Hearing aids

[lfw]

Well it is time for me to get new hearing aids, getting a little older it seems.. hearing is not as good as it used to be.. I have a set of Beltones right now..have not been to happy with them the last couple of years. Thinking about getting a set of Kirklands ..they are sold at Costco..
Has anyone one had these hearing aids? Just trying to compare both brands..
Thanks
Lfw

[K0LCB]

Hearing aids are a pain in the ear! I've worn them since 1985. I've seen adds for Kirklands, never tried them. I have good luck with Siemens.

[scattershot]

I have given them a test drive, and they seem fine to me. The audiologist at Costco was very thorough, and I was impressed with the test she gave me. I don't have anything to compare them with, but a friend has a pair and he likes them very well.

[mlh]

Look at the Phonak. The Doctor I go to has 25 patents on hearing aids. He tries all new hearing aids out. He like me has been around too much loud noise and can't hear much either. He says the Phonak is the best of the bunch.
Lynwood

[BB_TX]

Wearing hearing aides is not bad at all. Fairly quickly I got to the point of not even being aware of them. Put them in in the morning when I get up. Take them out as I am getting ready for bed.

I have the Phonak Audeo. Has 5 operating modes for various environments plus wind noise reduction. Bluetooth to connect to each other and to external devices. But expensive. Went to an independent ENT/audiologist office. Have had some hearing loss since I was a teenager, probably from too many shotgun blasts over my head. Gotten worse in the last 6-8 yrs. Finally got the hearing aides 3 yrs ago. They work pretty well except that I do still have some problem with soft and/or higher pitched voices such as children and some women. I have exceptional hearing loss at higher frequencies, but normal hearing at low frequencies.

I think Costco sells the Phonak Brio. Don't know what difference between that and the Audeo as far as features or price.

[richfaa]

Liberty from Sams club. They are OK I guess but expensive. Get the extended warranty with any brand you purchase. We also have extreme high frequency hearing loss.

[mlh]

I deal with hollins-communications-research-institute. It was started by Dr Ron Webster to help people with a stuttering problem. It's most famous patient was Senior John Glen's wife Anne. Then Ron and his friend Dr Duncan McCalister started the Hearing Center. Both are nonprofit. The law is you 30 days to try a set of hearing aids and you can get your money back on the aids but does not apply to anything but the aids. At the Hearing Center you 90 days or more if needed and you get all of your money back, not just for the aids. Nobody there unlike most others works for a commission. They have the freedom give you what you need and still feed their family. They are thousands cheaper than anyone else in the valley. It might pay to look them up on the internet and take a vacation here.
Lynwood

[Starmaster]

In Dec of 2016 I went from a pair of 8yr old AmericaHears Freedom (now sold by Sams Club as Liberty) to a set of Oticon OPN1. The OPN1 takes a different approach than traditional hearing aids. Google "Oticon OPN1" and do some reading to find out how they are different.

The Oticon are one of the most expensive sets available (up to $7500/pair, I paid $4500) but are very much worth it. These are iPhone compatible which means you can stream audio, so, phone calls and music can be streamed directly to the hearing aids. I can finally understand phone calls again! If these are within your budget, I would highly recommend them.

While HAs are outrageously expensive, they can be considered a medical expense for income tax purposes.

Dave

[Dam Worker]

Sucks to have to wear hearing aids but at least it makes a person able to communicate. To much loud noise in my career and in my time away from work. In my opinion whatever works best for you and fits good so you don't really know they are there is the best. If you don't like them you probably won't wear them. My mother is a classic example of getting the Costco products but will not consistently wear them. I got mine and was amazed at what I could hear and wear them everyday. The worst thing is that they amplify all noises and can actually ruin what hearing you have left. In the plant I work at I need to remove mine and put in earplugs to try and save what I have left. The small over/behind the ear like mine work quite well except wind noise and I am happy with them but if you get a bit bigger size you can have them automatically hook up to your phone, tv etc without wearing a necklace.

The big question is how to insure them as I found out that if you lose them it is extremely expensive to replace them and it always seems to be after the ware warranty runs out.


Tom Marty

[richfaa]

We have to remove our aids in the movie theater way to loud also at fireworks displays .There are many places were the aids amplify sound t o a uncomfortable level. We can also hear things we were never able to hear before not that I want to hear them
We purchase the extended warranty as these things cost like 1500 .00 each.

[Beau2010]

Mine came from Mid-America Hearing in Mt Vernon, MO. Right next to I-44 between Joplin and Springfield. They are Rextons and have 5 channels and 9 levels per channel as well as able to be tuned to your need by the audiologist. I had to learn when not to wear them; not with a motorcycle helmet or when working with power tools, but they make the wife happy when she doesn't have to repeat herself as much. I buy rechargable batteries at Costco about once a year.

[NCFischers]

My daughter is an Audiologist. She fitted me with Oticon hearing aids. They are bluetooth so I can adjust the volume with my phone app. I can also hear phone calls through them. I love them.

[lfw]

Thanks everyone for the information..will probably go with a set from Costco....not sure which brand yet..will see what they recommend...

Lfw

[scattershot]

As far as I know, they only offer one type of hearing aid.

[shovelhead86]

Good luck with the aids. i got my first set from Sams Club and liked them. They were Liberty. I now have Phonak from the VA. I like them just as well. I even use them while on the motorcycle. (no helmet). if in a noisy enviroment like the auto races I turn them all the way down or remove them and use ear plugs. They won't amplify anything to over 85 dcbs. You have to wear them all the time or you wont like to wear them at all.

[lfw]

Costco has 4 or 5 different brands of hearing aids..not all are made by the same company..

[Justme44]

I have had my Costco phonak's for over a 2 years. I have the blue tooth unit for the tv and it works well. I was quoted $11000 and $12000 by two PROS and got the same items from Costco for $3000. Costco is by far the lowest price for batteries. I think I pay $8 for 48 batteries. I have to take them out when walking in wind as they like to amp everything and the wind keeps me from enjoying the walk. The people at Costco are very nice and take good care. They are licensed as "dispensers" and have the latest instrments.

[BucBuckeye]

Are any of the brands/models mentioned in the last several posts, water resistant?

[Starmaster]

From the Oticon (I have the OPN1) website.......


Water-resistant (IP58)
Your hearing aids are water-resistant, which means they are designed to be worn in all daily life situations. So you don’t have to worry about sweat or getting wet in the rain. However, do not wear your hearing aids while showering or participating in water activities. Do not immerse your hearing aids in water or other liquids.


Dave

[BucBuckeye]

From the Oticon (I have the OPN1) website.......


Water-resistant (IP58)
Your hearing aids are water-resistant, which means they are designed to be worn in all daily life situations. So you don’t have to worry about sweat or getting wet in the rain. However, do not wear your hearing aids while showering or participating in water activities. Do not immerse your hearing aids in water or other liquids.


Dave

Thanks Dave, that answers that! I have a friend who wears his and although he wants to kayak with us, he's deathly afraid of overturning with his hearing aids in his ear.

I've been wondering if anyone makes an inexpensive sports model a pair he could use in-place of his hearing aids - like a pair of Nike/Beats bluetooth sports headsets...only instead of music, use them to amplify external voices/etc...?

I know they would not help him hear clearly, but at least he would be able to hear instructions while jet skiing/kayaking?

I have no clue whether this is realistic, nor do I know much about hearing aids in general (although all the work I did when I was younger around industrial furnaces probably will have me checking into them soon), I just noticed the topic and followed along thinking I could relay any information to my friend. He's a very active 80 year old - and my mother-in-law's new husband. He's a great guy, actually been working full time as a finish carpenter/grounds-keeper through this year - yep, very active, just not very internet-savvy.

[Starmaster]

Look into the Siemens Aquaris line of hearing aids, they are waterPROOF.

Dave

[shovelhead86]

You should have your friend go to where he purchased them and see if they have an insurance plan he could still purchase in the event they get sumerged of lost. The only concern would be that they usually sell the insurance at the time of purchase but maybe it can be bought later.

[BucBuckeye]

You should have your friend go to where he purchased them and see if they have an insurance plan he could still purchase in the event they get sumerged of lost. The only concern would be that they usually sell the insurance at the time of purchase but maybe it can be bought later.

Thanks, that's actually an idea we hadn't considered!

[dbrandon44]

My wife got hers from Costco and never have had a problem. They are blue tooth and works very well. Service is great and so is the cost.

[scottz]

They work pretty well except that I do still have some problem with soft and/or higher pitched voices such as children and some women.

Not sure I would consider that a bad thing. :)