INTRODUCING THE OMIGO
“The future always seems weird at first”. This phrase is actually printed on the Omigo’s packaging, and at first, it sounded just like a catchy marketing slogan. Two weeks have passed since I installed the Omigo, and that same phrase seems to make a lot more sense now, looking back.
It’s nearly 2019, and it’s time we took innovation into the bathroom. We’ve already normalized automated flushing, hand dryers, and sinks that disperse water with the indiscriminate waving of your hand. And yet, toilet technology seems to have lagged far behind.
That’s not to say that companies aren’t taking toilet innovation seriously, as many are. Kohler might be the leader in that area, with the impressive Veil Intelligent Toilet. But most people don’t budget for a several thousand-dollar toilet. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t have nice things, right?
Let’s also take a second to appreciate that you’re reading an article about a toilet seat replacement. You’re actually here, reading this article. That’s pretty amazing.
When I was first considering how exactly to tackle this topic, I realized that for some reason, a level of awkwardness looms above any conversation about what happens in bathrooms. It’s actually kind of strange when you think about it.
One would assume that at this point in society, we’d all learn to act like adults, and accept the fact that it no longer needs to be awkward. We’re human beings that need food and water to survive. That food and water is then broken down through extraordinary means by your very own body, and at some point, your body requires an eject button of sorts.
Now that I’ve sufficiently explained to you what exactly it is we’re talking about, let’s leave all of the ambiguous and childish ways in which we tend to talk about toilets behind us.
WHAT IS IT, EXACTLY?
The Omigo is a refreshingly simple take on the toilet seat. Let’s be clear, this a replacement for your toilet seat, not the entire toilet. The concept is pretty sound; everyone owns a toilet, and most people don’t want to add a full replacement to their weekend to-do list.
The genius behind the Omigo is that within 20 minutes, you can improve your existing infrastructure, and in turn have a whole new experience in your bathroom. Sounds pretty sweet, right?
UNBOXING THE OMIGO
The Omigo comes in a sleek little blue box. Once you unpack the items, you’ll realize how straightforward this entire operation is.
Inside of the box is the Omigo toilet seat, the water hook-up (which splits into two parts), the remote, a set of instructions, and that’s it.
INSTALLING THE OMIGO
You’re probably thinking to yourself, “I’m not a plumber..” so how is not going to turn into a disaster? Well, how about you start by having a little bit more faith in yourself. Now that we got that out of the way, I’ll tell you from experience that it really isn’t so hard to replace your toilet seat.
There are a few considerations that we should mention though. First, the Omigo needs to be plugged into a wall outlet. It’s like the Sobro coffee table. All great things require a little bit of energy to unlock their true potential.
The Omigo comes with simple instructions to follow, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to watch this video while you breeze through the installation process. They’ll tell you that the average time to uninstall the Omigo is 30 minutes. I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t even take that long.
Actual installation time: 15 minutes
ASSESSING THE FEATURES
Let’s take a quick look at each of the features packed into the Omigo; we happen to think that once you see exactly what this thing is capable of, you might just see what we’re so excited about this product.
REMOTE CONTROL
Yes, your toilet seat now has a remote control. It might seem strange, but trust us.. it’s totally necessary. The remote control is extremely intuitive to use, and comes with a mounting bracket. With the remote in your hand, you’ll have instant access to all the amazing features of the Omigo. Want to change the level of your heated seat? Press a button, and like magic.. it happens. It’s not out of the question to assume that this remote could leapfrog your TV remote in terms of your favorite handheld in the house.
HEATED SEAT
Can we all agree that it’s actually absurd that heated toilet seats aren’t already commonplace?Is there anything more awful than planting your butt on a freezing cold toilet seat? Especially in many parts of the country where cold winters typically lead to less than ideal bathroom temperatures.
Some people even require a little self-motivational speech to brace themselves before sitting on a cold seat. The heated seat is one of the best features of the Omigo, and it’s an absolute pleasure.
DEODORIZER
The Omigo has an activated carbon filter that proactively addresses the unavoidable odors that take place during your time in the bathroom. Never drown your bathroom in aerosol spray ever again.
WARM WATER WASH
Without going into unnecessary levels of detail, let’s talk about what normally takes place in the bathroom. Something truly horrifying is expelled from a small hole in your body. Pretty gross, and yet, totally natural. For some reason, at this point, collectively as a society we have determined that the next course of action is to take a dry piece of white tissue paper, and hastily wipe around the area, calling it a day.
My question is, do you honestly think that you’ve addressed the situation? If you smeared poop on your arm, would you lightly wipe it off with a piece of tissue paper? No, you’d probably use some soap, and more than likely you’d hop in the shower.
Enter the best part of the Omigo — a quick warm water spray to the designated region that needs to be cleaned. You control the pressure, width and temperature. Get over yourself – it’s more weird that you don’t have one of these already.
AIR DRY
We just told you the Omigo is going to rinse your lower regions with a warm water, so naturally, you’d want an air dry, right? It’s like the end of a car wash. Rinse, clean, spray, dry. The only difference is we’re not talking about drying a car.
NIGHT LIGHT
Another simple, yet totally clutch feature of the Omigo is the integrated light. Sometimes you have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, so it makes sense that your toilet would light up and show you where to go. Literally, and metaphorically speaking.
HOW MUCH DOES THE OMIGO COST?
The Omigo can be yours for $649.. which we happen to think is a legitimately good deal. Why not make an investment in something that you’re guaranteed to use every single day? Since we have friends in high places, you can use this link to save $100 on your Omigo.
SO, SHOULD YOU BUY ONE?
I mean, yes? The Omigo is not just a hi-tech toilet seat replacement, it’s nearly a lifestyle in itself. Both men and women will appreciate this upgrade.
Oh, and lest we not forget about the environmental benefits of the Omigo! Did you know that the United States uses 36 billion rolls of toilet paper ever year? That’s ridiculous. At the very least, the Omigo can dramatically decrease the amount of toilet paper you use each time you go to the bathroom. Depending on each individual circumstance, it might even eliminate the need for toilet paper altogether. Who doesn’t like saving the environment?
FEATURES WE’D LIKE TO SEE IN THE OMIGO 2.0
The Omigo is undoubtedly an outstanding upgrade for your bathroom. Of course, there’s one or two items on our wish list for the inevitable Omigo 2.0 release. For starters, we’d love to see some integration with voice control. While the Omigo remote is pretty outstanding, not everyone will want a remote-controlled toilet. If you were able to simply say “Okay Omigo, turn my heated seat on”, or “Okay Omigo, spray my butt with water now” that would be downright incredible.
On a similar note, we’d love it if the Omigo was capable of automatically opening and closing the lid. While they could probably build this into the remote, that seems a little bit unnecessary. If there was a hand gesture or voice activation to open and close the lid, now that would actually be useful. It’s safe to assume that marital arguments would decrease by 50% if the Omigo could open and close its lid automatically. Am I right?
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Omigo is an instant upgrade to one of the most important rooms in your house. Let’s be honest, it’s sort of hilarious when you read through the features. Even when I first read about the Omigo, I sort of smirked and thought it was a cute idea.
Speaking to you as someone who now owns their very own Omigo, I can honestly tell you that there’s no going back. It only takes a few “uses” to realize just how better the Omigo is than a regular toilet. Getting used to the idea of owning a hi-tech toilet does take some getting used to. But once you have one, you’ll realize that it honestly makes a huge difference. You might think the Omigo sounds extreme, but I promise you – you won’t regret this purchase.
Like they say, the future always seems weird at first. Now, the future just feels right.
