Raritan PH II
Is definitely the pick of that litter. If you want to spend $1000, the Wilcox-Crittenden Imperial has always been the best manual marine toilet on the planet, followed closely by the W-C Skipper, which is only a slightly smaller version of the Imperial, for about $900. Why would anyone spend that much for a manual marine toilet? If you're a blue water cruiser who stays away for 20 years, you want a toilet that will last 50 years...and I've seen plenty of 'em that are over 50 years old. In the price range that makes sense for you, the Raritan PH II--and its predecessor PH--has always been rated the best manual marine toilet in its price range. They somehow manage to keep working for years, despite total neglect and incredible abuse...although they tend to work a bit more efficiently if they're maintained. I consider any toilet you can buy at discount for $150 or less to be "disposable"...'cuz they do need periodic rebuilds to keep working efficiently, but for about the price of two rebuild kits you can replace the entire head, so why put any money into 'em? However, if you want to spend as little as possible, the Raritan Compact is definitely the next best on your list. However, there's another Raritan toilet that isn't on your list, that I like a lot--the Cricket. It has a diaphragm pump under the bowl instead of the usual piston/cylinder pump beside the bowl, which means no moving parts...which means virtually -0- maintenance...in fact, the "repair kit" is the entire pump except for the housing, and this head only needs one about as often any other toilet needs a new pump. It also uses less flush water than piston/cylinder pumps. And because the pump is under the bowl instead of beside it, it takes up less space than a Compact, but is available with the larger "highboy" bowl, which the Compact is not. The Cricket is about the same price as the PH II. You can check it out on the Raritan website at http://www.raritaneng.com When it comes to marine toilets, like anything else you get what you pay for...Raritan products cost a bit more than the least expensive, but they are definitely worth the additional price.
