The Aerostar MERV 13 Pleated Air Filter is a 1-inch deep pleated filter. The 20″x25″x1 version we tested contained 19 pleats. So far, we have tested the top 50 best-selling filter brands/models on Amazon, and as of the writing of this review, this model has the 2nd lowest Filtest permeability score of them all. That type of pressure drop can be detrimental to many residential furnaces and central air conditioners.

While the Aerostar MERV 13 Pleated Air Filter is cheaper than the MERV 14 rated Filtrete MPR 2200, the latter tested as a higher performer at both the energy and filtration efficiencies department.

As mentioned earlier in this review, the permeability score of this filter is among the lowest we have ever tested. At 1,280 cfm, the pressure drop was 4.5 times higher than of the best performers in the department the permeability department. It clogs super fast too. I other words, even if you replaced this model every month, which by itself is too much of a hassle for most homeowners, you would end up with meaningfully higher than necessary energy, maintenance, repairs, and filter replacement associated cost.

As for filtration performance… the Aerostar MERV 13 filter gets a “C-” at the sub-micron range (61.3% @ 0.3-1µm) and works really well at the 1-3µm level (90.2%). It does an excellent job at the 3-10µm level (95.5%). Please note that Fltest.org does not incorporate this category (3-10µm) into our total score weight.