Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Need hearing aid advice

My 86 year old Mom is needing some as her hearing has gotten pretty bad over the last year or so. I don't know anything about them and neither does she.

Any advice on what to look for?

You can’t beat Costco’s price anywhere. Less than half the cost of what I paid an audiologist for my first pair. Get her tested before deciding what type to get.

I second buying at Costco. I’m happy with mine. Audiologist checked me out and his offer cost 3.5 times very similar aides cost at Costco.

Ditto. Claudia was a teacher of the deaf and thus has more than a little insight in this field. She agrees that Costco has very good audiologists, does rigorous testing, and puts your needs above their profits.

Just got checked there myself. Too many years of farming and shooting have taken their toll. My wife was getting pizzed at my selective hearing Not sure if that will change much, but my test showed high frequency loss. I have a set coming to try, with a 6 month trial which is impressive. I felt the hearing department at Costco was professional and well run. 2500 bucks for my trial pair, which would have cost 6000 at the local hearing aid center...

Your post could easily be an echo of my situation..

The time is coming, soon...

What brands does Costco carry?

Just go to Costco and get a test. I have had Costco hearing aids for 5-6 years now. Going in a few weeks for a new set

Brand doesn't matter as much as how a given aid is designed. Some are better at handling specific types of hearing loss. Others are more easily programmed to handle different environments. Some have remotes or can be adjusted with a smart phone. Some have Bluetooth. You get the idea.

At any rate, Costco uses only top-shelf brands, none of those "$699 for TWO!" you see advertised (which are junk, btw.)

While the set I got from Costco were good units, the follow-up service left much to be desired.
I would not get any more at the ABQ Costco - but I believe the problem was limited to the one outlet.

By the way, hearing aids don’t solve all hearing problems. My wife still accuses me of selective hearing.

They would be the first company in history if they do.

I will repeat the above....Costco if you have one nearby. I have a serious high frequency hearing loss. My first pair of hearing aids cost me over $3000. I bought them from a local hearing aid place. There was no Costco back then. Those aids worked fairly well for 5 years and then one went bad. I checked locally and they wanted $4000 for a comparable pair. I went to Costco and got the most thorough hearing test that I have ever had. The lady then told me that the store brand aids would work fine for me at a cost of $1599. These new hearing aids are a great improvement since they now have the speaker in the ear instead of having a hollow tube leading to the speaker in the aid. The lady who took care of me was great. She did not pressure me to buy. She actually said I might get another couple of years out of the aids if I wanted to send the one back for repair. After checking the cost of repair vs. the cost of a new set, I just went ahead and got new aids. Much better product.

Does she have a Medicare Advantage plan? Medicare won't pay for them but likely an Advantage plan will. It won't be at Costco, though.
If she doesn't, Costco is by far the cheapest place to go and they don't sell junk. A tech here told me that when it's time for them to renegotiate a contract with a manufacturer, Costco sets a fair price. Then they tell the makers to bring the best they can sell at that price. The makers bring some of their best stuff because they know that the volume will be huge and they'll still make a lot of money even selling them at a discount. Of course a good share of the price is for the service Costco gives. It's very good.

About Costco's warranty...5 or 6 years ago, I was out in a pasture doing some fence repair and I lost one out in the grass somewhere. The next day I found it but it had been thoroughly chewed up by a goat. I took it in to see if it was repairable and they said it was still under warranty and I got a brand new one at no cost. That warranty's pretty hard to beat. They said they occasionally got one that had been chewed by a dog but this was their 1st goat.

Leon's post is an example of Costco putting our needs ahead of their profit. I had the same experience a few years back. Great testing protocol, in-depth discussion, and then the audiologist said "I could sell you some aids, but you really aren't in great need just yet."

Last year, I got a pair from the VA. I still am kind of on the cusp of needing them or not, but the VA is spring-loaded to the "issue them" mentality.

Today's behind-the-ear units have rice-sized speakers that go into your ears. The former sound tube to the unit is now a flexible wire. MUCH better sound quality with no external sound "bleed" into the tube. And they're also rechargeable - no more fumbling with tiny batteries. Just drop them into the charger at night.

Do those chargers need 120v or can they be recharged from a 12v or maybe a phone power pack? I'm thinking about a 5 or 6 day camping and/or hunting trip with no power.

RC, mine have a charger unit with its own battery inside. I can get two to three days on my aids, and then the charger can give me two or three more full charges. Ten days easy and two weeks of charge likely (although I haven't had to test that.) And the charger plugs to a USB.

On long fishing trips, I carry a small folding solar panel. It recharges my AA GPS batts as well as my hearing aid charger. Goal Zero brand of panel.

Thanks. I have a phone power pack that can recharge my phone 3 or 4 times. Any USB device can be recharged with it. My aids use 312 batteries and they only last 3-4 days. I need to find out if they will work with rechargables.

The rechargeable batteries in hearing aids aren't removable like 312s. They're sealed in (making the unit a lot more waterproof, as a bonus.) You'd have to get newer aids to have rechargeable. I don't think they make rechargeable 312s.

If you don't have a Costco nearby but do have a Sam's Club give them a shot. I have purchased my last two pair of aids from the Rapid City SD store and the service, especially after the sale, could not be better. I cannot speak to other Sam's stores but the lady who runs the one in Rapid City is the best customer service person you could ask for.