In my opinion, the deflector simply corrects a deficiency in the fan design. It's really not a new concept, other machines have them from the factory, but this is an area where IH decided to cut corners on the original Axial Flow design. Since the fix is now patented, their hands are kind of tied. I hope the new series will have a better fan design. The Air Jet chaffer is an improvement in chaffer technology. It makes the best use of the air flow by accurately directing the air blast to keep the chaff suspended and letting the grain fall through. I see nothing about the Air Jet chaffer that would require the large blast of air at the front or benefit from the uneven air flow the results without the deflector. I think the deflector used in conjunction with the Air Jet chaffer would be the ultimate combination.