Jeez, you had to call me on it. Here goes...
The rankings are my own preferences/prejudices after reading other people's particle counts, insoluble %'s, and experiences, sifting through the internet rumor mill, looking at cut-open filters, and my own experiences with a 1999 Accord 3.0L and 2008 Civic 1.8L. I've actually used every filter I listed except the EAO13.
My perspective: I highly value build quality. Next most desirable feature is filtration. Holding capacity also figures into it, and flow less so. Then the little nit-picks like silicone Vs. nitrile ADBV, bypass location, etc. I'll try not to list too much of the small stuff.
Amsoil EAO13: this shares my top ranking by internet hype/reputation alone. I respect Donaldson's products, and particle counts look great. It is by all accounts an extremely efficient filter. Also, any filter recommended for such a long service has got to have a decent holding capacity. Silicone ADBV is a plus. Insolubles in UOAs are always good. Maybe I'll give it a shot when I win the lottery.
Mobil M1-110: this thing has semi-synthetic filter media, a silicone ADBV, and is built like a tank. In a head-to-head comparison with the EAO13 buried somewhere in the BITOG oil filter section, it posted better particle counts in 5,000 mile OCIs. Granted, this is a single blip on the radar. No idea what the results would be at 10,000 miles or more, or in MY engines at any OCI, but there it is nonetheless. Insolubles in UOAs are generally excellent.
K&N HP-1010: basically an M1-110 with cellulose media and a stupid 1" nut welded on the dome. Insolubles look good. Even more expensive than the Mobil filter.
Filtec 15400-PLM-A01: a sturdy, well-made filter that does well in the UOA section. No incidents when I was still having the Accord's oil changed at the dealership. The factory filter on my Civic was an A01, but I haven't been able to find one in town for over a year.
HAMP H1540-PFB-515: a miniature green version of the A01. Honda enthusiast sites rave about raised oil pressure, better performance, 10 extra HP, etc., but all I can say is that it's a sturdy little filter that did well for me. The oil light always went off nearly instantly while I was using the small HAMP. Trendy part.
Purolator PureONE PL14610: I dunno about this filter. It has a LOT of filter media, very good filtration, and is fairly well built. My experience was worse than the status quo on BITOG. The first PureONE I used on the Civic gave me no problems, but the second gave me three dry starts in a couple weeks. It might have been an isolated case of a poorly seating ADBV, but I trashed the PureONE and haven't used one since. I listed it because it has great specs and others on BITOG have generally good experiences with it. Also, I was afraid the PureONE fanatics might hunt me down if I didn't at least give it a nod.
Baldwin B1402 & Hastings LF240: sturdy as heck and trusted by fleets across the country. Ho-hum filters that did the job for me. Not too many of them in the UOA section, so I don't have any numbers to go on.
WIX 51356: this is kinda the little filter that could. Well built, good filtration (WIX is pretty forthcoming with their numbers, and there are a lot of 0.2% insoluble marks in the UOA section), and reasonably priced... especially if you order from fleetfilter.com. I went through a bunch of these in the Accord's later days before I sold it after the second tranny rebuild. The BITOG filter section contains at least one report of a defective filter (Bill in Utah's). Glad it happened to Bill and not to me. Sorry, Bill.
There ya go. I never claimed the rankings were scientifically derived. Some thought went into them, but it's really just scores on the warm & fuzzy meter.
