Product review (5 stars): Same as the ones at the home improvement stores.
First of all this is a really good price for this filter.  Usually when I go to Lowes or Menards these filters run around $25.00.  I purchased this one to try and see if it would hold up as well as the other filters that I usually purchase in the store.  The filter comes in a plastic package and is pretty much the exact same filter that the home improvement stores sell at less than half the price. Our humidifier is one of the larger Holmes models with two tanks on it. Installing it was very easy and it fit the enclosure perfectly.  There was no issue with water wicking up into the filter and it was running smoothly within a matter of a few minutes. The filter ran great it did not emit any strange smells and the humidifier sounded the way it normally does when fitted with the more expensive filters.  This makes it really easy to stock up on filters for the winter.  I usually run the humidifier in the spring, fall, and winter.  In the summer it is just too humid in the summer time to even bother with a humidifier.  So purchase a couple of them in case they go up in price or become unavailable. I totally recommend this filter as a replacement for the more expensive ones. The other issue is that the more expensive filters do not always tell you what model they are for on the box and you end up getting one too big or small.  I purchased this product at a discounted rate in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.