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Quick thoughts about Costco Canada Hearing aids

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My current hearing aids are Costco Kirkland KS 8.0 and the time seems to have come that they need to be replaced. Occasionally the right one just goes to full volume and it makes the aid unwearable as is. If I use the app and turn the volume down to almost zero on the right side I can wear them. Then after I use them for a while it goes back to normal. In any case it is time as they are now about 7 years old.

I would like to buy again at Costco, but they have discontinued the Kirkland branded aids (Rexton). The fitter tells me that they have forced the prices down so low on the name brands that branding one as a Kirkland no longer makes sense? I did my first quick check today to see what they carry:

Rexton Reach - $2100 (not sure if it is the + or not)

Phillips HearLink 9060 miniRite R - $2200

Sennheiser Sonite Rise - $2200

Jabra Enhance Pro 30 Micro (? I think) - $2200

This is the best I can figure at this point for specific models.

I am looking for some brief comments about the ones you have used, and what you think is best and if any are an obvious no go, or if there is a clear winner. Not looking for a detailed review, but some quick thoughts to help me get back up to speed on these things.

This forum has changed since I was active here before. Is there still a section that reviews the aids?

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@Sierra said:

I am looking for some brief comments about the ones you have used, and what you think is best and if any are an obvious no go, or if there is a clear winner.

Sorry but no one could possibly tell which is the best for you, this could only be found out by a trial, remember Costco only sell the premium models, the Reach+ is available.

https://www.hearingtracker.com/hearing-aids/compare1

I am not looking for a specific recommendation for myself. I am just asking if there are lemons to avoid (poor battery life for example), and any with particular strong points to consider.

In reply to @Sierra

It's been a long time since you have been on this forum. Welcome back.

We are all bias to an extent. Each Costco seems to have their own favorites they tend to fit better than others. All of Costco's aids are really nice. You didn't mention the new Soundgear Amp aids they carry now. These are rebadged top of the line Starkey aids.

If you can do some reading here on the forum there is lots of information about each of these aids. Each has good and bad reviews from members here. All have to be read with a grain of salt You have lots of experience with hearing aids so I would lean more on your own experience and knowledge about hearing aids. Most of us don't have any more knowledge than you about Costco hearing aids.

Knowing you wear Rexton that might be the best place to start but it's also a great time to try something new. I see you are an iPhone person so that may influence your choice. might not be if interest to you. Most are rechargeable but I think there might be a couple you can order with disposable batteries.

Good luck

It might help to indicate whether there is anything you like or don't about the KS8. Is your KS8 rechargable? It's possible but not easy to get 7 years of use from a rechargable even with a battery swap toward the end of the 3 year warranty. Is your hearing loss about the same? Do you need accessories?

If your store can, you can demo them all in store. You may need multiple appointments as some report being limited to about 2 aid models per appointment. Some seem to be allowed to take demos home but that does not appear to be typical.

Check whether you get any money from the province as some give a portion of the cost even at Costco.

Welcome to the forum again! I remember when I was not so knowledgeable in 2019 and you responded for some mine questions related to earmold venting 😇

Edited

In reply to @user490

Generally the KS8 has worked well. It uses 312 batteries and has a battery door. It is bad for shutting down with just a few drops of rain, or sweat when doing yard work. I think the battery door leaks, and I am hoping that issue will be solved with a rechargeable. I have had feedback issues and ended up using . This aid uses My Voice to recognize my voice and reduce the occlusion effect of closed domes. That part has worked well. I tried and rejected custom molds. Are there any of these aids that work better now in controlling feedback without having to resort to fully closed domes? Noise in restaurants has never been addressed well. I mainly use it in the Automatic mode, but the Noise/Party setting does help some in a noisy restaurant.

In reply to @Raudrive

I did not see the Soundgear Amp aids on display at our Costco in Edmonton. I will have to ask about them. I got into and using the Rexton My Voice to control occlusion due to feedback issues. Have there been any advancements in feedback control that may reduce the dependence on closed domes?

In reply to @Sierra

Do you use a hearing aid dryer?

Signia still has own voice processing. These are sold at Costco as Rexton. The latest Signia is the MaX but Costco does not have a Rexton version yet. Reach R Plus is now the prior gen. You may want to wait for the newer one if you can limp along or keep open the possibility of returning and rebuying within 180 days (think it's the same return period in Canada).

MaX uses Bluetooth classic unlike KS8 so consider how that will work for you and your devices, likely better but different.

If you use a remote mic, there isn't one at the moment for MaX.

Whichever aid you go with, you may want to consider trying molds. These are cheap at Costco and returnable if they do not work for you.

Thanks for the response. I use a hearing aid dryer which is just activated alumina beads in a jar. It works well. But, I get hearing aid issues like complete dropout almost instantly in light rain or sweating. My current issues are not caused by moisture.

I am not sure I can limp along for long. When my right hearing aid goes wacko (seems like max volume making it unusable) I can kind of manage it by using the phone controls to crank back the right side volume to almost zero.

I don't use the remote mic. I have used the setting which makes the phone a mic but it is really not practical. Probably only tried it 3-4 times.

I tried molds at Costco, and they made two attempts at it, and I could not stand either. With the Rexton I have settled on the closed 10 mm domes using My Voice. I tried the closed sleeves for a long time but the domes are better.

The new Philips 9060 HearLink look interesting, but not a lot of user feedback on them yet. And I wonder how well they control feedback. It is said they use Feedback Canceller 2 which appears to have been standard with Philips for some time now.

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