Yes, the Pipercross sells for around £35, while the K&N £50. Is there more to it than just the "brand", with these premium filters.
I actually ordered a new filter at the weekend. Considering its pretty much a "one time" purchase, I opted for the K&N.
A further question, is the new Filter supposed to be lightly sprayed with anything prior to fitting?
If it's brand new then it should be good to go.
I wouldn't believe too much about the 50,000 miles before cleaning though, i tend to clean mine once a year on a very warm day, so that the sun can dry the filter quickly but naturally. Because we have such a varied weather pattern it can get dirtier much quicker than expected, although you'd really have to let it go to clog one up.
DO NOT use compressed air, hairdryer, etc, to dry it though, as you could fairly easily damage it without meaning to.
I got the idea on this forum after it was noticed that a main ingredient of the proper cleaning spray used for K&N filters is the same as washing machine powder, so for years now i've always filled a bucket with 'warm' water and swished the filter about in it for a good 20mins and cleaned it that way, and it seems to have worked a treat, at an obvious fraction of the cost.
I will still use a light spray of the proper K&N oil on it once it is totally dry though.