Hearing aids
- Thread starter polranny
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UnframedDave
Well-Known Member
My wife has nhd hearing aids. She gets on well with them. Free batteries and tubes. She doesn't shoot, so I can't comment on that side of things.
Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
How bad does your hearing have to be to get nhs ones? Mines getting worse and worse, I’ll be fifty in 2026 seems the right age to capitulate and wear them
jimmer.13
Well-Known Member
NHS for me. Work great with the phone app. Had some issues with the tubes quick phone call for an appointment all sorted within 5 minutes. Normally wear noise cancelling ear defenders when shooting and operating machinery and everything is comfortable.
Depends on what is wrong with your hearing, I have phonak nhs ones, bluetooth etc compatible that work well, previous nhs ones weren’t worth wearing.
I only have hearing loss of certain frequencies so it could be different if your hearing loss is across the whole range and you can then wear the in ear ones
I only have hearing loss of certain frequencies so it could be different if your hearing loss is across the whole range and you can then wear the in ear ones
I think that so much depends on the level of expertise of your audiologist. I've recently gone the private route with Specsavers own brand "Advance Elite" I trialled them for a couple of months, but didn't find that the £2K price tag gave me much, if any, improvement over my NHS Signia aids. They did come with a 100 day trial period, so after 2 "Reset" visits I returned them and went back to using my NHS prescribed aids.
I think private purchase hearing aids are a complete rip off price wise.
Very much on the model the Optometrists used to use when they had a monopoly and others weren’t allowed to prescribe lenses.
How things (Prices) have changed.
Couple years ago I paid £300 for two pairs of specs from Vision Express.
wasn’t happy with how black they went in brighter light.
Less than a year later, off to Asda, free eye test and two pairs for £99!
Sorry, I digress but I think hearing aids are the same.
KB.
Ps. NHS aids for me but they are not the best. If in a room with groups of people talking amongst themselves, I can hear all the background noise drowning out my conversation with someone in front of me.
They are good in the woods when the volume is turned up and you can hear all sorts of natural sounds, including your own manufactured sounds when walking.
Very much on the model the Optometrists used to use when they had a monopoly and others weren’t allowed to prescribe lenses.
How things (Prices) have changed.
Couple years ago I paid £300 for two pairs of specs from Vision Express.
wasn’t happy with how black they went in brighter light.
Less than a year later, off to Asda, free eye test and two pairs for £99!
Sorry, I digress but I think hearing aids are the same.
KB.
Ps. NHS aids for me but they are not the best. If in a room with groups of people talking amongst themselves, I can hear all the background noise drowning out my conversation with someone in front of me.
They are good in the woods when the volume is turned up and you can hear all sorts of natural sounds, including your own manufactured sounds when walking.
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I have NHS Phonaks and they are excellent. Blue tooth to my phone which is a god send. Using the Phonak app I can control.volume and settings.
NHS Audiology service was excellent except for showing you how to use blue tooth features.
Batteries tube etc all free.
I dont tend to wear them shooting. If using shotgun I wear electronic ear protectors which are good.
D
NHS Audiology service was excellent except for showing you how to use blue tooth features.
Batteries tube etc all free.
I dont tend to wear them shooting. If using shotgun I wear electronic ear protectors which are good.
D
hairlesshunter
Well-Known Member
Nhs ones for me too had mine around a year now.
all sorts of different settings on the app for different situations
Just had a 12 month checkup on them and they get exchanged or updated after 3 years free battery’s
And as people have already said I don’t think there’s much difference between buying them and free ones
all sorts of different settings on the app for different situations
Just had a 12 month checkup on them and they get exchanged or updated after 3 years free battery’s
And as people have already said I don’t think there’s much difference between buying them and free ones
I have just had my ear moulds done at Specsavers so will get the private new Advance Elite (rechargeable) as above 22 Dec 25 appointment, can't comment on them as never tried any, My NHS aids don't seem to cover all' of my requirements (Damage) I hope' with that outlay there will be an improvement? No Blue tooth on my NHS aids.
I have to say, I have also had an eye test at Specsavers which showed I needed both cataracts removed and lens fitted, this was all done privately, but through the NHS. My situation result is FIRST CLASS'
BC.
I have to say, I have also had an eye test at Specsavers which showed I needed both cataracts removed and lens fitted, this was all done privately, but through the NHS. My situation result is FIRST CLASS'
BC.
Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
This is what my hearing damage is as well.
purdeydog
Well-Known Member
My hearing is damaged in my right ear which is down to shooting. I have an annual test, this year the last said would I consider a hearing aid? I said when the time comes and she replied its come. Only 50!
Apparently if damaged hearing ranges/frequencies aren’t stimulated they get worse. In a busy room and you’re on my right it’s quite bad with certain letters. So wearing a hearing aid will prevent the damaged bits getting worse by stimulating those bad frequencies.
Apparently if damaged hearing ranges/frequencies aren’t stimulated they get worse. In a busy room and you’re on my right it’s quite bad with certain letters. So wearing a hearing aid will prevent the damaged bits getting worse by stimulating those bad frequencies.
This is my 2nd pair. They are replaced every 3 years and £70 if you loose one.
Have lost all my high frequencies hearing due to years of pigeon decoying and not wearing ear protection.
Without aids I can hardly hear any bird song esp things like willow warbler and Chiff Chaffs.
I can see no point on spending £000s on private hearing when NHS ones will do the same job and are free.
D
Have lost all my high frequencies hearing due to years of pigeon decoying and not wearing ear protection.
Without aids I can hardly hear any bird song esp things like willow warbler and Chiff Chaffs.
I can see no point on spending £000s on private hearing when NHS ones will do the same job and are free.
D
My thoughts entirely. Buying glasses in the late 80s early 90s was horrendous. Abusive basically.
Can't see why ear buds couldn't be used and totally customisable from an app . I look a bit silly in my Howard Leigh's watching telly so I don't deafen the Mrs.
simgre
Well-Known Member
I’ve worn hearing aids for a couple of decades. I used to get a massive 75% discount as my niece worked for the company. Still cost me £1000.
She no longer works for them and I need new ones. £6000 been quoted. I’ve asked for the GP for a referral. Might get to see the NHS audiologist in 18 months.
She no longer works for them and I need new ones. £6000 been quoted. I’ve asked for the GP for a referral. Might get to see the NHS audiologist in 18 months.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Hmmm.
Unless something has changed recently “Audiologists” are not regulated (certainly in NI).
I posted this experience some time ago so near with lads and turn up your reading glasses…recently the sainted Lady FB ambushed me with an appointment at a local private one and I was put through my paces with all sorts of tests - the clarity of the £2.5k per ear ones was very good and the showstopper was the main man taking my wife into another room and as if by magic I could hear her every word (not his best sales pitch). I reluctantly undertook to actually wear my nhs pair for a month then come back again with a view to coughing (and spluttering) up just North of £5k…
By sheer coincidence my nhs audiology appointment was the following week and of course I couldn’t stop myself from relaying my experiences from just a few days before….
The terribly nice chap explained the lack of regulation, the huge mark-up and the double-glazing” sales methods that were used and was generally very damning of what I had experienced. I of course played my Lady FB in another room master card (rather than Mastercard) and he smiled politely and asked if the “audiologist” had a shirt on with a pen in his breast pocket - I confirmed that he did indeed have several pens then with some relish he told me that one of these was a microphone bluetoothed to the test hearing aids and that in terms of sensitivity sound and clarity there was little real difference between these and my current free nhs aids!
Needless to say I stuck with what I had….
You have been warned (again)….
PS
When out shooting especially walked up, a lightweight pair of electronic ear defenders has made a significant difference for me in that I can, for the first in a long time, hear every word spoken by my companions - not necessarily always a good thing of course…..
Unless something has changed recently “Audiologists” are not regulated (certainly in NI).
I posted this experience some time ago so near with lads and turn up your reading glasses…recently the sainted Lady FB ambushed me with an appointment at a local private one and I was put through my paces with all sorts of tests - the clarity of the £2.5k per ear ones was very good and the showstopper was the main man taking my wife into another room and as if by magic I could hear her every word (not his best sales pitch). I reluctantly undertook to actually wear my nhs pair for a month then come back again with a view to coughing (and spluttering) up just North of £5k…
By sheer coincidence my nhs audiology appointment was the following week and of course I couldn’t stop myself from relaying my experiences from just a few days before….
The terribly nice chap explained the lack of regulation, the huge mark-up and the double-glazing” sales methods that were used and was generally very damning of what I had experienced. I of course played my Lady FB in another room master card (rather than Mastercard) and he smiled politely and asked if the “audiologist” had a shirt on with a pen in his breast pocket - I confirmed that he did indeed have several pens then with some relish he told me that one of these was a microphone bluetoothed to the test hearing aids and that in terms of sensitivity sound and clarity there was little real difference between these and my current free nhs aids!
Needless to say I stuck with what I had….
You have been warned (again)….
PS
When out shooting especially walked up, a lightweight pair of electronic ear defenders has made a significant difference for me in that I can, for the first in a long time, hear every word spoken by my companions - not necessarily always a good thing of course…..
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