cost any extra.
As mentioned above, if the S550e is around the same price when you’re doing your research—which it often is at various retailers — I’d recommend getting that one since it does have a few extra features.
The S550e has an auto open/close seat/lid and a bowl night light, etc. Plus, like the S500e, it’s also available in Contemporary and with AutoFlush compatibility.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.