The Horow T38 is a full-porcelain tankless smart toilet that brings the Japanese bathroom experience home for under $1k, which is well below the typical $3,000-plus premium segment. Heated seat, warm water bidet, oscillating nozzle, air dryer, UV sanitation, ambient lighting, and fully automated lid and flush are all present and functional after multiple months of use. The main friction points are installation — confirm waterline position and flange compatibility before the old toilet comes out — and a learning curve for guests unfamiliar with a handle-free toilet. For the price, nothing comparable comes close.
Video Review
Written Review
When visiting Japan, Jimmy discovered that smart toilets, or at least those with bidets, have been standard for a long time. Walk into any airport, hotel, or convenience store bathroom there and about 80% of Japanese toilets are bidet-equipped. In the US, that figure sits at roughly 5% or less. The gap is not explained by cost alone, as it is mostly cultural inertia and a lack of exposure. Jimmy from the Freshly Charged team spent three months with the Horow T38 on the main level of a home, and at just less than $1k, it makes a compelling case to bring into your home.
- Current price of the Horow T38: https://bit.ly/47T9CEA
- Use coupon code FreshlyCharged to save 20% off any Horow product
- Current price of the Horow T38 on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ydz7ssmh
What the T38 Is
The Horow T38 is a full-replacement smart toilet, not a bidet seat attachment, not a retrofit kit. Full porcelain construction, tankless silhouette, and a modern minimalist profile. It ships with all necessary hardware: flange, wax ring, mounting kit, and supply lines. It requires a nearby electrical outlet, which is worth confirming before purchasing. More on installation shortly.
The feature list is comprehensive. Automatic lid open and close triggered by proximity. Heated seat with adjustable temperature. Warm water bidet wash with adjustable pressure, temperature, and nozzle position, controlled via a wall-mounted wireless remote. Rear and feminine wash modes. An oscillating nozzle for more thorough cleaning. Built-in warm air dryer. Automatic flush on standing, with a manual side button as a fallback. UV sanitation inside the bowl after each use. A pre-flush bowl rinse before sitting to prevent residue from sticking. Ambient base and bowl lighting in seasonal color modes. A small digital display with status icons. And a foot-operated button near the base for hands-free lid control if preferred. For households where someone needs it, there is also an optional backup battery for flushing during power outages.
Three Months of Daily Use
After three months as the primary toilet on the main floor, the verdict is straightforward: the features that sound unnecessary are not. The heated seat transitions a daily routine from novelty to necessity quickly, particularly in winter. The warm water bidet wash is noticeably more effective and more comfortable than paper, and the oscillating nozzle is a meaningful detail rather than a marketing line. The air dryer works, and the ambient lighting functions as a practical nightlight for nighttime visits.
The automated lid is responsive and genuinely useful from a hygiene standpoint. The UV sanitation and pre-flush rinse are automatic, require no input, and make cleaning happen less often. The digital display is a minor but effective touch, communicating what the toilet is doing without requiring the user to think about it.
At its current price point, the T38 undercuts most premium smart toilets (typically $3k+), while delivering the full set of features that actually matter for daily use.
The Installation Reality
The T38's biggest friction point is installation, and it is worth being specific about what that means in practice.
The unit is heavy, which is a testament to its quality, but moving it upstairs or downstairs will require two people. The installation itself is manageable for anyone who has replaced a toilet before — Horow includes all the hardware — but there are two pre-purchase checks that are non-negotiable: confirm waterline position and verify flange compatibility before the old toilet comes out. The waterline issue is measurable in advance. The flange situation is not always visible until the existing toilet is removed, which is what happened during this install. What started as a DIY project ended with a professional plumber. An electrician was also required to add an outlet near the toilet.
Neither of these is a flaw in the product, but anyone planning a self-install should budget time and potentially professional labor.
The Guest Problem
Three months of daily use surfaced one genuinely practical issue: guests. The T38 has no visible flush handle, although it can be configured to open manually with a button located at the bottom. For anyone encountering a smart toilet for the first time, that is disorienting enough to require a brief tutorial before use. The toilet will auto-flush on standing, and there is a side button, but neither is obvious to a first-time user approaching a sleek porcelain unit with no familiar hardware. It is a minor friction point in context, but worth knowing if the T38 is going in a high-traffic guest bathroom.
The Freshly Charged Verdict
The T38 makes sense for anyone who has used a bidet or smart toilet and refuses to go back to paper. It also makes sense as a first smart toilet purchase for someone who wants the full feature set without paying luxury fixture prices. The combination of full porcelain construction, a complete feature suite, three months of reliable daily performance, and a price point well below the premium segment makes it the most accessible entry into smart toilet ownership the team has tested. As a reminder, just confirm your waterline position and flange situation before the old toilet comes out.
- Current price of the Horow T38: https://bit.ly/47T9CEA
- Use coupon code FreshlyCharged to save 20% off any Horow product
- Current price of the Horow T38 on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ydz7ssmh
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