Originally Posted By: Sayjac
Based on what I can see 'from the pics alone' I can't say definitively. Naked eye much more reliable. Guess if I purchased it and I was in doubt, I'd take it back.
If they aren't opened, perhaps the Mann&Hummel ownership cannibalization effect on QC is already in progress for Wix.
Afaik the longer 57356 is still using holes for centertube, and it uses silicone adbv too. Be an excellent alternative imo.
It's hard to see with the naked eye, too, other than the suggestion of cutting it open and going from there. An inspection camera would be better than what I did, but you can actually see better with the pictures than the naked eye (unless you have a magnifying glass), believe it or not. The first and second pictures show it best. I went to my parts man and he agreed and let me grab a different one of the shelf and set the bad one aside for return, so I didn't buy a 57356 or exchange it for one. We looked at a few of the 51358s on the shelf. Mine had obvious issues; none of the ones on the shelf had any problems. I took pictures of the new one, and you can actually see the media through the louvers, rather than barely make out a slit in the louvers. Unfortunately, for the photography critics, the geometry of these filters, and their puny size, make taking good pictures difficult, without having an actual inspection camera. If you know what to look for, you can very easily get the idea. Look at the first two pictures I posted, at the louvers on the right. You can see they're pretty much pressed shut and can't see any media through them. All you see is a slit.
As for the suggestion of a 57356, I split the difference and got an oversized Baldwin B1402 for comparison. Unfortunately for Wix and my Wix suppliers, it turns out that the Baldwin is significantly cheaper than anything else right now, and I mean anything. I got the Baldwin for $6.95, compared to the $10.99 Wix, and that's at my corporate/jobber rate. The Baldwin's louvers are fine; they've been doing it for long enough they should know how. I don't think I could get anything here cheaper than the Baldwin, other than a Canadian Tire house brand one when on sale, or perhaps a jobber filter from one of my suppliers.
BigD1: The first, bad Wix fiter was marked assembled in the USA. This is the back stamping:
The replacement filter is stamped as follows, along with pictures of the better louvers, where you can see the media:
Here are the Baldwin 1402 louvers:
Kuato: Baldwin/Hastings claim that louvers improve flow. That's assuming their actually open in the first place, I suppose.
I have no problems with louvers. The Wix that's on there now has louvers, and they were fine. I've used a lot of Hastings filters. The Wix on the shelf waiting to go on (the replacement for this poor example I took back) has louvers. The Baldwin on the shelf also has louvers. Just make the things correctly. I guess I'll have to be much more vigilant when I pick up filters. Falken points out some valid reasons for companies using louvers, from a cost and logistical standpoint. I have no problem with that. Just do it right.
