PickGuideHOROW T38 Smart Toilet Review: Is Their Best-Seller Worth It?
HOROW's own storefront sorts its 'Elongated Smart Toilet' collection by best-selling, and the T38 sits at #1 — ahead of the pricier T38P and X70 — with the most on-site reviews of any smart toilet the brand sells. It's a $999 one-piece bidet toilet with a built-in tank, booster pump, auto flush, heated seat, and a mood-light feature that's more distinctive than most competitors offer. We checked its actual spec sheet, install requirements, and review record before deciding if it's worth the money.
The T38 pairs a built-in water tank and booster pump with a 1.06 GPF flush rated for an 11.6-108 psi inlet pressure range, so it's designed to work in homes with weaker municipal water pressure rather than relying on gravity alone. It's a 12-inch rough-in, elongated-bowl, floor-mount unit measuring 27-7/16" L x 15-7/16" W x 18-11/16" H, and it needs a standard grounded 120V/16A outlet within reach of its 35-7/16" power cord — this is a hard requirement, not optional, since the bidet, heated seat, dryer, auto lid, and lighting are all electric. Wash functions cover front, rear, and feminine modes with a UV-sterilized, self-cleaning nozzle and a ceramic pre-mist coating to cut down on bowl residue; the seat has 4 heat levels and the dryer has 4 temperature settings. Auto-flush and an auto open/close lid round out the hands-free features, and a soft night light plus a color mood-light strip is the T38's signature extra over HOROW's other tank models. Power-outage flushing exists but needs a separately sold battery pack — it's not included, and worth budgeting for if outages are common where you live. On HOROW's own product page, the T38 holds a 4.89/5 rating from 192 reviews via its on-site Judge.me widget — the largest review count of any smart toilet in the lineup, including the newer $1,599 X70 (21 reviews) and the $1,299 T38P (132 reviews). The store's overall Trustpilot profile, which covers every HOROW product and all customer-service interactions rather than this toilet specifically, sits lower at 4.5/5 from 68 reviews. That's not a contradiction so much as a smaller, less curated, store-wide sample — but we're showing both numbers rather than only the higher one.
Pros
- HOROW's own best-selling sort ranks the T38 #1 among its smart toilets, backed by the largest on-site review count in the lineup (192 reviews, 4.89/5)
- Built-in tank plus booster pump is rated to work down to 11.6 psi inlet pressure — useful in homes with weak municipal water pressure
- Auto open/close lid, auto flush, 4-level heated seat, and 4-level warm-air dryer are functioning hardware features, not just spec-sheet claims
- UV-sterilized self-cleaning nozzle and ceramic pre-mist coating are real hygiene features beyond a basic bidet spray
- 2-year warranty on direct horow.com purchases (vs. 1 year through third-party retailers) plus a 90-day return window
- Free prepaid return-label shipping specifically applies to the T38 for orders placed after June 5, 2026, per HOROW's refund policy
Cons
- $999 is a real premium over a standard toilet plus bolt-on bidet seat combo — a Woodbridge T-0008 gets you most of the wash features for around $678
- Requires a dedicated grounded 120V/16A outlet near the toilet — not viable without electrical work in a bathroom that doesn't already have one, and professional installation is required to keep the warranty valid
- Power-outage flushing needs a separately purchased battery pack — it's not included in the box
- No independently verified MaP flush-performance score is published for the T38, unlike some gravity-fed competitors (Woodbridge's T-0008 has a documented MaP 1000g score)
- The 4.89/5 rating comes from HOROW's own on-site review widget; its independent Trustpilot score is meaningfully lower at 4.5/5, even if that number covers the whole store rather than this specific toilet
- As one fully integrated electronic unit, a malfunction in the bidet/seat electronics likely means servicing or replacing the whole toilet, not swapping a separate seat like on a tank-toilet-plus-bidet-seat setup
Who It's For
Good For
- Bathrooms that already have (or can easily add) a grounded 120V outlet within reach of the toilet
- Buyers who want one integrated unit — tank, bidet, heated seat, auto-flush, and lighting — instead of a standard toilet plus a bolt-on bidet seat
- Homes with a standard 12-inch rough-in and below-average water pressure, since the booster pump is built in
Skip If
- You don't have power at the toilet location and aren't willing to run a new circuit — this is a hard requirement, not a nice-to-have
- You want an independently verified flush-performance (MaP) score before buying, rather than the manufacturer's own GPF rating
- You want bidet and heated-seat functionality for well under $700 — a separate bidet seat on a standard toilet will get you close for less
How It Compares: HOROW T38 Smart Toilet vs Woodbridge T-0008 Luxury Bidet Toilet
| Spec | HOROW T38 Smart Toilet | Woodbridge T-0008 Luxury Bidet Toilet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $999.00 | $678.00 (Woodbridge's own site) |
| Format | One-piece integrated smart toilet | Elongated toilet + separate bolt-on bidet seat |
| Rough-in | 12" | 12" |
| Flush | 1.06 GPF, built-in tank + booster pump | 1.0-1.28 GPF dual flush, gravity-fed |
| Verified MaP flush score | Not independently published | 1000 grams (verified) |
| Auto flush | Yes | No (manual flush) |
| Heated seat | Yes, 4 levels | Yes, 5 levels |
The Woodbridge is the better-documented flush performer (a published MaP score) and costs less, but it's a manual-flush toilet with a bolt-on bidet seat rather than one integrated unit. The HOROW T38 costs more and lacks an independent flush-performance score, but adds auto-flush, an auto lid, and mood lighting in a single fully integrated toilet — worth the premium only if those hands-free and design extras matter to you.
See Woodbridge T-0008 Luxury Bidet Toilet →
Verified Ratings
Key Specs
| Model | HOROW T38 |
| Dimensions | 27-7/16" L x 15-7/16" W x 18-11/16" H |
| Rough-in size | 12" (305 mm), standard |
| Bowl shape | Elongated, floor-mount |
| Flush | 1.06 GPF, built-in tank with booster pump |
| Water pressure range | 11.6-108 psi inlet |
| Electrical | 16A at 120V AC, 60Hz; 35-7/16" power cord |
| Seat heating | 4 adjustable temperature levels |
| Dryer | Warm-air, 4 adjustable temperature levels |
| Certifications | EPA WaterSense, cUPC, ETL, FCC, CEC, DOE |
| Warranty | 2 years (direct horow.com purchase); 1 year via third-party retailers |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the HOROW T38 need a dedicated power outlet?
Yes. It requires a standard grounded 120V/16A outlet within reach of its 35-7/16" power cord, since the heated seat, dryer, auto lid, bidet pump, and lighting are all electric. This is a hard requirement — budget for an electrician if your bathroom doesn't already have an outlet near the toilet.
What happens if the power goes out?
The T38 supports power-outage flushing, but it requires a separately purchased battery pack that isn't included with the toilet. Without it, the flush function stops working during an outage.
Why does the on-site rating (4.89/5) differ from Trustpilot (4.5/5)?
The on-site score comes from HOROW's own Judge.me review widget on this specific product page (192 reviews). The Trustpilot score is a store-wide rating covering every HOROW product and all customer-service interactions, not just this toilet, from a smaller sample of 68 reviews. Both are real numbers; they're just measuring different, overlapping things.
What rough-in size does the T38 need?
A standard 12-inch rough-in, which is the most common size in North American homes. Measure from the wall to the center of your existing floor bolts before ordering to confirm.
Verdict
The T38 earns its best-seller spot within HOROW's own lineup honestly: it's the toilet with the most on-site reviews and the highest rating among the brand's smart models, it's actually in stock, and its feature list (auto flush, heated seat, UV-sterilized nozzle, booster pump) holds up against the spec sheet rather than being marketing-only. The real tradeoffs are the $999 price against simpler bidet-seat combos, the hard requirement for power at the toilet, and the gap between its on-site rating and its smaller, lower Trustpilot score. If you have (or can add) an outlet near the toilet and want one integrated smart-toilet unit rather than a tank toilet plus a separate bidet seat, it's a reasonable buy backed by real review volume. If you're on a tighter budget or want independently verified flush performance first, it's worth cross-shopping a gravity-fed bidet-seat combo like the Woodbridge T-0008.