The Benefits of an After-Market Air Filter Explained

This article will discuss why in many cases it is better to buy an after-market air filter instead of the brand name air filter. I will compare the cost and quality of the after-market air filter with the brand name air filter.

First, lets look at the quality of the air filters. Many people believe that the after-market air filter is of inferior quality to the brand name air filter. The truth is that this is rarely the case. By using shrewd marketing, the brand name air filter companies have created a perception in the general public that the brand name air filter is a better filter than the after-market air filter. You do not fall for these marketing techniques because you read articles like this one, but many other consumers do not.

A manufacturer of after-market air filters basically has two ways to compete with the brand name air filter company. If he wishes to succeed, the after-market manufacturer must make an air filter that is better than the brand name filter. Two ways to do this is to make an air filter that is more efficient than the brand name air filter in removing pollutants and contaminants, and by using better materials.

This difference in the efficiency of the after-market air filter and the brand name air filter can be compared by referring to the MERV rating of the air filters in question. By doing this, most often you will find that the after-market air filters offer higher MERV rated air filters than the brand name filters. After-market air filter manufacturers are forever trying to make a more efficient filter than the brand name filters.

The other way for an after-market air filter manufacturer to compete is by keeping price as low as possible. The after-market manufacturers cut costs by not printing a whole bunch of marketing words on the filter frame. Usually, they print the size, and that’s it.

Another way after-market air filter manufacturers cut cost is by not marketing or advertising. There are big savings there that are passed on to the consumer.

You may be interested in knowing that brand name filters are often made by the same air filter companies that make the after-market air filters. The brand name companies spend a great deal of their money building the brand name. In many cases the brand name is all they own. They have air filter manufacturers make the filters, and then they sell them through air conditioning contractors and distributors.

My last thought for you is, be “Filter Smart” and consider the after-market air filter when ordering your air filters. Once you stick your filter in the filter housing, it matters not what color the filter is, or what words are written on the filter frame. The only thing that really matters is how efficient the filter is in removing pollutants and contaminants, and whether or not the filter will hold up to the pressures exerted on it by the airflow.