My guess...

Some customers use K&N for higher flow and pressure tolerance for specific reasons, knowing full well that there's going to be some trade-off on filtration. I tow in mountains, so sustained high RPM's. Those customers trust K&N to provide adequate filtration.

However... the mass market likes to compare numbers on blog sites, and K&N knows that if they publish lower numbers than other brands they'll get panned, even though there's a reason for those lower numbers: At some point, there's a point of diminishing returns with "better" filtration...

1) It matters less and less as particles get smaller... you can end up paying (in more ways than one) for filtration you don't actually need.
2) Better filtration results in lower flow/higher pack pressure
3) Better filtration results in higher pump load => lower HP output => reduced gas mileage in the long run
3) Also results in faster clogging so shorter filter life. If it clogs before the OCI, you're bypassed with no filtration.

Someday I'll try to find somebody who's done an independent filtration test on various brands. Recently, years old data is no guarantee for today's products. In the the meantime do I trust K&N for the specific purpose of high flow and durability? Yes, but no way to know for sure so YMMV.

I don't care if a mfg relabels or outsources the mfg, as long as they ensure the quality and specs of their brand.

 

I stayed out of this thread for a bit...............here is my 2 cents: on a previous vehicle I used Amsoil extended drain oil filters as I also used Amsoil extended drain motor oil....I always ended up changing the motor oil before the Amsoil extended drain interval anyway, soooooooo, I now simply use Amsoil XL motor oil with the Mann filter and change the oil at my preferred interval. Point being............to each his own .

 

Okay, I wasn't going to go here, but I will. I recently purchased a K&N filter and was surprised that the efficiency rating (in microns) wasn't provided. This info is readily available for Fram oil filters. And this is a technical business. We make purchase decisions based on specs, especially for aftermarket products.

I emailed their customer support and asked for it. Just a polite and routine request for something a customer should be able to ask and get an answer for. Like asking how many watts is this light bulb I just purchased.

Then I forgot about it since I did not receive a prompt answer. Finally, one month later I received a reply (PDF attached with my personal identifying info redacted). They said this info is not available, and they invited me to ask any other questions as long as it wasn't about the filtration efficiency of their filter. What else did they think I would care to ask them ... if it comes in pastel colors?

OMG. Are you kidding me? I nearly fell out of my chair when I read this.

 

LOL! Snowflakes.