I'm not sure if it's a supply chain thing, "shrinkflation," or just the evolution of the business and products, but it seems harder and harder to get a decent oil filter at any price, or at least a good value proposition per dollar.
I've been watching cut-open and inspection videos on the YouTube channel, Whip City Wrencher (he does filter Fridays) and am watching the products become more uniform, cost cut, price-jacked and unremarkable. At this point, a boxed filter feels like the old Forrest Gump movie quote. Guess we'll have to seek out NOS filters, but that comes with its own drawbacks. I know my post doesn't really contribute much, but this is rather frustrating. Certain models are out of stock at a variety of stores (Walmart, O'Reilly, Autozone, Menards, etc, etc) and it feels as though oil filters are the next product becoming harder to find and a poorer value.