Filtrete Clean Living Basic Dust Filter, MPR 300, 16 x 25 x 1-Inches 6-Pack

The price of furnace filters has gotten to be insane. These filters are reasonable at this price. This is my second pack of these from Amazon, as they always seem to have the best price. My filter box is actually designed for an electronic air cleaner which I need to repair, so I pulled the two electronic boxes out about a year ago, and have not gotten around to replace some of the filament wires. The box had two of those wire filters like you see on a range hood so I used these to support the Filtrete filters by locating them just below the filtrete for support. I run the blower on my furnace full time to cycle the air and these filters do a very respectable job. I'm sure everyone understands that the smaller size the filter is able to catch, the faster your filter is going to need replacement. These filters are a decent compromise. I would like to add here that one of the best things a person can do to enhance the life of their furnace is to keep their blower fan clean. This can usually be accomplished very easily by simply killing the breaker, removing the panel that covers the blower, removing a couple of hex head screws, unplugging the fan and slide it out for cleaning. Most furnace fans are the squirrel cage type and the vanes can really get gummed up which cuts down air flow considerably. I remove mine and put it in my laundry sink with TSP, soap, bleach and hot water. Cleans like new. This is a good time to clean your traps and plenum too. Clogged traps initiate all kinds of furnace problems, and most HVAC people never do the kind of job you would, they simply cannot spend the time. (And...........They want to sell you a new furnace) LOL

These are pretty decent filters as far as basic dust and pet related dander and dirt. With six dogs in the house and dual central a/c & heat systems, I have two air returns - one on each end of the house. I change the filters every 30 days without fail. It seems like this particular version needs to be changed a week earlier than some other brands. I'm not sure that it's catching more dirt, I think it's just not as sturdy. The corners get a weird crinkle in the edges and the whole filter sort of starts to sink into itself by the fourth week. However, when these are on sale, they are cheap enough that changing them out a week earlier isn't a big deal.

Recently, when I noticed that it was getting uncomfortably warm in the house, I notified my husband. It turns out that the AC line was freezing up. He changed the batteries in the thermostat, and the following Sunday morning went to Home Depot to purchase two filters for about $10 each. Problem solved. With only the price of the house call, we had our Heating and Air fellow come out on Monday to check our AC and it was fine, no freon needed. It's almost too cold now, so I've moved the thermostat up. Now that I know where the filter goes in the furnace (the filter door), I have assumed responsibility and control of the AC. I have researched and reviewed all the information I could find and I believe this particular filter suits our needs perfectly. I must also mention that I read a tip from another reviewer who mentioned that he picked up the tip of spraying the filter with PAM before installing and that increased the amount of dust collected. I will try it in a couple of months.The six-pack of filters was delivered in two days enclosed in a hard cardboard box with perforations for opening and removing an unbent filter as needed. This is the BEST VALUE hands down!

I've been using these filters for years and have virtually zero dust to speak of. The individual bags they come in are easy to tear open straight across the top so you can slide your used filter into it (avoiding getting dust all over the place).Don't get suckered into thinking the more expensive, higher MPR-rating filters are the way to go, unless you know you need them. I use the 300-rated filters and it's plenty for the vast majority of people. Higher rated filters will only reduce the efficiency of your heating and A/C systems and end up costing you more for the filters and in utility costs. A tip I was taught to improve your filter's MPR rating without impacting air flow is to give the filter a quick spray with Pam (or similar) each time you replace the filter. It will attract even more particles to the filter.Oh, and the box these come in has a tear-off portion so that it serves as a dispenser for the filters - nice bonus feature! (as of 2014, this feature no longer seems to exist)UPDATE: as of late 2013, it seems like 3M has decided to save some money and produce a *dramatically* inferior product. There is now very inconsistent fiber coverage -- to the point where there are rather large gaps that clearly won't capture dust. Because of this change, I've dropped my 5-star rating to 3-stars.UPDATE 2: it is now mid-2014. My most recent box still seems inferior from the original product I had been ordering for years, but there seems to be less inconsistency in the product compared with the box that prompted my update above. Based on this, I am sufficiently satisfied and will keep ordering and will continue to update my review based on what I find. If the next box is ok I may bump up the stars, but for now I'm still concerned there may be significant variability in the quality of the product and am leaving at 3-stars.UPDATE 3: it is January 2015 and I am now officially giving up on these filters and dropping the review to 2-stars. The most recent filter I used wasn't strong enough to resist the air going through it and completely flattened in the vent - completely defeating the purpose of the ridges and presumably reducing the efficiency of the furnace. I've also noticed a marked increase in the amount of dust in my house, though there are other possible reasons there and it may or may not be the filters . If these filters were as cheap as the no-name ones you can find at any store then they'd be adequate, but these just aren't worth $6/filter. As much as I want to switch brands entirely, I am giving 3M's 600 MPR filters a chance first ( Filtrete Clean Living Dust Reduction Filters, 600 MPR, 20 x 25 x 1, 6-Pack ). 3M claims they provide better filtration AND are more efficient at allowing air through then the 300 MPR filter, which makes very little sense, but, OK. At first glance they seem a lot like the 300 MPR filters used to be before the quality went downhill. I'm a bit concerned the construction doesn't seem any more solid and so it may also flatten, but at least the fiber coverage is more consistent, and even the exterior packaging is more like the quality of the old ones that generated my initial review. I'll put up a review of those ones in a couple months after I've had a chance to evaluate them.UPDATE 4: It's January 2016 and I've made the switch to the comparable Nordic Pure product ( Nordic Pure 16x25x1M8-6 MERV 8 Pleated AC Furnace Air Filter, 16x25x1, Box of 6 ). The 3M product I linked in Update #3 was better than the product on this page, but still not even as good as these were in the past. In contrast, the Nordic Pure product has consistent coverage but is structurally way stronger than the 3M product. No flattening, no difficulties getting it in and out of the vent. Wish I had switched earlier.