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what do you think?
I think that the most popular choice may not be the best choice.
It's like the renowned Dutch beer brand Heineken. Because of good marketing it's known all around the world, but many of us don't actually like it (I know I don't). And yet, it's among the most expensive domestic brands in the supermarkets...
I think Fram is similar. They have a good marketing department to create a good name among the masses. Only the more critical types like you and me look beyond that orange can and the slogans and we don't like what we find.
I really like the construction of the Mann Filter. It's a no nonsense approach, but of excellent, OEM-worthy quality. They make just one filter for the red block engines, and that's the W 917. Fram seems to make four different qualities. Why not just one, the best?
When I look deeper into a brand like Fram, it's clear to me that Fram USA and Fram Europe are different companies. They may have rights to use the same name and style, but Fram USA is owned by the New Zealand investment company Rank Group while the Fram we know is part of the Sogefi Group, an Italian OEM.
This may be the reason why you would buy a different Fram filter for the same Volvo engine as I would.
Then the Mann+Hummel Group. OEM for several car manufacturers around the world (and for more than filters). Did you know Mann+Hummel not only own Mann Filter but also Purolator and Wix?
My view on Fram is that of a brand with a focus on the aftermarket, a market that can be more easily manipulated than the car manufacturers and which doesn't necessarily need to meet the same stringent demands.
Mann Filter is more of a brand that focuses on being an OEM and happens to supply the aftermarket as well. And since Purolator and Wix belong to the same group, perhaps they had the same focus and quality that got Mann+Hummel interested in acquiring them.
Purolator and Wix seem to be American brands that are not readily available over here. I imagine that European brands (which are also manufactured over here) might not be as readily available in North America.
Looking at several options I have, the OEM (i.e. Mann W 917 or its rebrands) often turns out to be one of the cheaper options. So, what the Purolator is for you, the Mann is for me. But in both cases, the Fram is better left alone... ;-)
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