Costco Or Not

Hearing Aids
#1

Good day!

I’m beginning to explore options for new hearing aids. Last time, I used audicus, and while good, I was only given the option of the Oro, and I’d like the ability to have more choice, as well as I HATE the RIC, it never stays in, I have an extreme paranoia of the dome getting stuck in my ear, the 312 battery is so small it hardly lasts. Anyways, as you can see from my audiogram, I am not the typical patient, and since I’ve very rarely worn hearing aids, I do not want to pay $5,000 for something I won’t use, but I’d like to try an in the ear aid, and a behind the ear one. Would costco be a good starting point? Which aids do you reccomend?

#2

Costco. Tried many other “hearing aid specialists” Costco the best!

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#3

It’s certainly reasonable to start with Costco. you have a reverse slope loss which they may or may not be familiar with fitting. I would think you’d benefit from custom molds with your significant low frequency loss, which should solve the dome issue. I’d see what Costco recommends. I think all of their hearing aids are good, so the more important issue may be which one is the fitter most experienced with fitting.

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#4

The RIC should have worked better. You may just need a different size dome or ear locks. One of the canal sizes would work. At Costco they are at two levels and two prices. The KS8 is not available in canal forms. All brands there offer canal aid most in two level – premium and intermediate.

As mentioned, domes are a option for fit and helping control low frequency loss. You should be able to get a pair for $40/ea at Costco.

If you go canal aids, only the largest full ear will have as big a battery as your current aids. A 13 is available for RIC by being slightly larger and usually including a telecoil.

#5

Costco has been great for me.

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#6

I’m wearing the now old Signature 5 behind the ear aids, the batteries last ab out 6 days with light use (less than 10 hours a day). I have been given quality no cost support over the 3+ years I’ve owned the aids. They cost much less than the $5,000 mentioned price. Mine came with something like a 90 day trial period (going from memory) and a 3 year full warranty… and as I recall and didn’t need, a 2 year one time free replacement on an aid lost or damaged. Great value if they work for you.

Hitching on here, I have developed a bit of a static/interference/ performance in one ear, not the aids. The problem developed when one aid failed out of warranty replacement $140 as I recall it. I wore it for a while, several months before complaining it may not be working, yes dumb me, just after the warrantee ran out. The new aid works well in both ears, and both aids display the same performance problem in the right hear. Any ideas: my brain still needs to adjust to a working aid in the right ear? I have some nerve damage or other problem that my aids can not compensate for. I may need to see a ear MD, but will give my brain more time to adjust.

If this thread is managed and I have violated the hitch hike rule, let me know and I’ll post this elsewhere… I figured my input on Costco may be helpful to the original poster.

#7

Thanks! I don’t think Costco could be worse than anyone else I’ve seen locally, since they ranged from don’t get hearing aids, to you need hearing aids but we have no idea how to make them work for you-, hence Audicus.

#8

Thanks! I’ve never had good luck with off the shelf domes, including the kind you get for earbuds, so maybe my ears are just a strange size.