I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately about the difference between me and Costco and why Costco’s hearing aids are so much less expensive.

Well, partly it’s because they buy a limited number of models from a limited number of manufacturers. So they buy in bulk. I can get any hearing aid from any manufacturer (except a couple of proprietary companies). I like that because they don’t all make the right hearing aid for everyone. I spend a lot more time keeping up with technology than they do, but it’s worth it. Here are some examples of hearing aids and why I might choose them.

Some people won’t wear hearing aids because they think it makes them look old. So, I can choose Phonak Titanium or Signia Styletto. Some work in an environment with lots of people and noise. So I have Oticon OPN S. Some people need rechargeable batteries. So I have a lot of options, but usually I think ReSound Quatro. I have people with deafness on one side and might try a CROS hearing aid. I’ve been trying Signia Nx for that lately. I have people with profound hearing loss and I’ll usually choose Oticon Exceed. Some people need to answer their Android phone, hands free, so I get Phonak Marvel. Starkey Livio Ai has fall detection, heart rate monitoring, and language translation. Widex Evoke has a great tinnitus masker.

I can also change manufacturers for things like earmolds. I’ve switched between companies like Westone, Starkey, ReSound, Oticon, Emtec, and Microsonic because quality can vary over time. They also have their own specialty. Microsonic is excellent at children’s earmolds and Westone is great at musician’s monitors.

Also, I’m an audiologist. They are usually hearing aid dispensers. While I’ve met dispensers that are stellar and audiologists that aren’t, audiologists have an advantage of graduate school education. The focus is different. Audiologists are trained to think of treating hearing loss, and that includes more than hearing aids. Sometimes it doesn’t include a hearing aid at all. A liberal education teaches more than how to do something. They teach why. So when you get unexpected results, you have half a chance of figuring out the why and how to fix it.

A few random things that come to mind: I take insurance and I work for free in Starkey’s Hear Now program. Costco’s ReSound hearing aids are locked – meaning only Costco can program or fine tune them. And, finally, I hope you enjoy this video, because it circles back to my first example of patients who think hearing aids make them look old.