I'm one to stick with the factory filters. It's not like the price of the filters is excessively high...and, one doesn't need to change them too often, other then oil and that really depends on hours of operation.
I'd wager most of us change the filters annually, except for the hydraulic filter...which might be biannual.
I toured a filter manufacturing plant several years ago. Many of the after-market filters are made along side and on the same lines as the original equipment and name brand filters. The guts of any filter are the filter media used and the check and bypass valves. Probably the most critical component is the filter media and the total surface area. Some after-market brands use the same quality and amount of media. I guess my point is if you find a filter that meets the requirements for your machine and it is cheaper...go for it.
I am not a filter expert so I don't know about all filters but some list the micron size of the filter media on the packaging. Some filters may list the first pass and multi-pass filtering efficiencies as well. Certainly there is no real consistency in the information available to the consumer. It is, as always, caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).