Honeywell FPR 10 vs Aerostar MERV 13
Bottom line
In our scoring the Aerostar MERV 13 wins at 5.9/10 against the Honeywell Elite Allergen FPR 10's 3.3/10, and almost none of that gap is filtration - they are the same true MERV 13. It is cost and labeling: about $35 a year against $108, and a rating given on the standard scale rather than led by a retailer's own number. Fair credit to the Honeywell, though: Home Depot does print 'MERV 13' in the product title, so the real rating is disclosed and we do not treat it as hidden. Both are MERV 13 in a 1-inch panel, so both carry the same airflow caveat, and in our view neither is the ideal way to run MERV 13. That is what 4-inch deep media is for.
These two filter to the same standard, which is the surprising part. Both are true MERV 13 on the ANSI/ASHRAE 52.2 scale, both are 1-inch panels, and both get replaced about four times a year. What differs is the label and the bill. Home Depot sells the Honeywell as 'FPR 10' on its own retail scale, printing MERV 13 alongside it, at $27 a filter and about $108 a year. The Aerostar prints MERV 13 with no proprietary number at $8.67 a filter, roughly $35 a year. The FPR scale is worth understanding once: the same FPR 10 is only MERV 12 in the 4-inch version, so an FPR number does not translate to a fixed MERV across depths.
| MERV 13 (sold as FPR 10) | True MERV (ANSI/ASHRAE 52.2) | MERV 13 |
| 7.0 | Verified Filtration30% | 7.0 |
| 0.0 | Total Cost of Ownership25% | 8.0 |
| 5.0 | Rating Honesty20% | 8.0 |
| 0.0 | Airflow Fit15% | 0.0 |
| 2.0 | Practical Fit10% | 2.0 |
FAQ
- Is the Honeywell Home Elite Allergen FPR 10 (1-inch) better than the Aerostar MERV 13 (1-inch)?
- In our scoring the Aerostar MERV 13 (1-inch) rates 5.9/10 and the Honeywell Home Elite Allergen FPR 10 (1-inch) 3.3/10. In our scoring the Aerostar MERV 13 wins at 5.9/10 against the Honeywell Elite Allergen FPR 10's 3.3/10, and almost none of that gap is filtration - they are the same true MERV 13. It is cost and labeling: about $35 a year against $108, and a rating given on the standard scale rather than led by a retailer's own number. Fair credit to the Honeywell, though: Home Depot does print 'MERV 13' in the product title, so the real rating is disclosed and we do not treat it as hidden. Both are MERV 13 in a 1-inch panel, so both carry the same airflow caveat, and in our view neither is the ideal way to run MERV 13. That is what 4-inch deep media is for.
- Is FPR 10 the same as MERV 13?
- In a 1-inch filter, yes. In the 4-inch version the same FPR 10 is MERV 12, which is exactly why we treat FPR as a shopping label rather than a rating. Find the MERV printed on the package and compare on that.
- Why does the much cheaper Aerostar score higher?
- Because they capture the same amount. Both are true MERV 13, so the deciding factors in our rubric are running cost and how plainly each states its rating. The Aerostar runs about $35 a year to the Honeywell's $108 and prints MERV directly, which is why it lands at 5.9/10 against 3.3/10.
- Do both restrict airflow?
- Yes, equally in our scoring. MERV 13 in a 1-inch panel is a real airflow tradeoff, and both score 0.0/10 on airflow fit in our rubric for it. If your system runs high static pressure, the fix is not a different 1-inch MERV 13 - it is deep media, or a lower MERV in the same slot.