Oil Filters (again)

[funflyer]

Cut open the filter from my new Cadet after the 5 hour oil change. Somewhere I heard Kohler filters were more heavy duty than typical automotive filters but after seeing one first hand I'm not impressed. First pic is the Kohler filter and the next two are a Walmart Supertech cheapie ST3614 filter from several years ago I found on another site.

 

[bertsmobile1]

:welcome:

So what were you expecting to find ? Gold plating ?
Do you have the technical expertese required to asess the quality of the filter media or the strength of the adheasives used ?
Can you test the operation of the bypass valve ?
Can you assess its behaviour ?
Do you know what the micron rating on both filters is ?
Do you know the spread in the micron rating of both filter papers is ?
Do you know the hot wet tearing stength of both the filter papers ?
Does Walmark guarantee their filters and foot bills for engine damage should the filter fail ?

In fact do you have any idea what you are looking at or for ?

Somehow I doubt it.
Or there would have been no purpose in making this post.
And no I do not work for Kohler and I do not fit genuine Kohler filters.
Howerver I do fit aftermarket filters that come with a warantee & guarantee that are made by a company that has product liability insurance.
And they not $ 5 try your luck possibly sutiable use made is China where there is no quality control filters.

 

[Good 1 Brian]

May want to read this but your decision on what you buy
http://www.knowyourparts.com/technical-articles/oil-filters-quality-matters/

 

[funflyer]

:welcome:

So what were you expecting to find ? Gold plating ?
Do you have the technical expertese required to asess the quality of the filter media or the strength of the adheasives used ?
Can you test the operation of the bypass valve ?
Can you assess its behaviour ?
Do you know what the micron rating on both filters is ?
Do you know the spread in the micron rating of both filter papers is ?
Do you know the hot wet tearing stength of both the filter papers ?
Does Walmark guarantee their filters and foot bills for engine damage should the filter fail ?

In fact do you have any idea what you are looking at or for ?

Somehow I doubt it.
Or there would have been no purpose in making this post.
And no I do not work for Kohler and I do not fit genuine Kohler filters.
Howerver I do fit aftermarket filters that come with a warantee & guarantee that are made by a company that has product liability insurance.
And they not $ 5 try your luck possibly sutiable use made is China where there is no quality control filters.

Hey Bert, try not to get confrontational here, I'm not making any assumption based on engineering data, I'm simply showing a comparison of a high priced OEM Kohler filter with a dirt cheap Walmart filter. Obviously both are made by Champion Labs and both are of e-core design.

 

[bertsmobile1]

And I am not trying to be arguementative either, just to poit out unless you actually know what to look for and what you are looking at what you are doing is pointless other than to confuse people who have even less knowledge than you.
You can not asses the quality of the filter by looking at it unless you are using a very powerful shiloette / profile machine and a microscope.
I can buy 10um paper that is $ 2 a sheet from China which makes it cheaper than coffee filters and I can buy certified paper from Labserve at $ 160 a sheet.
Both look identical sitting on the bench, but pour fuming sulphuric acid through them and it is a different story.

You and I have no idea if the the filters are made from equivalnt materials, we don't know if they from the same machine.
I used to work at Champion spark plugs when I was young.
each and every spark plug was tested as it came off the end of the line then went into different stillages depending upon the test results.
The best ones got Champion printed on the outside and wet on to be individually boxed.
The secong best also got Champion printed on the outside but went to be blister packed in 4's , 6's & 8's
Then the Autolies
Then the Motocraft
and the worst went to K-mart
All off the same machine, all using the same materials but a lot different out of the other end.

The story at Union Carbide was exactly the same.
Same batteries commng off the same machine, same sorting.

Now I am not trying to say this is what happens with the filters just to show that I could have cut any one og the batteries of spark plugs apart and they would all have looked exactly the same to the untrained & unskilled eye.

Now I will not argue about OEM branded parts being overpriced but I will argue that there is a good chance the OEM ones are physically better.
Oh and it was not uncommon for some batteries being down labled ( garbage brand on an better batttery ) is they were short garbage batteries to fill an order for the big supermarkets.

 

[funflyer]

Decided to remove the short Kohler filter after 10 Hours since the last oil change. After comparing the short with the original tall OE filter I'm even less impressed with OE filters.



Kohlers full flow short filter is only 20% shorter than the original tall OE filter.

But has 50% less media and more glue than any filter needs.

Original "Tall" OE filter has .040" thick media

New "short" OE filter has .027" thick media.

 

[577jersey]

I heard WIX makes the ST filters now,,any truth to that?

 

[funflyer]

I heard WIX makes the ST filters now,,any truth to that?

Yes, WIX makes ST filters and they are a much better filter than the older ST E-core design.

 

[577jersey]

Yes, WIX makes ST filters and they are a much better filter than the older ST E-core design.

Thank you,,I will use those from now on.
Wix kicks butt!!

 

[reynoldston]

The only thing I have ever seen in Walmart Supertech products is the lower price. Been using Supertect oil and filters for years in some of my older equipment without any problems. Go ahead and pay the bigger prices because it will make you feel much better. All my newer equipment I use Ams oil with Baldwin Filters but at a extended times so there isn't much different in the end cost. The person that has all the problems that come into my shop is the one that never dose any maintenance. Nothing wrong with Supertect.