- Joined
- Aug 9, 2004
- RO Number
- 14793
- Messages
- 230
Hi Vic,
We spoke a few weeks ago when I called to ask about upgrading my Atlantes heads to Elegance units. I did replace one of them about 10 days ago and 2 days ago replaced the control unit on the Atlantes with the new вЂtest' unit that you sent me. I have some feedback as requested.
First, let me say that the Atlantes heads have functioned without incident for 2 years. This includes many visits from untrained teenage girls and other non-boating guests. During these years, I've had to assist friends clean blockages from vacuflush units a few times, and each time was not fun.
Often I think of switching to a vacuflush because of the reduced water consumption that will let me stay at anchor longer. Each time I'm close to pulling that trigger, somebody needs help with a block, leak or other problem, or I read about somebody with a problem. I cringe and don't do anything, figuring my Atlantes were the most reliable, maintenance free solution.
I read about the Elegance unit over the winter and was really intrigued. The reason for my call initially was to see if the Elegance control could be used on an Atlantes, saving me some money upgrading.
First, my review of the Elegance. It is an engineering marvel, no other way to say it and do it justice. I find it a bit quieter than the Atlantes, though not a lot. The freshwater solenoid on the Elegance is much quieter however and is distinctly missing that loud snap of opening and closing that my Atlantes unit makes.
The Elegance does live up to its reduced water usage claims. I believe I am using a significantly smaller amount of water since the replacement. The water saver flush is extremely effective for urine, even with a bit of paper for women. The full flush has been extremely effective at solids flushing without having to re-flush or clean the bowl afterwards. I must say that this unit is as effective as a home toilet.
Finally, because I'm curious, I did flush some tampons down the head when I first installed it. I figured if I wanted to know its limits and if I had to clean anything, better on a brand new unused head. It flushed them down fine. I even let one sit in the bowl for a few minutes before flushing and had no issues (I did use the full flush program each time).
Other that the programmed flush differences between the Elegance and Atlantes, I noticed the actual bowl shape is different. The Elegance is more of a cone shape, requiring a lot less water to fill the bowl a satisfactory amount. It also seems to use gravity to вЂsuck' the waste out where the Atlantes is really pulling it horizontally. Maybe that's not accurate, but it is my impression.
The new Atlantes program makes a significant improvement over the old. I have not had to re-flush, wait as air bubbles worked themselves out, etc. From that perspective it works great! It is still not leaving water in the bowl reliably. That may be just the dip switch settings or it may be because it's a test unit that's still being tweaked. The addition of a fill button makes the retaining water almost irrelevant and possibly a bonus. For urination and empty bowl combined with the new water saver flush function seems to work well with a very minimal amount of water, seemingly less than a vacuflush or even the Elegance (since mine retains water after each flush).
Another interesting note is that with the new control unit, my freshwater solenoid seems to be quieter also. I don't see how this is possible, but I am certain that it is. I actually put the old controller back in to verify it.
The full flush function on the new controller works much better than the old, and seems to use much less water also.
The only shortcoming I see of the Atlantes with the new controller compared to the Elegance is that the bowl doesn't stay as clean. Due to the bowl shapes, I need to add a significant amount of water to the Atlantes to keep anything from sticking to the porcelain, where I get the same result with less on the Elegance.
Other items of note: The new seat on the Elegance is much nicer than the Atlantes. The quick remove clips are a nice touch too.
Guest/user comments of the Elegance have all been very favourable from small children to very large adults. I did get favourable comments on the Atlantes also.
My slip neighbor had an issue with his vacuflush last weekend and I could tell that he's fed up with it. He ordered an Elegance unit to replace it this week.
My recommendations to purchasers would be the Elegance, hands down over any other choice. If the Atlantes were significantly less expensive it would still be my second choice, but at a similar cost, I think the Elegance is the better buy. With a the new programming, I think Atlantes owners do get most of the Elegance benefits and could happily go on using their toilets forever. Despite it's smaller size, the Elegance does have a look and feel of really high quality and, well, elegance. The online pictures don't do it justice in that regard. I didn't expect it to meet the quality or prestige look and feel of the Atlantes (certainly the majority of vacuflush 2 piece units don't come close), but I was mistaken. It meets or surpasses the build quality of the Atlantes.
I will follow up in another week or so with any further comments on the test controller program on the Atlantes.
In closing, allow me to make a comment on Raritan itself. I made one call to you, Vic, to make a simple inquiry. I expected a negative answer right away, but wanted to ask anyway. You not only took the time to explain the differences between the units, and competitor units in a unbiased manner and speaking as technically as I wished to talk without taking it beyond my understanding. The follow up with this test unit and how fast your organization moved to make this happen was fantastic and a mark that other companies should aspire to. Finally, Raritan must have already been thinking this new program for the older Atlantes units which shows me a commitment to existing customers and past purchases. Many companies would simply tell us to buy the new one. Although the new program may have cost Raritan the sale of a second Elegance (but maybe not – it's a great unit and my wife wants a second one), it did make me a believer in Raritan and customer for life.
Thank you for your time and commitment. Please forward this to the others involved in helping me. I'm on the boat now and don't have the phone numbers or email addresses handy.
Cameron Hancock.
We spoke a few weeks ago when I called to ask about upgrading my Atlantes heads to Elegance units. I did replace one of them about 10 days ago and 2 days ago replaced the control unit on the Atlantes with the new вЂtest' unit that you sent me. I have some feedback as requested.
First, let me say that the Atlantes heads have functioned without incident for 2 years. This includes many visits from untrained teenage girls and other non-boating guests. During these years, I've had to assist friends clean blockages from vacuflush units a few times, and each time was not fun.
Often I think of switching to a vacuflush because of the reduced water consumption that will let me stay at anchor longer. Each time I'm close to pulling that trigger, somebody needs help with a block, leak or other problem, or I read about somebody with a problem. I cringe and don't do anything, figuring my Atlantes were the most reliable, maintenance free solution.
I read about the Elegance unit over the winter and was really intrigued. The reason for my call initially was to see if the Elegance control could be used on an Atlantes, saving me some money upgrading.
First, my review of the Elegance. It is an engineering marvel, no other way to say it and do it justice. I find it a bit quieter than the Atlantes, though not a lot. The freshwater solenoid on the Elegance is much quieter however and is distinctly missing that loud snap of opening and closing that my Atlantes unit makes.
The Elegance does live up to its reduced water usage claims. I believe I am using a significantly smaller amount of water since the replacement. The water saver flush is extremely effective for urine, even with a bit of paper for women. The full flush has been extremely effective at solids flushing without having to re-flush or clean the bowl afterwards. I must say that this unit is as effective as a home toilet.
Finally, because I'm curious, I did flush some tampons down the head when I first installed it. I figured if I wanted to know its limits and if I had to clean anything, better on a brand new unused head. It flushed them down fine. I even let one sit in the bowl for a few minutes before flushing and had no issues (I did use the full flush program each time).
Other that the programmed flush differences between the Elegance and Atlantes, I noticed the actual bowl shape is different. The Elegance is more of a cone shape, requiring a lot less water to fill the bowl a satisfactory amount. It also seems to use gravity to вЂsuck' the waste out where the Atlantes is really pulling it horizontally. Maybe that's not accurate, but it is my impression.
The new Atlantes program makes a significant improvement over the old. I have not had to re-flush, wait as air bubbles worked themselves out, etc. From that perspective it works great! It is still not leaving water in the bowl reliably. That may be just the dip switch settings or it may be because it's a test unit that's still being tweaked. The addition of a fill button makes the retaining water almost irrelevant and possibly a bonus. For urination and empty bowl combined with the new water saver flush function seems to work well with a very minimal amount of water, seemingly less than a vacuflush or even the Elegance (since mine retains water after each flush).
Another interesting note is that with the new control unit, my freshwater solenoid seems to be quieter also. I don't see how this is possible, but I am certain that it is. I actually put the old controller back in to verify it.
The full flush function on the new controller works much better than the old, and seems to use much less water also.
The only shortcoming I see of the Atlantes with the new controller compared to the Elegance is that the bowl doesn't stay as clean. Due to the bowl shapes, I need to add a significant amount of water to the Atlantes to keep anything from sticking to the porcelain, where I get the same result with less on the Elegance.
Other items of note: The new seat on the Elegance is much nicer than the Atlantes. The quick remove clips are a nice touch too.
Guest/user comments of the Elegance have all been very favourable from small children to very large adults. I did get favourable comments on the Atlantes also.
My slip neighbor had an issue with his vacuflush last weekend and I could tell that he's fed up with it. He ordered an Elegance unit to replace it this week.
My recommendations to purchasers would be the Elegance, hands down over any other choice. If the Atlantes were significantly less expensive it would still be my second choice, but at a similar cost, I think the Elegance is the better buy. With a the new programming, I think Atlantes owners do get most of the Elegance benefits and could happily go on using their toilets forever. Despite it's smaller size, the Elegance does have a look and feel of really high quality and, well, elegance. The online pictures don't do it justice in that regard. I didn't expect it to meet the quality or prestige look and feel of the Atlantes (certainly the majority of vacuflush 2 piece units don't come close), but I was mistaken. It meets or surpasses the build quality of the Atlantes.
I will follow up in another week or so with any further comments on the test controller program on the Atlantes.
In closing, allow me to make a comment on Raritan itself. I made one call to you, Vic, to make a simple inquiry. I expected a negative answer right away, but wanted to ask anyway. You not only took the time to explain the differences between the units, and competitor units in a unbiased manner and speaking as technically as I wished to talk without taking it beyond my understanding. The follow up with this test unit and how fast your organization moved to make this happen was fantastic and a mark that other companies should aspire to. Finally, Raritan must have already been thinking this new program for the older Atlantes units which shows me a commitment to existing customers and past purchases. Many companies would simply tell us to buy the new one. Although the new program may have cost Raritan the sale of a second Elegance (but maybe not – it's a great unit and my wife wants a second one), it did make me a believer in Raritan and customer for life.
Thank you for your time and commitment. Please forward this to the others involved in helping me. I'm on the boat now and don't have the phone numbers or email addresses handy.
Cameron Hancock.
