Exactly - we have a couple of decent, newer toilets, and they do the job, for the most part, but oftentimes need an extra flush. On the other hand, the one OLD toilet we still have (it's at least 50 years old) can flush down a hand towel and be perfectly fine (and yes, I know this is true because I prematurely flushed while I was washing it up and that old towel was gone in a flash!)
We have a newer dishwasher and I HATE it -- it takes forever, the dishes are still wet when it's done (even with the hi-heat drying cycle) and there are always a few dishes/utensils that need another run.
We have stopped buying American appliances. The companies are ripping off Americans. We have had a Bosh dishwasher for 8 years and it does great.