After purchasing both fuel filters from Amazon, I decided to cut them open and really see why 1 filter was $20 cheaper than the other. I don't claim to be some all knowing person of filter media and functionality, but I do carry common sense that I have earned over 20 years of experience in my automotive repair career.
I am going to go straight to my most concerning part of the filter comparison. That was the O-ring that seals the fuel filter to the housing. In the ACDelco example, the O-ring was tight to the filter and would take a lot of force to roll it off. In the aftermarket example, the O-ring is so loose that there is a good chance that will roll upon installation of the filter into the housing and the tech or owner may not even notice. If that happens, there is no filtration of the fuel and that means harmful materials could get to your injection pump and/or injectors which could result in catastrophic failure. Might I add, a fuel filter failure will not fall under the manufacturers warranty nor will installation errors.
The next concern is that of the water separator in the center of the fuel filter. The aftermarket unit was so loose in there, again, another area for fuel to just pass right by and not separate any water from the fuel. If this is the case, the water could turn into rust and deposits get formed rapidly and as you guessed, potential catastrophic issues. See video below for a def contamination catastrophic failure
AC Delco Fuel Filter: https://amzn.to/3QFfXex
Kofil Fuel Filter: https://amzn.to/47nGu6U
KlickWrench Socket: https://amzn.to/3QAQRxk
36mm socket: https://amzn.to/40CJnOT
Aluminum Filter Housing: https://amzn.to/3FZir28
I highly suggest you check out the video on youtube for up the up close look of the two fuel filters:
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